ISTANBULFALL & WINTER GUIDE 2011 – 2012 The best places to eat, sleep and play in Istanbul this fall and winter With more than 50 million reviews and opinions, TripAdvisor makes travel planning a snap for the 50 million travelers visiting our site each month. Think before you print. And if you do print, print double-sided. INTRODUCTION TripAdvisor, the most trusted source for where to eat, sleep and play in thousands of destinations around the world, has collected the best insider tips from its 50 million monthly visitors to produce a unique series of travel guides. In addition to the best hotels, restaurants and attractions for every type of traveler, you’ll get great advice about what to pack, how to get around and where to find the best views. Be sure to check out the guides at www.tripadvisor.com. Inside You’ll find reviews for more than 520,000 hotels, 125,000 vacation rentals, 155,000 attractions and 715,000 restaurants on ISTANBUL TripAdvisor.com. Learn from other travelers what to expect before you make your plans. Yes, Constantinople has been gone a long time, but Istanbul has charms that evoke both a bygone era and the seductions of the modern world. In the old city, time seems to have stopped: vendors push handcarts, shoeshine boys vie for your money and women dress in the modest Muslim tradition. Yet PACKING TIPS practically next door, you can find the ultra chic bars and dance clubs of the Beyo˘glu and the trendy restaurants of Ortaköy. Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia literally—the Bosphorus .1 “For a better understanding and to catch the sentiment of the city, try reading divides the city across the two continents—and figuratively, as Orhan Pamuk’s autobiography Istanbul: the only city in the world that has been capital to a Christian Memories and the City. You will not and then an Islamic nation. Roman antiquities, Byzantine regret it.”—TripAdvisor Member, Istanbul treasures and traces of the Ottoman Empire await your 2. Traveling with children? “Get the Time Out guide to Istanbul. It is by far the best discovery. Most tourists find themselves on the European city guide, and it has a section on activities side, in Sultanahmet, the old city, which contains the Islamic for kids.”—TripAdvisor Member, Istanbul treasures of the city: the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace and 3. If you have a six-digit pin on your bank the Hagia Sophia. card, consult with your bank before leaving, as “you need a four-digit pin Istanbul’s summers are hot, humid and relatively free of number to use ATMs in Turkey.”— TripAdvisor Member precipitation, with temperatures averaging 82ºF. Winters are colder; although the temperature rarely drops below freezing, snowfall is not out of the question. tripadvisor.com 2 Top VIEWS ISTANBUL’S BEST VIEWS “At the end of the day, you must find one of Kiz Kulesi, Istanbul’s “Maiden’s Tower, For “killer views and a great cup of coffee, be the hilltops (or the rooftop of your hotel) is over 2400 years old. While it can be inspired by the scenery at Pierre Loti Café to watch this exciting and magical city as it seen from any western point along the and go home to write that best-selling novel. flickers with lights, a jewel in the night.”— Bosphorus, its interior begs to be seen. A Loti is said to have conceived his literary TripAdvisor Member sunset viewed from this location will be the masterpiece, Aziyadé, while gazing down cherry on top of your trip to Istanbul.”— at the expansive views of two continents’ TripAdvisor Member, Istanbul shores and the estuary that separates Kiz Kulesi, off the coast of Üsküdar them.”—TripAdvisor Member, Istanbul Pierre Loti Café, Gumussuyu Caddesi, Balmumcu Sokak, Eyup, 212 581 2696 Where to PLAY TOP 10 Attractions . 1 Hagia Sophia Museum / Church (Ayasofya), Sultanahmet, Eminonu District, 6. Sultanahmet District 212 522 1750 7. Istanbul Modern Museum, Meclis-i Mebusan Caddesi, Karakoy, 2. Istanbul Archaeology Museum (Arkeoloji Muzesi), Osman Hamdi Bey, 212 334 7300 Sultanahmet, 212 520 7740 8. Suleymaniye Mosque, near Istanbul University 3. Basilica Cistern, Sultanahmet, 212 522 1259 9. Eyup Sultan Mosque (Eyup Sultan Camii), Camii Kebir Caddesi 4. Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii), Sultanahmet, 212 518 1330 10. Topkapi Palace, Gulhane Park, near Sultanahmet Square, 212 522 4422 5. Kariye Museum (The Chora Church), Kariye Cami Sokak, Edirnekapy FAMILIES “A trip to Princes’ Island by ferry was the “Stroll through Miniaturk, a park full of “For adults or kids, Rahmi M. Koç activity most enjoyed by the children. No scale models of important buildings and Museum is not to be missed. There is cars on the island, so you get about by tourist sites from all over Turkey, and a few a real submarine that you can visit, old horse and buggy. Interesting old houses and Ottoman buildings that are outside Turkey. locomotives, the oldest ferry, old trams of excellent waterside restaurants made our It is the world’s largest miniature park.”