1. Take a Bosphorus Cruise
With so many historical attraction spots in Istanbul, travelers often overlook a Bosphorus tour. Just what is a Bosphorus tour? No, it’s not a chemical element with the atomic number 15. It’s a cruise where you get the sum of views of the major tourist attractions of the city.
Bosphorus Cruise
A visit to Istanbul would not be complete without a Bosphorus cruise. Not only does it offer a decent view of the city, both on the European and Asian shores, it also gives you excellent views of old royal residences and manors strewn about in the massive city that is Istanbul. There are a few options you can take: a short one (to the second suspension span and back), along one (the distance to the Black Sea and back), and a nightfall visit in mid-year.
Bosphorus View
2. Walk like a Sultan at Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace (Topkapi Sarayı) is a legit palace you can’t afford to miss while in Istanbul. This awesome complex containing booths and structures, with four rich green patios, is the palace used during the eras of the Sultans and served as their essential home for a large part of a century.
Inside Topkapi
But that’s not what’s cool and interesting about this palace, what’s interesting is the harem. The harem is where the Sultan’s concubines and eunuchs lived. The dude’s got a special room for nothing more than to serve his naughty ambitions. How cool is that?
Topkapi Palace
3. Go underground at the Basilica Cistern
Another cool Byzantine era site. This subterranean structure is the largest surviving cistern in Istanbul. This amazing bit of Byzantine engineering is a staggering underground storage, once carrying drinking water with reservoir conduits from Bulgaria to Istanbul.
Basilica Cistern
Take a walk along the wooden platforms, and feel the water flowing from the vaulted ceiling while enjoying the sight of colorful carps swimming in the water. From its diminishing light and strange traditional music to the spooky sound of dribbling water, it certainly provides a strange and eerie atmosphere worth checking out.
4. Visit the Archaeology Museums
Travelers often skip the Archeology Museums and that is a shame. The Archeology Museums in Istanbul is a genuine diamond in the rough hidden among other great attractions, that and I’m also an avid archaeology fanatic. These museums sport one of the world's wealthiest accumulations of established ancient pieces. It has three parts - Archaeology Museum (Arkeoloji Müzesi), the Museum of the Ancient Orient (Eski Şark Eserler Müzesi) and the Tiled Pavilion (Çinili Köşk)
Here you’ll find the grand sarcophagus of Alexander the Great, which outline some imperative periods of his life, the blue-tiled Karaman Mihrab, the delightful Tiled Pavilion, and the Treaty of Kadesh.
5. Check out the Süleymaniye Mosque, skip the blue one
Rather than recommend the more famous Blue Mosque, I recommend visiting the less renowned Süleymaniye Mosque instead. Why? Well, the Blue Mosque smells like a room full of wet dogs and Süleymaniye Mosque is a lot more photogenic.
Süleymaniye Mosque, unlike the Blue Mosque, isn't overrun with tourists. The Mosque was engineered by the celebrated engineer Sinan, commissioned by Süleyman the Magnificent and is an awesome tribute to both.
6. Haggle at the Grand Bazaar
Test your haggling mettle here. Extreme deal chasing at Istanbul's Grand Bazaar can be a very fun experience and you’ll learn some new life skills that will help you in your travels. This place is more than 500 years old! It’s the probably the oldest marketplace, like ever. It’s also one of the biggest covered bazaars on the planet.
Shoes, Grand Bazaar
It has 60 avenues containing no less than 5000 shops, 60 eateries, 18 wellsprings, 12 mosques, and even a school. This is not a tourist trap, local peeps shop here all the time and chances are they're better at bartering than you so observe and learn. This place is also well-known for its rugs, cowhide, earthenware production, trinkets and gems.
There’s definitely a lot more things to do and see that what I recommended above. But if you’re short on time, like I was, do the above. It’s a great complementary experience to the already amazing experience of the hospitality of the people of Turkey.
HAVE YOU BEEN TO ISTANBUL?
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : Things to do in Istanbul
I got some nice deals at the Grand Bazaar in my time. Too touristic, tho. And way too hard to find a decent pipe for smoking pot.
Istanbul is in turkey right?
I really hope to visit most of Europe someday, I guess turkey is now also on my travel list.
Nice article and description.
Istanbul sits on Europe and Asia
Thanks for the tips. The bazaar seems fun, but will haggle work for foreign tourists as well?
vote me
wonderful photos.
Omg I wanna travel there so bad!
It’s on my list of trips for 2019!
Thanks for the advice
Don't miss Goreme
bookmarked, Istanbul just seems so different and vibrant im considering this for my next trip
Outstanding tour! Right now though, if you are from the USA, it is not a good time to travel there; negotiations are going on for hostages being held as prisoners in Turkish prisons to be released. It is dangerous and touchy until this situation is resolved. I pray there's a positive end to it very soon and those held wrongfully will be released to their home countries. Turkey is an historically rich and beautiful country - your photos prove that. It reminds me to keep this country in my thoughts and prayers as they are in social change and a difficult economy as well.
I suggest you that dont believe everything you heard or listened on US media. Some of my family live in USA and its such a pitty that most of the Americans are manipulated by their own media all the time. If you really want to know the truth about somewhere, go and see with your own eyes, you will see that things are pretty different.
