DK Travel : Istanbul : Itineraries

A Day along the Golden Horn

Morning

Start the morning at Fatih Mosque; look out for the tombs of Sultan Mehmet and his wife behind the prayer hall. Walk down to Fener to see the Church of St George at the Greek Patriarchate , then cut through Fener’s backstreets to reach St Mary of the Mongols . Admire the Byzantine mosaics in the museum section of the Church of Pammakaristos and then head towards Edirnekapı to see the mosaics and frescoes at the Church of St Saviour in Chora. Take a well deserved break and feast on Ottoman culinary delights at Asitane Restaurant , with a strong Turkish coffee to boost your energy levels.

Afternoon

Have a look at the remarkable Theodosian Wallsbefore heading down to explore the newly spruced-up streets of Balat and pay a visit to Ahrida Synagogue – Istanbul’s oldest. Walk along the seafront to Eyüp and join the queues paying their respects at the tomb of Eyüp Ensari in the Eyüp Mosque. If your legs are starting to tire, jump into the cable carto Pierre Loti, but better still, walk uphill through Eyüp Cemetery and have a cup of tea or two – while admiring the views – at the Pierre Loti Café . If you chose to skip lunch – or perhaps even if you didn’t – then dine in style at Aziyade Restaurant for a perfect end to the day.
A Day in Asia

Morning

Take an early ferry from Eminönü to Üsküdar and, from there, sail to the legend-steeped Leander’s Tower. The top of the tower is a great place to have a mid-morning snack. Back on the Asian shore, explore the mosques of Üsküdar, then make your way south to the majestic Haydarpaşa Station, and the Selimiye Army Barracks (having faxed ahead as they are still a military headquarters), the site of the Crimean-War-era military hospital and the fascinating Florence Nightingale Museum. Afterwards, you may wish to take a contemplative walk among the sombre memorials of the British Crimean Cemetery and the peaceful sea of tombstones in the Karaca Ahmet Cemetery, with its estimated one million inhabitants.

Afternoon

If, after this, you feel like a change of mood, head south into Kadıköy with its bustling shops and markets. Stop for lunch in one of the lively bars and cafés of Kadife Sokak (Bar Street), many of which have live music. Afterwards, catch the tram down to Moda for a stroll along the seafront prome-nade with an ice cream or, more expensively, take your credit card for a spin through the designer stores along Bağdat Caddesi . Have an early supper at trendy Zanzibar on the quay at Caddebostan before taking a taxi to the ferry terminus at Kadıköy and catching an evening ferry back across to the European side.
A Day in Beyoğlu

Morning

Walk over the Galata Bridge and head up to the Galata Tower. Take the lift to the top to walk the perimeter balcony and enjoy the breathtaking morning view. Back at the bottom, refresh yourself at a traditional tea garden before taking a leisurely stroll up Galip Dede Caddesi to peer into the tiny music shops and have a go on a traditional Turkish instrument if the fancy takes you. Continue on towards Tünel and learn about the Whirling Dervishes at the Mevlevi Monastery . For lunch, try a small street café on bohemian Asmalı Mescit Sokağı, or go Gallic on French Street.

Afternoon

Walk up İstiklal Caddesi browsing the music shops, fashion stores and İş Merkezi , then visit the Church of St Mary Draperis and the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua . Get to the Military Museum in time for the 3pm perform-ance by the Mehter Band. Head back to Taksim Square, taking a moment to stop off at the box office of AKM to find out what’s coming up in the way of culture. After browsing the antiques in Çukurcuma, relax at the Galatasaray Baths. Refreshed, wander past the Galatasaray High School and cut through to boisterous Nevizade Sokağı to choose a place to wine and dine. Fish is the specialty here – start with a few meze then try the catch of the day, washing it down with a glass of rakı.
A Day in Sultanahmet

Morning

Start your day at the dawn call of the müezzin, so that you are ready to visit the Blue Mosqueas soon as it opens. From there, cross the square to Haghia Sophia, then pay a visit to the Basilica Cistern, the Hippodrome and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts before having a gentle stroll through the Cavalry Bazaar to the Mosaics Museum . This may sound like too much for a single morning, but the distance between each of these attractions is small, and (aside from the first two) most of the sites are fairly simple. You’ll need a little time to relax after this, so choose one of the cafés or restaurants on Divanyolu for lunch, and write a few postcards bought from local vendors.

Afternoon

Now choose one of two options: either walk across to the Topkapı Palace and spend the whole afternoon embroiled in Ottoman court intrigue, mayhem and murder; or wander through the side streets to the Cağaloğlu Baths for a Turkish bath before rejoining Soğukçeşme Sokağı and making your way to the vast Archaeological Museum. When you’ve had your fill, continue down the hill for a peaceful stroll along the seafront at Eminönü; then take the tram back up the hill to Sultanahmet and choose one of the many wonderful rooftop bars or restaurants from which to watch the sun set over the city and the floodlights playing on Haghia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
A Day’s Shopping

Morning

Start the day clean and refreshed following a visit to the Çemberlitaş Baths, then pop into the Nuruosmaniye Mosque before getting down to the real business of the day in the Grand Bazaar. Depending on how much time and money you spend here, either have lunch at one of the cafés in the Bazaar or walk on through Beyazıt Square and down the hill to the Süleymaniye Mosque to pay your respects at the tombs of Süleyman and Roxelana. If you didn’t eat earlier, lunch at the Darüzziyafe Restaurant, or at one of the cafés next to the mosque.

Afternoon

Leave the mosque along İsmetiye Caddesi, turn left into Uzunçarşı Caddesi and head down the hill through crowded market streets, where metal- and woodworkers still ply their trade, before turning right on Tahtakale Caddesi, a sensory treat with its traditional spice and coffee sellers. Carry on downhill and eventually you will end up in Eminönü, where you can visit the Rüstem Paşa Mosque and look at the New Mosque before a last round of shopping – if you have the stamina – in the Egyptian Bazaar. Between the New Mosque and the Egyptian Bazaar is the market for flowers, plants, seeds and songbirds. Have dinner at Hamdi Et Lokantası or the Orient Express in Sirkeci Station – or take the tram back up to Sultanahmet and rooftop views of the sunset.
A Walk Through Karaköy

Morning

Start your day at the fish market off Karaköy Square. From here, Haraççı Ali Sok brings you to the Jewish Museum in the 17th-century Zülfaris synagogue. Turn left along Voyvoda Caddesi, named for Vlad the Impaler whose decap-itated head (it is said) was displayed here. This was the old banking centre and has some fine old buildings. The Kamondo Steps lead towards the Galata Tower. Walk back down along Karaköy Caddesi and turn right to visit Yeraltı Camii, a 19th-century mansion hiding a mosque and the ruins of a Byzantine Castle.

Afternoon

Back in Karaköy Square, turn left onto Rihtim Caddesi. The Gülluoğlu baklava shop here is the finest in Turkey, with pastries sold by the kilo; the Galata Rihtim Köftecisi nearby offers a healthier option for lunch. Follow the road round between two fine small mosques, the Nusretiye Mosque (on the right), built by Kirkor Balyan in the 1820s, and the Kılıç Ali Paşa Mosque, built by Sinan in 1580 and named after a famous admiral in Süleyman I’s navy. Turn right onto the main road and, just after the Mimar Sinan University building, turn right again. Follow the signs through the old docks area to Istanbul Modern (see Istanbul Museum of Modern Art (İstanbul Modern Sanat Müzesi) ) where you can watch the sunset with a cocktail in the chic café-bar over-looking the Bosphorus. Then take the metro to Kabataş and the funicular up the hill to Taksim, for dinner and a view at Changa .