|
ISTANBUL
IN ONE DAY
Istanbul's
top sights are grouped right around
the Hippodrome in Sultanahmet
Square, so you can visit them
all on your first (or only) day.
Here
are recommended licensed private
guides.
MORNING
Topkapi
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 Topkapi. Don't
miss the best mosaics, on the upper
level.
LUNCH nearby
on Divan Yolu: Sultan Pub,
Sultanahmet Köfteci, etc.
AFTERNOON
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
Sunken
Palace Cistern (Yerebatan
Sarayi) (9-5; stay 1/2 hr). At
the NE end of the Hippodrome
beneath the little park.
Grand
Bazaar (9-5, closed Sunday
& holidays; stay 1-2 hrs, longer
if you're really shopping). Walk
uphill on Divan
Yolu from the Hippodrome
and see the sights along the
way, or take the tram along it
to Çarsikapi (CHAR-shuh-kah-puh).
EVENING
A Turkish
bath (1-3 hr) can be
amazingly refreshing after a
long day!
Istanbul
has dozens of excellent restaurants
for dinner.
Recommended
Licensed Private Guides
Istanbul
Weekend
Excursions from Istanbul
1
to 5 Days in Turkey
6
to 10 Days in Turkey
11
to 15 Days in Turkey
16
to 23 Days in Turkey
24
to 30+ Days in Turkey
Recommended
Itineraries
Special
Interest Trips
|
