I was there for a couple of days. I had been in a town South of Izmir for three weeks staying with a friend; his father was born in Turkey and they have a house there. It was a wonderful trip. Istanbul is, hands down, the craziest city I've ever been to. We had a really excellent tour guide that took us around the city. I know that sounds kind of lame, but it was great, really. She took us to all of the must see historical places -- The Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern....It's a beautiful, ancient city. Please don't let your opportunity go to waste; there are so many things to see. As far as food goes, I don't really have much to add...I was a vegetarian at the time, although I'm kicking myself now for not trying some of their more highly recommended dishes. My friend lived in Turkey when he was a kid, and he ate a gyro every single day. Apparently they're amazing. Have a great time. I can say without a doubt that it was the best vacation I've ever been on.
One more thought -- definitely try some Raki while you're there if you never have before. It's a Turkish liquor -- "Raki (Turkish: rakı IPA: [rakɯ]) is a non-sweet usually anise-flavored apéritif that is produced by twice distilling either only suma or suma that has been mixed with ethyl alcohol in traditional copper alembics of 5000 litres (1320 US gallon, 1100 UK gallon) volume or less with aniseed.[1] It is similar to several kinds of alcoholic beverages available in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Colombia, including pastis, ouzo, sambuca, arak, anise castellano, and aguardiente. In the Balkans, however, raki refers to a non-anise-flavored drink made from distilled pomace, similar to Italian grappa, Greek tsipouro, Cretan tsikoudia, Cypriot zivania and Spanish orujo.[2] In Turkey, raki is the unofficial 'national drink' and it is traditionally drunk mixed with water; the dilution causes this alcoholic drink to turn a milky-white colour, and possibly because of its colour, this mixture is popularly called aslan sütü (or arslan sütü), literally meaning "lion's milk" (a(r)slan is also used to mean strong, brave man, hence milk for the brave)." --From Wikipedia It's really pretty good. Tastes a lot like licorice, actually...a bit like absinthe I guess, though not nearly as alcoholic.
haven't been but my folks have and they absolutely loved it... if you're even just a slight history fan i'd imagine it'd be hard not to have a blast there.
If you're going out alone at night, make sure you stay vigilant and stay off the smaller side streets. Lot of hustlers in Istanbul.
"You ever seen a grown man naked?" To the OP, rent From Russia with Love. The Bond flick. You'll really get a good look at a lot of the city. My father went there and loved the place. I've always wanted to go. I'm jealous!
If you happen to spot Mehmet Okur, please be sure to give him a piece of all of ClutchFans mind.. But, seriously, have a wonderful time!! I hear the Mediterranean Region are beautiful places to visit.
Thanks for the tips, everyone! I've always wanted to go, and I can't wait for this trip. Didn't know about the side streets. Thanks for the heads up, Baqui.
haven't been yet but it's high on the priority list. we have a friend, now living in vienna, who is from instanbul and still maintains an apartment there. next year the wife and i are thinking of dropping the kids off at their grandparents in austria then heading over there with our friend. exploring a new city with a native and sans kids is a luxury.
I went in 2006. My advice, stay in the commercial/shopping area (Beyoglu/Galata) as there's more to do there at night than there is in the historic area (Sultanahmet). The side streets off the main drag (Istiklal) are pretty fun. Visit the main palace (topkapi, Hagia Sophia). Also trek out to the city walls at some point which are pretty impressive (the northwest part that borders the golden horn is pretty cool). Most of the hustlers are guys trying to steer you into brothels jammed with russian hookers - I didn't go to any, but ending up in a turkish whorehouse didn't seem that appealing. As far as foood, other than kebabs - try Kofte (meatballs) and the pastries & breads (borek are pretty good). Also try a gozleme if you've never had one.
I loved Istanbul, it is a beautiful city. Definately do the palaces and the Blue Mosque like others mentioned. You also need to visit the grand bazaar, just to experience it if nothing else. In addition, a water tour out of the city is great. The taxis drivers are the most insane I have ever ridden with in Istanbul, the noise and energy of the city is fantastic. Enjoy.
was once constantineople... istanbul was constantineople... been a long time gone, constantineople... why did constantineople get the works? thats no body's business but the turks...
No worries. True story, my roommate last year in b-school did the McCombs Greece-Turkey trek. His first night in Istanbul he went exploring at night by himself. He goes into a bar and strikes up a conversation with some locals who seemed to know everything about Houston -> i.e. the light rail, weather, etc. He then goes with them to another bar down the street at their insistence, and orders a couple of beers. As he's getting ready to leave the bartender hands him an $800 tab. My buddy says there's a mistake and that he only ordered 2 beers. So long story short, they take him back to the kitchen with a group of about 6 guys there. One of the guys has his hands on a gun. They force him to pull out the cash from an ATM. Messed up, huh? He never told the cops about this incident afterwards.
Even old New York was once New Amsterdam. Why they changed it, I can't say People just liked it better that way.