Yeah, the media feeds you crazy shit.
I agree with both of you about the mainstream media. In this case, however, it is not an instance of media misinformation; I think the media isn't saying much about it. The situation is that several Americans are being held hostage, one of which is an American Christian pastor, Andrew Brunson, and others are US non-criminal citizens - all being held on phony charges and going through sham trials. The Federal Government has consequently refused to allow the delivery of F-35 war planes; and just began imposing sanctions which will deprive Turkey of some basic necessities which the US has been providing. The US House of Representatives and the Senate have both voted this week on US policy bills regarding funding countries who are openly working against us, or, in this case, holding innocent Americans hostage. Turkey is a NATO ally and shouldn't be doing this; the US does not want to lose them as an ally or to kick them out of NATO, only to hold them accountable in such cases as these. It is a difficult and sensitive time of negotiation; in general, there would be no problem with travel there, but some groups in the Turkish government may make it difficult for President Erdogan to release the hostages without internal objection, and other groups may be hostile to Americans in general. Because Turkey is on rocky economic ground now, it would probably not be held against Erdogan if he released the hostages in order to secure a release from the sanctions. This is a very peaceful way for the US to pursue a release and also maintain future diplomatic relations on a positive level.
Turkey has been a progressive and westernized country for several decades; unfortunately, there are those groups who would like to subjugate the world to their radical ideologies, which often violate basic human rights. I am very pleased to see that in this type of situation, we currently enjoy an administration who truly does look out for the welfare of the little guy. Pastor Andrew Brunson has been in prison for nearly 2 years, just recently put under house arrest after much pressure and legal defense (see www.aclj.org) from the US; the others have been there longer. Let's hope these negotiations are successful, the captives released, and that Turkey will again be the country it once was where people of other nations and faiths are welcome and safe to be there.
I know it's a long post, but perhaps you will find it interesting and check into the situation and resource named.
Will go to istanbul
Very nice post. I upvoted and followed you. Please reciprocate.
Top 3 things to do in Instanbul.... try to keep your head on your neck... I've heard the darndest thing happens there.... your head keeps trying to get amputated from the nice locals if you believe something different than they do.
Seems a lot of things are there for fun👍👍👍
I liked your posts and started following you.
@babitaghale
I love these old architects. Those buildings are amazing and beautiful!
What was Istanbul called before?
que bueno tu post excelente trabajo
Hi @adonisabril
Which place do you suggest is tourist frendly in Istanbul?
great pictures friend!
Amazing art!!☺️ loved it
Your pics are probably the closest I'll ever get. Re-steemed you tho.
-exp
You got a 14.24% upvote from @postpromoter courtesy of @adonisabril!
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Wow !!! I would not know before that Istanbul is such a place. Now i can guess as you described. Thank you @adonisabril for your nice presentation👌.
indeed well. being an adventure enthusiast its a great opportunity to get information about places. I am planning to have a trip to Istanbul next year hope this blog article will be my great benefit.
surely gonna do this when i get chance to visit there
I liked the Cruise part, upvoted>>>
Awesome contest guys!! Great thanks to you, the sponsors and the participants! I just don't have words to say other than, excellent work!
U are dealing withBoforous crues and we are facing boforous scam 😊😊
Nice blog adonisabril! I just started following you. I just started up a Tarot blog. For the shits'n giggles I decided to ask the cards the following:
I have yet to vist Istambul
Keep it up
nice post, i personally liked the fact that it has a beautiful lake , all in all its a good place .
Oh i really wanna go to turkay, but it hard to get visa. Btw thanks for sharing
Thanks for the tips. Nice place I would love to visit that place sometime
I like your post lot of information is given about Istanbul.It looks very beautiful
I've never been to Istanbul but I would love to! And those advices you share with us..I'm sure are going to be very useful for me when I will take a trip to there! :D
Basilica Cistern is really amazing.
Beautiful pic of Bosphorus Cruise
Please upvote me i need upvote
Nice but still there are many places to see in this gorgeous city. For example many tourists are not aware but this big city also have some islands with beautiful architecture and nature. I was surprised that many of my friends who visited Istanbul skip these destinations cause of lack of knowledge.
wow!!!👏👏 so beautiful images you have here. I love it. I have been in those location mention.
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Thanks indeed for your post, this is a really intresting place I've always had in mind to visit by motorbike, sofar hope to find the time needed for a travel asap and come. @jmere
I was born in Istanbul and its definitely a joy and cultural enrichment to visit this historic and magic city. I have been several times the places in Istanbul you recommend but it's always a pleasure to revist them again because they are so beautiful;-) So happy you did this post about Istanbul because actually there is so much shit written about Turkey and I love supporting real reports which are authentic and honourful like your - so thank you very much dear adonisabril:-)))
Great article, thanks for the info;
There is the old town district called Balat which has incredibly beautiful colorful historical houses, churches, and cozy coffee shops. It is easily one of my favorites in Istanbul.
I think you should also make an alternative list for Istanbul that includes places like Balat.
great blog
what kind of food is available in Istanbul and tell me more about cruise