I spent four days in Istanbul and managed to do most of the touristy things. My first tip would be to buy a travel guide. I had the Lonely Planet one, which showed all the must see attractions. If it is your first time I would recommend staying in the Old Town. I stayed at a very nice and central hotel called Pierre Loti Hotel which was within walking distance to all the main attractions. I would recommend it to people visiting for the first time. If it's your second or third time, I would recommend staying in a suburb, such as Besiktas area. As I found the public transport to be very good and not very expensive, I would recommend using it rather than taxis. Some taxi drivers have very crazy driving styles and it's more expensive.
A few highlights from my trip I wanted to mention.
- If you get the chance definitely go on a boat trip on the Bosphorus. I went in the evening and you could see the whole city lit up. It was beautiful.
- The Grand Bazaar was very different and unique to what I had seen before.
- Now I have to mention the food, which was amazing. Everything I tried, I loved but the thing that stood out for me was Iskender kebab. If you go to any part of Turkey you need to try it, it's so good. Also the baklava and turkish delight are out of this world, they are so tasty.
Now the dress code situation. Lots of people told me I had to wear long skirts and you have to be covered. Which is true if your are entering the mosques, but otherwise you can show a bit of leg, no problem and you can even get away with longer shorts. You may get some looks in non touristic areas, but otherwise you will be fine ladies. Gents can wear shorts with no problem. Don't make the same mistake I did, take shorter clothes as in the summer it's very hot and you will bake in maxi skirts and dresses.
Overall I really enjoyed my trip to Istanbul. I was lucky enough to go out and explore another part of Turkey, so if you do get the chance to explore not only Istanbul, but other parts as well you will find amazing places. I highly recommend visiting Istanbul and Turkey and I am sure I will be going again very soon.
I hope this post was helpful if you are planning a trip to Turkey.
Sorry my post was a bit late this week, I will be back on track next week.
See you all next week for another post. Same place. Same Time. Wednesday 5pm( GMT)
Becky xoxo
