Top 10 Istanbul

130 Pages·2016·23.23 MB·English

by  DK Travel

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
TOP
ISTANBUL
MELISSA SHALES
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Top 10 Istanbul The Top 10
Highlights of Everything
Welcome to Istanbul ......................5 Moments in History .....................38
Exploring Istanbul ..........................6 Byzantine Monuments ................40
Istanbul Highlights .......................10 Places of Worship ........................42
Topkapı Palace .............................12 Museums and Galleries ..............44
Haghia Sophia ..............................16 Off the Beaten Track ....................46
Blue Mosque ................................18 Culinary Highlights ......................48
Archaeological Museum ..............20 Restaurants ..................................50
Grand Bazaar ...............................22 Shops and Markets ......................52
Süleymaniye Mosque Complex ...26 Istanbul for Free ...........................54
Church of St Saviour Festivals and Events ....................56
in Chora.....................................28
Çemberlitaş Baths .......................30
Dolmabahçe Palace .....................32
Bosphorus Cruise ........................34
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CONTENTS
Istanbul Streetsmart
Area by Area
Sultanahmet and Getting To and Around
the Old City ...............................60 Istanbul ...................................104
Bazaar Quarter Practical Information .................106
and Eminönü ............................68 Places to Stay .............................112
The Golden Horn,
Fatih and Fener ........................74 General Index .............................118
Beyoğlu .........................................82 Acknowledgments .....................125
The Bosphorus .............................90 Phrase Book ...............................126
Asian Istanbul and
Princes’ Islands ........................96
The information in this DK Eyewitness Top 10
Travel Guide is checked regularly.
Every effort has been made to ensure that
this book is as up-to-date as possible at
the time of going to press. Some details,
however, such as telephone numbers,
opening hours, prices, gallery hanging
arrangements and travel information are
liable to change. The publishers cannot
accept responsibility for any consequences
arising from the use of this book, nor for any
Within each Top 10 list in this book, no hierarchy material on third party websites, and cannot
of quality or popularity is implied. All 10 are, in guarantee that any website address in this
the editor’s opinion, of roughly equal merit. book will be a suitable source of travel
information. We value the views and
Front cover and spine The domes of Hagia suggestions of our readers very highly.
Sophia facing the Blue Mosque Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness
Back cover Cityscape of Istanbul with Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand,
Süleymaniye Mosque and part of Golden Horn London WC2R 0RL, Great Britain, or email
Title page Interior of Sultanahmet Mosque [email protected]
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Top 10 Istanbul ❮❮ 5
Welcome to
Istanbul
Istanbul is unique. No other city straddles two continents.
No other city has been capital of two mighty empires. Its
venerable churches, mosques and palaces do justice to
its incredible past. This teeming metropolis of 14 million
has a vibrant present, too, as a hotbed of the arts, and a
shoppers’, clubbers’ and foodies’ paradise. Explore it all
with Eyewitness Top 10 Istanbul.
The city is defined by the sea. Imagine yourself on a ferry, hopping
across the continent-dividing Bosphorus Strait for lunch in Asia;
gazing out from the rooftop of your Sultanahmet hotel to the
coruscating Sea of Marmara; or on a ferry up the Golden Horn,
watching the exotic mosque-filled skyline of the Old City unfold.
Istanbul is a city of contrasts, too. The ancient cathedral of Haghia
Sophia is breathtaking; so is the ultra-cool Istanbul Modern gallery.
Wander the backstreets of devout Fatih among bearded acolytes
