A day in Istanbul

Ideally if you were going to Istanbul, Turkey, you would spend a lot more than a day in the city - it has so much to offer.

But let's say you were flying in or stopping over on business. Or perhaps you are starting or ending a cruise there. Is it worth arriving/departing a day later? Absolutely.

Thankfully, despite the vast size of this city, which is located on two continents (yes, this city is located in both Europe AND Asia), many attractions are within a stone throw of each other. If you plan well, you can see a whole lot in a day.

We had just one day to explore the city as part of a trip that also took us to the Princess Islands and to Cappadocia in central Turkey. Our day didn't start until around 11 a.m., partly because our taxi got lost (apparently there is a neighbourhood called "Topkapi" in addition to Topkapi Palace, so make sure your instructions to the driver are clear, because they are nowhere near each other). Luckily, he didn't charge us for the extra time even though the mistake was hardly his fault. We had been warned that cab drivers often take advantage of tourists who don't know their way around the city, but though the ride, which should have been 20 minutes, turned into an hour and a half, he offered the ride for free because of the mistake. We experienced this sort of hospitality throughout Turkey. The Turkish people seemed to go out of their way to be accommodating.

Our plan had been to begin the day a Topkapi Palace, with a route mapped out to maximize our time.

Upon exiting the taxi, we were approached by a man in suit and tie who spoke English and very eagerly started giving us a history lesson on Istanbul while guiding us instead toward the Blue Mosque. These men are common in the touristy areas and have an ultimate goal of selling you a Turkish rug. While I love the rugs, we had no intention on this trip of making arrangements to purchase and ship one back to Canada. However, during the history lesson he did provide us with some very valuable information - the Blue Mosque closes early on Fridays and we only had about a half an hour before we would miss our chance to see it. Grateful, I gave him a 10TL tip and politely thanked him for his time and for not coming to his store. Had he not stopped us when we exited the taxi, we would have missed the chance to see it at all, unaware of the adjusted hours on Fridays.

So, we changed our route and hustled down to the Mosque. My heart sank when I saw the line, thinking there was no way we would get in, but the line moved quickly and within a few minutes, we were inside. Shoes are not allowed, so be prepared for the smell of feet when you enter - and ladies must cover their arms while inside. A scarf is fine if you have one, and they do supply extras if you need one.

Next, we scurried across to the Hagia Sofia. This was probably my favourite stop of the day. The sheer size of this mosque (now a museum) was just breath-taking.

If you look at the picture to the left, you can see how small the people are in relation to the size of the mosque. Those cloud-shaped objects down there are the light fixtures hanging high above their heads! Amazing, considering the current building has stood there for the last 1500 years!


Because of our delayed start with the taxi mix-up, we no longer felt we had time to explore Topkapi Palace, though we did take about a half hour to wander around the gardens surrounding the palace.

There is a stretch of road near the mosques where a number of monuments stand, including the Byzantine triumphal arch, which at one time was the point from which all distances within the empire were measured. It dates back to the 4th century. There is also the Obelisk of Theodosius, erected in 390 A.D. and the Serpent Column, also erected in the 4th century.

Another very interesting spot in this area is the Basilica Cistern, which was constructed by the Romans during the 6th century. It is a huge, underground water tank made of marbled columns and 4 meter-thick brick and mortar walls. What I found interesting is the amount of carving and detail that went into an area that was never meant to be seen publicly.





Next, we headed up to the Grand Bazaar. They tell you to take note of what entrance you go in so that you can find your way back out again. But never mind that. The place is so huge, you'll never find the same exit you went in by.

Here is where you can do your souvenir shopping or get your (well made) knock-off items. They sell everything from silk scarves to beautiful Turkish lamps to watches and bags. You can barter for everything and explore multiple shops for the same items in order to get the best price. Plan to spend a few hours here at least.

As I said, we never did find our original exit again, so when we finally came out, we had no idea where we were. We knew we wanted to go to the Galata Tower and started walking in the general direction we thought it was in while I waited for our GPS to find a signal.




After several blocks, I still couldn't get a signal, so we thought we'd better ask for directions. We stopped off at local vendor in one of those hole-in-the wall food establishments where you order curbside. All that's inside is the kitchen. If you're lucky, they may have a table or two out on the sidewalk. We saw lots of these. What ensued was the perfect example of our overall experience in Turkey.

The owner asked where we were from and the proceeded to tell us how his daughter was going to McGill University (and how much it was costing him). He invited us to stay for some apple tea and asked his wife to make an artichoke dish for us. We chatted for about a half an hour and at the end of it we offered some money for the food and drinks, but he wouldn't accept. He said, "Consider this my gift to you on your trip. May you come back and visit again soon." Wow. This is his livelihood and yet he was willing to feed a couple of tourists for free.

He told us which directions to head, but noted it would take us over an hour to walk it. He pointed to a tram stop across the street and told us that for 3TL we could ride it 5 stops and be at the Galata Tower in about 10 minutes. Perfect. If he hadn't made that recommendation, the tower probably would have been closed by the time we got there.

Thankfully we arrived with a half hour to spare and were able to make it to the top, where there are views of all of Istanbul - both the European side and the Asian.


I wish now that we had planned to spend more time here and I would go back in a heartbeat. Our experience was nothing but positive. The people were fantastic and we never once had a bad meal anywhere in Turkey.

If we'd had even one extra day to explore the city, I'm sure we could have gone into a number of places we were only able to see as a drive-by:

Rumeli Fortress

Topkapi Palace

Taksim Square

Dolmabahce Palace

Dolmabahce Palace

This city and country has such rich history, it would be hard to run out of things to do and see. Take a cruise up the Bosphorus, watch some whirling dervishes or belly dancers perform and enjoy the fabulous foods. Wander the streets, meet the people and enjoy the culture. Just don't be brave and get behind the wheel. Driving in this city is not for the faint of heart!