Istanbul

[Anonymous]

Has anyone been? Worth it?

[Anonymous]

Yes! Stunning!

[Anonymous]

Will be going soon. Can’t wait!

[Anonymous]

So much good food. EAT IT ALL OP.

[Anonymous]

I took my son to Turkey earlier this summer. It is an amazing place! We both had a great time. Consider adding another destination to your itinerary as well. We spent a week in Istanbul, then went to Cappadocia for a few days and to Antalya for a few days. All of it was awesome. The Turks are very warm and welcoming people!

[Anonymous]

Went last December/January. Fantastic trip. Turkey is truly a remarkable country in many ways (albeit one with a growing religious/secular split, like Israel), and Istanbul was a great city to visit.

[Anonymous]

How did you get to the other cities pp? Did you go a tour? Feel safe?

[Anonymous]

Yes, awesome! Stay in Kadikoy on the Asian side, it’s a great neighborhood. I went with a friend (both women) and felt completely safe and had a wonderful time. Direct flight from Dulles is a huge plus; we used public transportation the whole time and it was clean and easy. Recommend the two continent food tour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How did you get to the other cities pp? Did you go a tour? Feel safe?

We went on a tour and was on a (tour) bus as we travelled around. Felt completely safe.

[Anonymous]

Was Constantstinople

[Anonymous]

Istanbul is fantastic! Excellent food, interesting sights, and warm people! I combined my visit to Istanbul with my trip to Israel. Best vacation ever!

[Anonymous]

We just spent 12 days there with family. My husband is Turkish. Plenty to do just in Istanbul for our trip. If you want our entire itinerary, just respond and I’m happy to provide. If you do any other cities, do Bodrum, Ephesus, Cappadocia. In that order. Ankara is the capital but does not warrant a visit. Easy to hop over to Greece if you have time.
Turkey is my favorite place in the world and we hope to relocate there eventually. The people and the culture are unbeatable. Unfortunately the government is a mess but I digress.

[Anonymous]

I've travelled there several times. I always found Istanbul bit of a sad city for various reasons. When you realize it was capital of the Byzantine empire that lasted a thousand years and virtually the entire historic and heritage legacy of the Byzantines is gone outside a few churches, to be replaced by an invading new culture and people, it does leave you with a bit of a profound feeling. And even modern Istanbul is a blend of the very decaying and new.

That aside, the sights in Istanbul can be wonderful to see. And it's atmospheric. There are definitely run down areas and areas I wouldn't venture alone if only because we did have kids thinking it was funny to throw rocks at us when we decided to walk back to Sultanahmet from an old Byzantine church by the city walls. Food is like anywhere else, do your research beforehand. Most of everyday restaurants will be oily but the good ones are very good. Istanbul Eats is a good blog to check for food recommendations if it's still around. Grand Bazaar is fun to walk through but is also very touristy and I'd be leery of buying anything from there. Do a tour up the Bosphorus. We also enjoyed Cappadocia and Ephesus and the Turkish coast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've travelled there several times. I always found Istanbul bit of a sad city for various reasons. When you realize it was capital of the Byzantine empire that lasted a thousand years and virtually the entire historic and heritage legacy of the Byzantines is gone outside a few churches, to be replaced by an invading new culture and people, it does leave you with a bit of a profound feeling. And even modern Istanbul is a blend of the very decaying and new.

That aside, the sights in Istanbul can be wonderful to see. And it's atmospheric. There are definitely run down areas and areas I wouldn't venture alone if only because we did have kids thinking it was funny to throw rocks at us when we decided to walk back to Sultanahmet from an old Byzantine church by the city walls. Food is like anywhere else, do your research beforehand. Most of everyday restaurants will be oily but the good ones are very good. Istanbul Eats is a good blog to check for food recommendations if it's still around. Grand Bazaar is fun to walk through but is also very touristy and I'd be leery of buying anything from there. Do a tour up the Bosphorus. We also enjoyed Cappadocia and Ephesus and the Turkish coast.

Islam? Some of us aren't against that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've travelled there several times. I always found Istanbul bit of a sad city for various reasons. When you realize it was capital of the Byzantine empire that lasted a thousand years and virtually the entire historic and heritage legacy of the Byzantines is gone outside a few churches, to be replaced by an invading new culture and people, it does leave you with a bit of a profound feeling. And even modern Istanbul is a blend of the very decaying and new.

That aside, the sights in Istanbul can be wonderful to see. And it's atmospheric. There are definitely run down areas and areas I wouldn't venture alone if only because we did have kids thinking it was funny to throw rocks at us when we decided to walk back to Sultanahmet from an old Byzantine church by the city walls. Food is like anywhere else, do your research beforehand. Most of everyday restaurants will be oily but the good ones are very good. Istanbul Eats is a good blog to check for food recommendations if it's still around. Grand Bazaar is fun to walk through but is also very touristy and I'd be leery of buying anything from there. Do a tour up the Bosphorus. We also enjoyed Cappadocia and Ephesus and the Turkish coast.

You must be Greek.