from the medreses by day; at night sip a cocktail in a chic rooftop
bar in Beyoğlu, the heart of modern European Istanbul.
It isn’t just the Bosphorus that divides Istanbul. The Old City sits
on a hilly peninsula pointing at Asia. Here, Byzantine monuments,
Ottoman mosques, historic markets such as the Grand Bazaar, and
venerable Turkish baths predominate. Across the Golden Horn in
Galata and Beyoğlu, three million shoppers, diners, and bar and
gallery hoppers throng the main thoroughfare, İstiklal Caddesi, on
any given weekend. Hip Istanbulites party here until 6am.
Whether you’re here for a weekend or a week, our Top 10 guide will
introduce you to the cream of everything the city has to offer. It is full
of tips, from what to do for free to finding those off-the-beaten-track
gems. With eight, easy-to-follow itineraries, Top 10 Istanbul will
ensure you maximize your valuable time. Throw in handy maps and
top-notch photographs and you have the ideal guide to one of the
world’s truly great cities. Enjoy the book, and enjoy Istanbul.
Clockwise from top: Haghia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Rumeli Hisari Fortress,
Eyüp Sultan Mosque, the Galata Tower and Golden Horn, Great Palace Mosaic Museum
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6 ❯❯ Top 10 Istanbul
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Two Days in Istanbul Four Days in Istanbul
Day 1 Day 1
MORNING MORNING
Admire the soaring dome and Spend most of the morning in the
glittering mosaics of Haghia Sophia Byzantine cathedral of Haghia
(see pp16–17), then head off to explore Sophia (see pp16–17), before
the vast Blue Mosque (see pp18–19). descending into the eerie depths
AFTERNOON of the Basilica Cistern (see p63).
Visit the sprawling Topkapı Palace AFTERNOON
(see pp12–15), the nerve-centre of the Catch a ferry up the Golden Horn to
Ottoman Empire. Afterwards relax in Ayvansaray and walk the line of the
the Çemberlitaş Baths (see pp30–31). Theodosian Walls (see p77) to the
fresco-filled wonder of the Church
Day 2 of St Saviour in Chora (see pp28–9).
MORNING Recover in the steaming Çemberlitaş
Explore the Archaeological Museum Baths (see pp30–31).
(see pp20–21), full of artifacts from the
Ottoman Empire’s former domains. Day 2
AFTERNOON MORNING
Stroll to the top of the Old City’s third Start fresh in the airy courtyards
hill to the Süleymaniye Mosque and pavilions of the Topkapı Palace
Complex (see pp26–7), which offers (see pp12–15) before walking across
views of the Bosphorus from its Sultanahmet Meydan park to the
terrace. Then head back down to the nearby Blue Mosque (see pp18–19).
bustling Grand Bazaar (see pp22–3) Lunch in a tradesman’s cafe in the
to weave through its 4,000 shops. Grand Bazaar (see pp22–3).
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Exploring Istanbul ❮❮ 7
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BlueBlue on a square along the European
SULSTUALNTAAHNMAHETMEMTosMquoesque waterfront of the Bosphorus.
Key
Two-day itinerary
Four-day itinerary
The bustling Eminönü
waterfront viewed from
the Galata Bridge.
AFTERNOON AFTERNOON
After exploring the bazaar, walk up to After exploring Dolmabahçe Palace,
Süleymaniye Mosque Complex (see take a cab up to Taksim Square (see
pp26–7) then down to the Egyptian p84). Walk down the city’s premier
Bazaar (see pp70–71) and Eminönü shopping and entertainment street,
(see p70) waterfront. Lunch on a fish İstiklal Caddesi (see p86), and enjoy
sandwich by Galata Bridge (see p70). a meal at a lively meyhane (tavern)
on Nevizade Sokak (see p89).
Day 3
MORNING Day 4
Enjoy the splendours of the Archae- ALL DAY
ological Museum (see pp20–21) Around 10:30am, depart from the
before taking a tram across the Eminönü waterfront on the all-day
Golden Horn to Kabataş, then a cab Bosphorus Cruise (see pp34–5).
or bus to the opulent, Baroque-style Enjoy fantastic views of the city’s
Dolmabahçe Palace (see pp32–3), shoreline before lingering over a fish
home to the later Ottoman sultans. lunch in Anadolu Kavağı (see p94).
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Top 10 Istanbul
Highlights
The monumental Byzantine church
of Haghia Sophia
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