- Istanbul
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Turkey
Head towards Rustempasha mosque, away from the Egyptian Bazaar or Spice Market. You'll find twisty streets full of tiny shops, including many selling wooden implements such as paddles for pide ovens, huge sieves, forks and spoons. The spice shops here are half the price of the Egyptian market, too, and if you're lucky you'll see the hamals (market porters) at work, or find a cubbyhole selling cay (tea) inside one of the old han courtyards.
Around Rustempasha mosque, Eminonu
On Peykhane, one of the streets running off Divan Yolu and about ten minutes' walk from Cemberlitas. Unassuming, bright diner, with excellent, cheap meals (pide, kebab, salad, soup), no hassle or hustling, friendly staff, and the best fresh bread we tasted in the whole city. 12-20 liras for two. Convenient for Sultanahmet hotels but out of the tourist beargarden.
Karadeniz kebab, Peykhane
I think it is the best restaurant in Istanbul. Wonderful atmosphere with friendly service. I was very impressed with the menu and excellent quality of the food. Some dishes are exclusive to the restaurant. The Destiny Special is a delightful combination of tender beefsteak with a cream and mushroom sauce, served with a cinnamon cabbage in red wine sauce. Also recommended is the Destiny cake made with spinach - it melted in the mouth and tasted just of vanilla and cream. Don't be put off by the green colour! Definitely worth a visit. Reasonably priced too.
Bereket Mah. Haci Ali Sok. No. 11/A, Galata-Byoglu, Istanbul. Can be found by walking down from Galata Tower or by climbing up the steps by the Oyak Bank near the tramway in Karakoy.
A great place to watch an authentic folklore and dance show and for dinner. Very happy and friendly atmosphere.
On Cumhuriyet Caddesi, 10 min walk from Taksim Square towards Hilton.
This is a new restaurant which is known as the best seafood restaurant in Sultanahmet. The food is outstanding, you should ask the staff for the special of the day.
The restaurant is on the shore of Marmara Sea with a view of Turkish islands. The "Boukoleon" name comes from the 5th century. There used to be a "Boukoleon Palace" standing right where you sit.
Now you can easily see the archeeological heritage of the old time palace. If you are interested in history, looking for a nice Istanbul view and also outstanding food, I would highly recommend you go to this restaurant.
www.boukoloen.com
Hagia Sofia, Sultanahmet, Istanbul
90212 6387148
Located in the historic Sultanahmet, district with a roof terrace overlooking the Blue Mosque, this is a friendly hotel right in the heart of old Istanbul. Rooms are really well equipped with toiletries, dressing gowns and all the extras, and the friendly staff are very helpful. Double rooms start from around €60 in low season.
Mimar Mehmet Aga Cad. Amiral Tafdil Sk. No: 22 Sultanahmet, Istanbul
Tel: (212) 638 19 96/97
www.hotelangelshome.com
Sick of the layers of history in Istanbul? OK, that's unlikely, but here's an alternative for the culturally omnivorous.
Officially the Istanbul Modern Art Museum, it has both a permanent collection of modern Turkish art and visiting exhibitions and installations and is located in the Tophane district, between Karaköy and Dolmabaçhe palace.
Its location is not obvious, though it is not far from the tramway that runs along Necatibey Caddesi - it is on the waterfront, in a converted warehouse-type building, with stunning views of the Bosphorus from its café. Though some detractors will take delight in spotting international influences on some of the Turkish artists, the place itself is a model of museum/gallery planning, with an excellent shop and impressive education activities.
We took a day trip from Istanbul to Ephesus, the most famous ancient city in Turkey, by flying down in the morning and returning the same day in the evening.
It was a very convenient way of doing it for us as we only had a few days in Istanbul but this is somewhere we really wanted to visit as well.
Ephesus itself is only about 1 hours' drive away from Izmir airport and the flights take about an hour each way. We arranged it through a local tour company and found it very convenient as everything was included from the tour to flights and transfers. It was all very well organized so that we didn't find it too rushed or tiring, just as a very interesting day out.
You can see the day trip we did with them and some others here: www.toursistanbul.com/day-trips.htm
Even though it was just for a day, we found it very worthwhile and the city beautifully preserved.
There are plenty of grand mosques to visit in Istanbul thanks to master builder Mimar Siman, but this small jewel of his beats them all in terms of intimacy and decoration.
The tiles are simply sensational, full of stylised tulips, carnations and geometrical shapes. It is located not far from the Eminönü end of the Galata Bridge, though it is not easy to spot the entrance , but when you look lost local shopkeepers sympathetically show you how to get in.
The advantage is that few tourists seem to find it, and you may get to look around in glorious silence.
In the alleyways about 100m to the north-west of the Spice Bazaar at the end of Galata Bridge, not to be confused with the much larger Yeni Camii in front of the ferry terminals. There are two entrances, up steps between small shops - neither of them looks like it leads to a mosque, so persist.
In the basement of the Kariye Hotel, spilling into the secluded garden. It is not cheap, but it is a perfect, civilised place for lunch before/after visiting the delights of the Kariye Mosque (St Saviour Church) museum and a modest lunch of mezze will not cost you a fortune.
Kariye Camii Sok 18
tel 0212/534 8414
In many ways this is a superior three-star hotel, and the service is attentive. It is located on a sidestreet off Divan Yolu Caddesi, easy walking distance to all the Sultanahmet sites.
