Adventures, anecdotes and advice from three months exploring Istanbul
Were we excited to visit the Hagia Sophia? It's just one of the most legendary buildings on the planet. The largest church in the world for a thousand years. The scene of some of history's most decisive moments. A breathtaking architectural achievement on a scale unthinkable for its day. Yes, I suppose it's fair to say that we were excited.
The lively neighborhood of Zeyrek, just north of the Aqueduct of Valens, was one of our favorite spots in Istanbul. It's difficult to reach with public transportation, and lacks any well-known sights, so very few tourists bother to visit. Not that we mind; it just leaves more Zeyrek for us!
Çarşamba is a neighborhood in Istanbul, and also the Turkish word for "Wednesday". Now, what do you suspect might be the best day to visit Çarşamba? You get one guess!
We spent a long day walking along the southern coast of the Golden Horn, from the Atatürk Bridge to the ancient Jewish quarter of Balat. This is an older, quieter side of Istanbul that not enough tourists see, although it has a number of interesting sights, including some beautiful churches.
Istanbul has no shortage of old churches and mosques, and it can often feel like too much of a good thing. As our time in the city progressed, we would increasingly find ourselves saying something like, "Honestly, I think we've visited enough mosques". But what are we going to do? Simply ignore something as amazing as the Gül Camii?
Set in the basement of an old tobacco factory on the southern shore of the Golden Horn, the Rezan Has Museum presents an interesting walk through Turkey's archaeological history, from the copper age to the arrival of the Selçuks.
It's hard to imagine that we could have found a better place for our first Turkish bath than the Kılıç Ali Paşa Hamamı. This historic hamam in Tophane is one of Istanbul's most beautiful, reopened in 2012 after years of restoration. We were invited to visit on a Sunday afternoon.
I'm beginning to think that we could have dedicated 91 days to just Istanbul's Beyoğlu district. In fact, a blog devoted entirely to the city's main shopping street isn't inconceivable. İstiklal Caddesi For 91 Days. The number of bars, restaurants, shops, theaters and galleries along "Independence Street" is overwhelming. We spent an entire day exploring just its historic arcades. What follows are short descriptions of our favorites, with links to their exact locations.
At just six kilometers in length, the Walls of Theodosius can be traversed in a few hours, but there are so many sights along the way that we needed two days. Exploring the southern half of the fortifications had been a lot of fun, and our day spent on the northern half would prove to be just as rewarding.
The Conquest of Constantinople was, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the most important event in Turkish history. On May 29th 1453, Mehmet II breached the Theodosian Walls, and the Ottomans began a lengthy reign as one of the world's most powerful empires. Today, near the exact spot of the Byzantine Empire's final stand, there's a museum which recreates the battle in stunning detail.