— Istanbul and antique cars from Ford-T to day trip there a pure joy for all concerned.”— TripAdvisor Member, Ankara antique Rolls Royces, plus steam engines TripAdvisor Member, Istanbul Miniaturk, Imrahor Caddesi, Sutluce, and more.”—TripAdvisor Member, Istanbul Princes’ Island, ferry leaves from Eminonu port 212 222 2882 Rahmi M. Koç Museum, Hasköy Cad. 27, Hasköy, 212 369 6600 “…a pure joy” ROMANCE The Dolmabahce Palace is “not as “Take a picnic or get snacks and drinks at “The most romantic place in Istanbul is crowded as the Topkapi. It has a perfect kiosks dotted around the Belgrad Forest. the Ciragan Palace. It has a very nice guided tour and interesting Western-style Jogging trails, hiking paths are lovely here, as jazz bar on the Bosphorus. You can see furnished rooms. It’s a quiet and romantic are the wonderful springs, and you can hear all the mosques illuminated. I would like place.”—TripAdvisor Member, Brussels, the birds that are often drowned out by traffic my boyfriend to propose to me there.”— Belgium in the city.”—TripAdvisor Member, Istanbul TripAdvisor Member, Athens, Greece Dolmabahce Palace (Dolmabahce Sarayi), Belgrad Forest, Bahçeköy Ciragan Bar, Çiragan Palace, Cad. 32, Dolmabahçe Caddesi , 212 236 9000 Besiktas, 212 326 4646 Call an Expedia Travel Specialist now 877 633 3716 tripadvisor.com 3 Where to PLAY BUDGET “Take an old-styled tramway to Moda, or walk At Misir Carsisi, “you can buy the usual “The Blue Mosque is the most beautiful the shore side along the recently completed tourist fares for less than at the Grand building I have ever seen. The landscaping quay. This excursion is rarely covered by tour Bazaar. Check out the 350-year-old ceiling, and gardens surrounding it are gorgeous guides, but you’ll be able to glimpse the scenic the maze of alleys filled with haggling and colorful. Admission is FREE. This enclave of Topkapi and the famed Golden merchants, and be transported back to is an awe-inspiring place of worship.”— Horn.”—TripAdvisor Member, Istanbul the famed trade center of 17th century TripAdvisor Member, Durham, N.C. Moda Quay Istanbul.”— TripAdvisor Member, Istanbul The Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet, Misir Carsisi (Egyptian Bazaar), behind the 212 518 1330 (for museum information only) Yeni Cami Mosque ADVENTURE Want to learn how to belly-dance? “Visit Home to many festivals and concerts, “All along the Sea of Marmara are many areas Istanbul Dreams, a shop selling belly dance “Parkorman is a beautiful place to spend a with workout equipment, but you have to go accessories. They will know of any classes and day with your family. It is a very big forest to the Asian side. This is also the best place will be able to organize it for you. You would with a swimming pool and restaurant. You for jogging or cycling, for miles and miles!”— also be able to buy your hip belt there.”— can relax, eat, enjoy nature.”—TripAdvisor TripAdvisor Member, Kayakoy, Turkey TripAdvisor Member, Worthing, U.K. Member, Athens, Greece Waterfront, Sea of Marmara Istanbul Dreams, Alemdar Mah, Incili Cavus Parkorman, Büyükdere Caddesi, Maslak, Sok, No :33/5 Ates Pasaji Sultanahmet, 212 328 2000 212 514 5894 TripAdvisor members have posted more than 8,000,000 traveler photos on the “Relax, eat, enjoy nature.” site. The good, the bad and the very candid. It’s almost like being there! EDUCATIONAL/HISTORICAL We were “very impressed with the “One of the most enduring symbols of “The Hippodrome was the scene of Archaeology Museum. It is huge, with a Turkey is that of the Whirling Dervishes. Byzantine chariot races, athletic events, lot of monuments, including the Alexander The Contemporary Lovers of Mevlana victory celebrations and political activities Sarcophagus.”—TripAdvisor, Bottrop, organize a Whirling Dervish performance of the old city. Today, one can also see Germany every Friday and Sunday evening at the the Obelisk from Egypt, the Serpentine Istanbul Archaeology Museum (Arkeoloji Sirkeci Train Station.”—TripAdvisor Column from Delphi, the Fountain of Muzesi), Topkapi Palace, 212 520 7740 Member, Istanbul Wilhelm II and the Colossus.”—TripAdvisor Sirkeci Train Station (Exhibition Hall, Member Platform 1), 212 458 8834 Hippodrome (Atmeydani), Sultanahmet RELAXATION The Hagia Sophia Museum is “The Bosphorus Tour ferry sails north from “The Suleymaniye Hamam was such a “breathtaking. Its unique architecture and Istanbul, up the Bosphorus, almost to the relaxing experience and well worth the size, the golden, gilded geometrical and Black Sea, then back again. Along the way money. The staff were really nice and made flower-motif mosaic, the wisely appointed it stops at the small ferry ports that dot the us feel at ease.