Their website and online reservation service is impressive. However, the real treat is to book one of the deluxe suites (one twin, one double, I think) on the top floor for at least three days, reserve in advance and pay in cash. That gets you B&B accommodation, two free transfers from the airport, and discounts on the price - and a balcony with views over Haghia/Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque towards the Bosphorus and the Princess Islands!
We paid Euros 450 for four nights, which is not at all bad for central Istanbul in the high season.
Tel : + 90 212 5165264
Fax : + 90 212 6383059
E-mail : reservation@istanbulhotelnena.com
sales@istanbulhotelnena.com
info@istanbulhotelnena.com
www.istanbulhotelnena.com
Address : Binbirdirek Mah. Klodfarer Cad. No: 8/10 34122
Sultanahmet
Istanbul
It's actually harder than it would seem to get a Turkish shave in Istanbul. We asked a waiter who recommended us via letter to his mate who runs a very busy hair salon, under the Galata Bridge.
There is a central internal corridor under the bridge, which all of the outward facing restaurants and bars have entrances on to, on the Eminonou side. It's bright green and the staff all wear green and has no other signage. It's extremely cheap too and you get a great pampering shave for about £1!
Galata Bridge, Eminonu side,
Some of Turkey's best beaches are within an hour of Istanbul on the Black Sea coast, with massive expanses of sandy beaches and tourquise waters backed by forests.
It is relatively undeveloped because Turks generally prefer the warmer and calmer seas of the Aegean and Mediterranean.
Be careful about currents, but unless it is very windy the sea is safe to swim in.
The beaches may get crowded on summer weekends as the residents flock to the seaside, but otherwise there is plenty of room.
The best beaches can be found at Sile and Agva, about 40-50 miles north-east of Istanbul; closer to the city centre is Kılyos, with Solar Beach www.solarbeach.net/default.asp?lng=tr&id=67 and Burç Beach offering beach clubs and activities.
To reach Sile and Agva, take the number 130 and 139 municipal busses from Harem or Üsküdar on the Asian side. Kılyos, on the European side, is closer, but involves taking two minibuses (one from Beşiktaş to Sariyer, and another from Sariyer to Kılyos). Slightly further afield on the European side, Kiyiköy (about three hours’ bus trip) is a good getaway for a weekend; the hotel Endorfina www.hotelendorfina.com/index.htm is a boutique hotel, and at prices of £20 per person per night is much better value for money than the overpriced (and generally full) hotels in Sile and Agva.
The price of alcohol is very high, with an average bottle of Turkish wine costing about 32 lira or £14.
The imported vodka, whiskey, wine etc is equally exorbitant in price due to high taxes.
Just a word of warning in case people think Istanbul is like one of the resorts!
Great food, great atmosphere and a great price!
Surprising that it is so close to the main sites of Sultanhamet and yet such good value.
As in all places in Istanbul, the price of wine / alcohol is very high. Our two mains and bottle of wine came to 66 lira - of which 30 lira was for the wine.
At an exchange rate of 2.5 lira to £1, this meant that our meals cost just a little over £14.
Wonderful fish on the menu and I recommend the chicken hagiasophia.
They have a terrace that looks onto the Blue Mosque.
All along the street there are "kapici" (managers/head waiters) trying to lure you into their respective establishments, but to be fair they do this with good humour and banter.
Incili Cavus Sk No 21 Sultanhamet.
If you stand facing the Haghia Sofia the street is across the road on your left parallel to the Divan Yolu street (which has the tram line). It is next to the Mozaik restaurant on the corner of the street.
I hired Byzas tours to bring me to both Ephesus and Cappadocia from Istanbul because I only had eight days in Istanbul and did not want to waste any time organising it all.
I found them to be affordable and flexible. I got to do what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it, but all I had to think about was being in my hotel lobby at a certain time. The guides were educated and interesting to talk to.
Some websites suggest doing things yourself, but there is so much history in Turkey that only a guide can put it in perspective (unless you plan on carrying a library with you).
Also, I compared Byzas' prices to the cost of doing it all myself separately, and it barely cost any more ... it might have been the same with all the things I didn't have to worry about such as highway tolls.
Sutis was recommended by the owner of the Cagaloglu Hamam (Turkish bath) in the Sultanahmet area. We were expecting a tourist trap, but loads of locals eat there - always a good sign.
Prices are insanely low for the area and you can definitely find something for under six lira. We tried the tavuk durum for 3.75ytl - chicken, fresh vegetables and fries in a thin flatbread. It was the best thing we'd eaten in Istanbul!
Paket Servisi Saatlerimi - just up the road from Cagaloglu Hamam, towards the Grand Bazaar.
Tel: 512 01 61 - 522 02 54
Relaxing Professional Massage, central location, nice studio, short leadtime, experienced
0537 823 8388, location 2 minutes off Taksim Square, behind the Marmara Hotel on Kazanci Yokusu, next to Kazanci Mosque
If you want to buy some tea glasses, head for this shop just behind the Spice Bazaar. There's a wide range and, as it isn't a tourist-oriented shop, you can buy them cheaply and individually (thus avoiding the overpriced sets a few metres away in the Bazaar).
Go out of the exit at the junction of the 2 sections of the Spice Bazaar and turn right.
With lamb shank with pomegranate and tomato salsa, and cognac chocolate pot on their menu, this is the place to be for a taste of Istanbul's fusion offering. This one stands out in the trendy Beyoglu neighbourhood and is a bar and restaurant, so perfect to start a night out. For a 3 course dinner with wine, it came to £26 a head and was excellent value.
Mesrutiyet Cad. No. 149/1, Tepebasi Tel: (212) 245 60 70
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