TCynth

We were invited to a friend’s wedding in Jordan July of 2021, so any opportunity we get to tag on another country/destination we always will make the most of it. Originally, my husband and I had planned to go around Scotland before our friend’s destination wedding in Jordan, however due to Covid restrictions and having to quarantine at the time, we switched to Turkey. We only had time to go to one city for 4 days so we picked to explore Istanbul and so glad that we did! It was an easier ease of getting into a country with less covid restrictions. What attracts me to Istanbul most was how much history, food and culture there is in such a thriving city, and its super cheap!

The first part of my research of course consisted in the purchase of the travel guide by Rick Steves, my favorite travel guide of all time. This book is always such a great start to trip planning. My husband and I also have some friends that lived in Europe for a few years and they gave us so many amazing recommendations.

Attractions and Things to do in Istanbul

• Blue Mosque

• Hagia Sophia

• Grand Bazaar

• Topakhu Palace

• Galatea Bridge

• Galatea Tower

• Suleymaniye Mosque

• Balat

Places to Eat in Istanbul

• Nusr-et - a.k.a salt bae, the infamous chef

• Ciya Sofrasi - located on the Asia side of Istanbul, chef was featured on Chef’s Table

• Hamdi in Eminonu - amazing views of the city and delicious food

• Durumzade - THE best kebab wraps of your life, Anthony Bordain went here and he’s featured all of their walls. Street style kebabs and very cheap

• Kuzguncuk Klas Kofte - super local restaurant on the Asian side

• Mado - turkish breakfast

• Nova Santiya Cafe - rooftop café in Faith

• Osmanlizandeler - best pastries and baklava, several locations located throughout Istanbul. A great spot to stop for a late night dessert or some coffee

  
  

Day 1: Arriving in Istanbul

We checked into our hotel right by Hagia Sophia at the Hilton. This is prime location near all the tourist attractions, and we really enjoyed our stay here. There is a private indoor pool inside a cave and you’re able to reserve it and have the experience all to yourself which was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The service was also amazing, they chauffer you around the hotel if you need it and they will drive you around in a golf cart.

Arasta Bazaar - a cool mini Bazaar near our hotel. Lots of unquie rugs and little trinkets to purchase. I bought a cute scarf from here that I kept around with me at all times in case I needed to cover my shoulders going into mosques.

Fish Home Ahhir Kapi - the first restaurant we stumbled upon near our hotel and it was pretty decent. I ordered a whole fish (sea bass smothered in garlic butter) and baklava

Day 2: Tourist Attraction Day

Hagia Sophia - Considered among the greatest houses of worship in the Christian and Muslim worlds, it was built as a church in 537 by the Byzantines, and turned into a mosque by the Ottomans in 1453.

Blue Mosque - The infamous Blue Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque because of its beautiful blue tiles surrounding the interior walls. Built between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I. It’s still currently an active mosque and closed to worshippers for a half hour during the five daily prayers. I was looking forward to seeing this after seeing photos and learning the history, but unfortunately it’s under renovations with everything blocked off. You can still enter, but everything’s covered in tarp, and I was very dissapointed when I entered and realized that everything was covered.

Topakhu Palace - Constructed between 1460 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, The palace served as the home of the Ottoman sultans and their court until the middle of the 19th century. I recommend buying tickets ahead of time and reserve the first time slot in the morning to beat the crowds.

Walk around the Golden Horn - Get the famous Fish sandwiches right on the water. The fisherman are on these cool boats serving up fresh fish daily!

Huqqabaz for lunch, its a vegan and vegetarian friendly restaurant with a great lunch menu

Osmanlizandeler for Baklava, Turkish delights and coffee. A super chic cafe, and you’ll find several locations throughout Istanbul

Day 3:

Green Corner Cafe - We stumbled upon this place for breakfast since it was near our hotel and it was really good!

Galatea Bridge - Walk across the bridge that spans the Golden Horn in Instanbul. We walked across the bridge to the Galatea Tower and took a tour up the tower. Recommend for great views above the tower.

Galatea Tower - This tower was built as a watchtower on the highest point of the lost walls of Galata. Its worth visiting for some of the best views of the Bosphorus and Golden Horn. There are also great places around the city that include views of the Galata Tower itself in the frame.

Durumzade - THE best doner kebab wrap hole in the wall kind of place. HOLY CRAP! Even my friend who’s a vegetarian got the vegetarian version with vegetables and cheese and loved it. My husband and I loved this place so much, we ordered a cab to take us back the following day. The owners were such a sweet Turkish family, everything is made to order, and brought out freshly hot to you. There are pictures of Anthony Bordain all over their restaurant, so you know its going to be a great spot. To be honest, I still have dreams about this place, and think about it all the time.

Roof Mezze 360 - get the grilled halloumi cheese! The views are phenomenal up here, and worth stopping for drinks! We came here for golden hour and took in all the lovely views of Hagia Sophia.

Day 4

Grand Bazaar - Not as GRAND as they say in my opinion, and not worth all the hype that I was expecting. Everyone and every blog/guidebook talked about how amazing and grand this bazaar is, and I just didn’t love it. Was it the hype that exceeded my expectations? Possibly. But it just felt like a hot box of cigarettes, filled with a bunch of men trying to lure you into their shops and aggressively trying to sell you their products while puffing smoke all over your face. The workers were very pushy in getting you to enter their shops and wouldn’t stop harassing us to buy something. All the products were bad quality fake designers, but if that’s what you’re looking for then this is your spot. Its huge walking through, but every shop you see starts offering the same things you can find elsewhere without the smoke.

Suleymaniye Mosque - One of the most distinctive mosque known for its large design.

Spice Market - I enjoyed the spice market so much more than any bazaar. This is located in the Faith district and one of the most famous covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar. I bought some spices to marinate poultry and fish in and I regret not buying more!

Divella - This restaurant was walking distance from our hotel, so we decided to stop here for a causal dinner. It’s an Italian style restaurant that also serves seafood and Turkish food.