Question

What are the must see places in Istanbul? What are the must do things in Istanbul?

Answer 1

- Go to Istanbul Modern -it's a modern arts museum, has interesting works of art all year around. It's in Karakoy.

Answer 2

- In the touristic Sultanahmet area, visit Ayasofya, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and the Yerebatan Cistern (a lot of people tend to miss this last one, it's an underground basilica/cistern and has a sideways medusa head). In the same area are the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar.

Answer 3

- Go to Ortakoy. It's a nice area and has a great view of the Bosphorus and there is this amazing mosque. Oh and eat this potato dish called 'kumpir' there. It's like jacket potato but it's part of the culture of this neighbourhood. Pretty much all restaurants/street sellers have this dish. Very tasty. Plus, you can take a tour of the Bosphorus in the ferry from Ortakoy. It would take about an hour or two i think and drops you *** back in Ortakoy.

Answer 4

- Go to Kadikoy. It's a cool are on the Asian side, which most tourists tend to skip but it is just as muhc a part of Istanbul as the European side. You can take the ferry from Besiktas and you must sit on the second floor outside -it'll be windy, but very beautiful, especially if you take the ferry during sunset. This ferry ride is absolutely my favourite thing to do in Istanbul. In Kadikoy, there's a street called the bars street -well, the actual name of the street is Kadife Sokak, meaning "corduroy street" but people call it the bars street. There are some cool bars like "Karga" (crow) or "Arka Oda" (the back room) there. Go hang out there like Turkish people do!

Answer 5

- You'll definitely end up going to Istiklal street. It's where Taksim Square is. Take a walk on this street. At the end, there is the Galata Tower. Definitely go on top. I had not been until I was taking some of my friends around the city a couple years ago. It has a 360 view of Istanbul and it's beautiful. It also happens to be the tower from which the first man to fly flew. He was also the first man to fly between continents because he flew from Europe to Asia.

Answer 6

- Go to Piyer Loti. It's this hill near Eyup. You can get to Eyup by ferry from Eminonu, it's at a different stop than the rest of the ferries so ask around to find the right ferry. From eyup, take the gondola (is that what they call those lift things?) to go up to Piyer Loti. The hill is named after the French writer Pierre Loti. There is a great view over the Golden Horn and you can have a delicious cup of tea.

Answer 7

- Towards the end of Istiklal street, an area called Asmali Mescit, is a nice place to hang out, with a lot of cafes and bars and restaurants. Though I haven't been there since the government banned restaurants from having a sitting area outside so I'm not sure how it has changed. It

Answer 8

-Again at the end of this street there is the "tunnel," the second oldest tram in Europe and it connects Beyoglu (the Istiklal street area) with Karakoy (where Istanbul Modern, the museum I mentioned is). The tram takes about one minute, so might as well take it!

Answer 9

- This is a whole day activity: go to an island. You can take the ferry from Eminonu or Bostanci, on the Asian side. Go to Buyukada. Ride a bike there or go up this hill where there is an old church and usually some interesting exhibitions. Oh, and people tie ribbons on trees on the way up this hill to make wishes.

Answer 10

- Visit the chora museum (Kariye camii) it's about an hour walking distance from all the touristy stuff in Sultanahmet. It's a church converted into a mosque converted into a museum. It's got amazingly beautiful frescos, even more fascinating than the ones in Ayasofya in my opinion.