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You
can see all of Istanbul's top
sights in 2 or 3 days,
perhaps with a recommended Licensed
Private Guide, or
value-for-money tour, then
take one-day or overnight excursions to
other places. Here are the possibilities
(see also my Istanbul
Weekend page.)
DAY
1 - OTTOMAN ISTANBUL
Istanbul's
top sights are grouped right around
the Hippodrome in Sultanahmet
Square:
Topkapı
Palace (9-5, closed Tuesday;
stay 2-3 hr). Get there at 8:45
am and go straight to the Harem,
which gets overcrowded.
Ayasofya (Hagia
Sophia) (9-4, closed Monday; stay
1 hr). Right next to Topkap. Don't
miss the mosaics on the upper
level.
Blue
Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii)
(stay 1/2 hr). Just across the
park from Ayasofya, on the Hippodrome.
The mosque is closed to visitors
for 25 minutes after each call
to prayer, and for several hours
midday on Friday.
Byzantine
Hippodrome (stay 1/2
hr). Enjoy the monuments in the
park—if the postcard and carpet
vendors will let you!
Museum
of Turkish and Islamic Art (9-5,
closed Monday; stay 1-2 hr).
Right on the Hippodrome across
from the Blue Mosque, this is
a treasurehouse of Anatolian
art.
Basilica
Cistern (Yerebatan
Sarnıçı) (9-5; stay 1/2 hr).
At the NE end of the Hippodrome
beneath the little park.
A Turkish
bath (1-3 hr) can
be amazingly refreshing after
a long day. If not today, then
later.
DAY
2 - BYZANTINE CONSTANTINOPLE
Today
you visit Istanbul's top Byzantine (4th
to 14th centuries) sights, and go shopping.
Divan
Yolu (1-hr walking
tour) Walk from the Hippodrome uphill
along this historic boulevard,
the ancient Roman Mese, to
see the tombs of the Ottoman sultans,
other Ottoman buildings,
and Çemberlitaş (Forum
of Constantine) to Beyazıt
Square (Forum of
Theodosius) and Istanbul
University.
Take a bus or taxi to Edirnekapı
and the Kariye Museum, or take
a convenient, value-for-money
tour that takes you to a number
of hard-to-reach sites.
Kariye
Museum (9-4, closed
Wednesday; stay 1-2 hrs). Come
for the brilliant gold Byzantine mosaics that
cover the ceiling and walls.
Nearby is Tekfur
Saray, Istanbul's only extant Byzantine palace,
built into the huge 4th-century city
walls. Take a bus or taxi
back to Beyazıt
Square and the Grand Bazaar. (If
you're on the tour,
you'll go on to Eyüp,
the Pierre
Loti café,
and the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate. More...)
Grand
Bazaar (9-5, closed Sunday;
stay 1-2 hrs, longer if you're
really shopping). With its 4000
shops, it has something you
want! Finding it is great fun.
Have lunch at one of the
little restaurants right in the
bazaar. When you're done, walk
downhill along Long-Market Street or take a tram or taxi to Eminönü and
the Egyptian Market.
Egyptian
(Spice) Market (9-5,
open every day; stay 1/2 to 1
hr) Right next to the southern
end of the Galata
Bridge, it's much smaller
than the Grand
Bazaar, but the surrounding
district is full of other shops
selling food, clothing, kitchen
utensils, etc. It's interesting.
The tram will
take you right back to Sultanahmet.
DAY
3 - 19th-CENTURY ISTANBUL
Explore
the romance of late Ottoman Istanbul on
a walking tour of Beyoğlu,
and a visit to the sultan's most
lavish palace.
Galata
Bridge (stay 1/2 hr)
Start at the bridge over the
Golden
Horn which links Old and
New Istanbul. Take in the view,
then walk north through Karaköy (Galata) and uphill to...
Galata
Tower (9-7, discount
on Monday; stay 1/2 to 1 hr)
Best views of the city from this
Genoese cone-topped stone tower.
Continue uphill to Tünel Square and...
Istiklal
Caddesi (Grande
Rue de Péra; 1-2 hr walking
tour) Lots to see along the main
boulevard of 19th-century Istanbul:
a whirling
dervish hall, grand old embassy
buildings, the Pera
Palace Hotel, Galatasaray
Square, and lots of boutiques.
Plenty of restaurants for
lunch.
Taksim
Square From this hub
of modern Istanbul, go downhill
to Dolmabahçe Palace or
north to the Military Museum.
Dolmabahçe
Palace (9-4, closed Monday
and Thursday; stay 1-2 hrs) With
a facade almost a quarter mile
long, this is the mother of all
Ottoman palaces, and a must-see
if you're into magnificence.
Military
Museum (9-5, closed Monday & Tuesday;
stay 1-2 hr) North of Taksim
along Cumhuriyet Caddesi past
the Istanbul
Hilton, the museum chronicles
1000 years of Turkish military
history—quite fascinating. At
3 and 4 pm you can hear the Ottoman Mehter,
the world's original military
band, in costume with period
instruments.
DAYS
4 & 5 - EXCURSIONS
You've
seen Istanbul's top sights, now get
out of the city. Here are the best one-day and overnight trips.
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