Istanbul is the kind of place which favors bold exploration, as we learned after a day spent in the maze of streets around the Grand Bazaar. The city is filled with quiet, secret spots... if you can muster up the courage to go down that darkened hall, into that empty courtyard, or up those crumbling stairs.
Squeezed between two amazing mosques and the covered market, Gazi Park is the heart of Bursa, and was the logical place to begin our exploration of the city.
There's no shortage of charming neighborhoods lining the shores of the Bosphorus, but lovely little Çengelköy is among the very best of them. We had breakfast here on a Sunday morning, before walking along the coast to the incredible Beylerbeyi Palace.
The Grand Bazaar is really a city unto itself. The main thoroughfares are where you'll find the most popular shops and restaurants, but just like any city, the coolest spots are tucked away in its less-visited corners.
How much you enjoy the steep, jam-packed streets around the Rüstem Paşa Camii depends entirely on your point of view. Is it an exhilarating and chaotic shopping paradise, or an intolerable maze of pushy, obnoxious vendors? So visit only when you're in a good mood and well-disposed to both noise and hassle. Because it's not like Tahtakale is going to change for you. Tahtakale isn't gonna change for anybody.
Its real name might be the Egyptian Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı), but the Spice Bazaar is how everyone refers to it, and gives a better indication of what to expect inside. Found next to the Yeni Camii near the Golden Horn, this ancient covered market dates from 1660 and is Istanbul's second biggest bazaar.