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ISTANBUL
IN ONE DAY
For economical private
airport transfers,
guided
tours and similar travel services,
contact my friends at Backpackers
Travel in
Sultanahmet.
(Despite their name, they make arrangements
for travelers of all budgets, from
simple to luxury.)
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
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 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
Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan
Saray Sarnıçı) (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 Çarşıkapı (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.
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