Planning a well-paced introduction to Istanbul – Constantinople
When my friend Kristian managed a last-minute getaway to join me in Istanbul, I thought about how to introduce him to this extraordinary city in the five days we’d have. He’d need to feel he’d had a break from work as well, and not go back exhausted. Here is how we spent our time, and it’s an itinerary I recommend to you – and believe he would, as well.
Our logistics: lodging, airport transfers, getting around the city
Kristian was arriving and departing in the middle of the night. That’s no problem in a 24-hour city like Istanbul. The airport buses run around the clock. See the sidebar for details, which, in mobile view, ends up at the bottom of this post.
For thorough information on getting around Istanbul, see my separate post.
I had already booked four weeks in a dorm in Bakırköy, but of course would join him in an apartment. I thought he might like to stay in a more touristy (cooler?) part of town. But when I checked airport bus routes, I asked him to stay in the neighborhood where I was. Much less slog for me, but also, the connections were excellent. I was staying near the Marmaray train station, and we could find an apartment between it and the seafront. There’s a ferry terminal, a definite plus, but the clincher was not only having Marmaray but also a Havaist airport bus stopping at nearly the closest point on Kennedy Cd., the boulevard that follows the shoreline around Sultanahmet and on west, well past my area. I could walk my kitchen gear and clothes to the apartment, and could walk to meet Kristian at the bus at 2 am. And for getting around, we could take the Marmaray train. Five stops to Sirkeci put us by Eminönü and the Galata bridge and walking distance to Sultanahmet. Four stops to Yenikapı and we could transfer to the metro to get to Taksim or other parts of town. The Marmaray fare is about US$ 1 and the metro about 50 cents, schedules are frequent, stations are good. With a bit of searching, I can usually find an elevator, but sometimes go ahead and take the series of steep and deep escalators; I just don’t look down!
Arrival night, Kristian’s bus came in early, and he was at the stop before me. We walked towards the apartment and I led him to a 24-hour food spot. I knew he’d be hungry after his trip, but with places open around the clock there was no need to decide for him and then offer reheated food. He chose a meat (döner) platter to go because I did have red wine and cold beer waiting in the apartment.
To visualize this itinerary, I have posted mini-maps of our Google-tracked routes.
Photo credit: all photos on this page were contributed by Kristian Söderberg.
Day one: a ferry trip and a little tour on the Asian side
After this late night, we needed an easy day, but we were anxious to feel the excitement of Istanbul. Constantinople! What could be better than a ferry? We walked down to the ferry terminal, which is not a very well-served one as the Marmaray train covers this district. After a wait, we got a ferry to Kadıköy, on the Asian side. That gave us a beautiful, if short, trip – just 20 minutes – and then we had the fun of exploring that district and the Moda section of it. It’s a bit of an upscale part of town, considered trendy, and was as crowded as all the central parts of the city. We could enjoy the waterfront and its park, and then made our way to a wine bar I had gone to with Turkish friends last year: Viktor Levi. No bargain, but a nice interior garden, decent food and a long list of their own label wines.
Back at the Kadıköy ferry terminal, we caught a Turyol ferry back to Eminönü, in Fatih on the European side, to enjoy the bustling water scene and then walk across Galata Bridge and back. Eventually we made our way to Sirkeci station for the Marmaray train and picked up some lentil soup and other food on the way back to our apartment.
Today’s step count: 17,053
Day two: Sultanahmet
The second full day, Sultanahmet was the plan. Couldn’t wait any longer to have Kristian see Hagia Sophia and the Sultan Ahmed mosque (aka the Blue Mosque). There is no entrance fee to religious sites here, so there is no need to buy tickets online. Agencies promote “skip the line” tickets but you’ll see that even those ticket holders must wait either because of the prayer schedule or simple crowd control, so I don’t see the point. It’s a beautiful area with fountains in the plazas and flower beds lining all the grassy areas and those iconic structures to take in, so just allow time and be ready to chill.
We started off on the Marmaray train and alighted at Sirkeci. The T1 tram line is a fairly close connection, but all the Sultanahmet sites are an easy enough walk, and a fascinating one. We visited the two mosques and the building of royal tombs as well. I had seen the Blue Mosque last summer when much of the interior was covered up while restoration was going on. What a stunning job was done! It was extraordinary to see now.
