After our Caucasus trip (find detailed itineraries among my other blog posts) we decided to fly to Istanbul – why not? Flights are cheap from Armenia and we had a couple days to spare, none of us has ever been there and we wanted to give it a shot as we heard a lot of positive things – also, due to just having visited Armenia, we were very informed about the history of the Ottoman Empire and also the influence of the Young Turks from around 1909 and the genocide on the Armenians between 1915-1918. Also this time, I prepared a Guide for a 3-day Istanbul trip:
I recommend staying in Istanbul at least 3 days, 2 is possible too, but of course a bit more rushed, but it always depends on how much you want to see.
So this is how we did it and I quite liked our schedule (the best I think was the food) (overall I found Istanbul quite rushed and many areas very touristy, which I am not a big fan of, but there are also areas where it feels a bit more traditional.)
Overall, the city is easily travelable with my average budget of 30-40 Euros a day.
Day 1: Explore!
After arriving at the airport (IST) we took public transport into the city center – it’s the most straightforward, cheapest and easiest – just buy a metro card and charge some money on it – the card is possible to use for more than one person at a time and will barely cost over 2 euros, a ride on the train on average 0.4-0.8€.
We started exploring the city by walking around – how I prefer to get first impressions of new places. I think it’s best to split your days in Istanbul into two parts: The area around Topkapi palace and the one around Taksim square (which is also the area in which we stayed, which I can highly recommend, this time we also reserved our apartment via Airbnb).
Cash: the only ATM we found where you can get free cash at the time was still HSBC (to my surprise haha, they often charge a lot extra, in Istanbul suddenly not).
Places to explore around Taksim Square:
- Galata Tulesi – a tower, which is most beautiful during sunset/post sunset time
- Galataport Istanbul – part of Istanbul’s port, beautiful to take a walk around
- Dolmabahce Sarayi Palace (entry is sadly not free but a lot reduced if you have the ISIC student card (haven’t heard of it before my trip to Istanbul though, but it works this way with all sights in the city)
- Iglesia ortodoxa griega de Aya Triada – a church, maybe enough to see from the outside
Food/Restaurant recommendations:
Breakfast: Cafe Beirut Taksim
Dinner (Pide, Döner, Lahmacun): Berat Lahmacun – Pide & Kebap
Bakeries: There are a lot of great bakeries all around, where you can get amazing breads, sesam rings, etc.
Best Chicken Kebap: Demir Kebap & Balik Restaurant (the google maps location linked is not the exact location, as the restaurant is not on marked on it, but its super local and authentic, so I can really recommend to go!)
Classic Turkish restaurant: Cukur Meyane: quite cheap and great appetizers like tzatziki, roasted peppers and börek
Day 2: Topkapi Palace Side
On Day 2 we decided that it was time to visit also the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. Santa Sofia was originally an Orthodox Church, however after the fall of Konstantinopel, the church was turned into a mosque under the Ottoman Empire. Both are free to visit! In the same area you can find the Basilica Cisterns and the Topkapi palace. They require entry fees (Topkapi around 25€) only discountable with the ISIC card.
Around the Sehir Hatlari Bosphorus Cruises we took one of the public transport ferries and drove to the Asian side of Istanbul (Üsküdar). From there we went immediately back to Kabatas.
Day 3: Suleiman Mosque and Beach time!
Day 3 allowed us to start a bit more calmly as we wanted to see whether we can find relaxing beaches or anything else.
First, we went to the Suleiman mosque, who was a very impotent ruler of the Ottoman Empire. It’s free to visit and beautiful (and not as touristy as e.g. Hagia Sofia.)
The surrounding area also is less touristy, with more people following their daily routines and more local shops.
Then we wanted to go to the beach to chill a bit – most beaches in Istanbul are about an hour away, there are some beach clubs as well and we decided to go to Ciroz Yesilköy Halk Plaji. I think the beaches there are all pretty similar – not the most beautiful ever but good for a chill afternoon without tourists. And to that specific beach there is a direct bus from Taksim square.
Back to the airport: the cheapest and most punctual way to go to the airport remains the public train. By taxi it will set you back by around 20€ total, which is pretty decent but traffic jam can ruin your schedule pretty easily.
So, I hope you enjoyed the itinerary inspiration, I would be happy to read your comments and get feedback!
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