The city of Istanbul, Turkey has always been an alluring, mysterious place to me. Istanbul is the “bridge” between Europe and Asia, and the home of amazing works of architecture and a rich history. Located between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea it occupies a very key piece of real estate considering current world geopolitics. I never had the chance or occasion to go there, but a major trip to Africa gave us a unique opportunity. (See Our African Safari report.)

Planning Crossing many time zones by air always plays havoc with sleep cycles. As I’ve gotten older, and hopefully gotten a little smarter, I always try to schedule some “cushion” on both ends of a long trip. Not only can you adapt to the new time zone slowly, but you also get the opportunity to see another destination. We considered a number of stopover cities but chose Istanbul for a variety of reasons. The primary reason was cost – I wanted to arrange business class tickets for the entire trip (Miami-Istanbul-Johannesburg-Miami), but I found the airline ticket prices to be extremely high. An agent suggested a way to save money by booking two separate trips: Miami-Istanbul round trip, and Istanbul-Johannesburg round trip on Turkish Airlines. This saved a considerable amount, and Turkish Airlines was an outstanding experience. Another bonus for Istanbul was the fact I had an old friend there – a Turkish Foreign Exchange Student from my high school senior class. We had exchanged a few messages via Facebook through the years, but we hadn’t spoken or seen each other in 60 years! I was hoping we could find a way to get together there.

Our travel agent recommended booking a “transfer” from the Istanbul airport to our hotel and back before our departure. The main rationale for this was ease of clearing customs and finding your way to the hotel and return. It was nice. A well-dressed middle-aged man was holding a sign with our name, and he got us out of the airport and to our hotel quickly in a modern limo. (It was about a 45-minute drive to the center of the city.) However, in retrospect we certainly could have managed it on our own. Istanbul airport was modern and impressive; in fact, it put many US airports to shame. We had no problem whatsoever in getting our luggage and clearing customs/security easily. We couldn’t even get to our driver until we were actually walking out of the airport. For our trip in April 2024 the round-trip transfer fee was $420. It made it easy for us, but it was not really necessary, and pretty expensive for what we got.

For our hotel I booked us at the JW Marriott Istanbul Bosphorus using Marriott Bonvoy points. It was in a very nice area of Istanbul, the “New City”, on the Bosphorus Strait and near numerous restaurants and attractions. Our hotel reservations included a buffet breakfast on their rooftop restaurant which was extremely nice. The staff was fabulous – we received a warm and sincere welcome and a full description of the hotel’s facilities and hospitality.

A cruise ship and the Bosphorus Strait from our hotel roof bar.

The “plan” was to get a good night’s sleep with no set wake-up time, and then take a leisurely walk around the area to see some of city near us. We got helpful information from the front desk staff, and we spent our first day exploring. I booked a guided tour for us for days 2 and 3, so it felt good to have day 1 uncommitted. We found a great local restaurant, returned to the rooftop bar for a drink, and retired early.

Itinerary Where to start to see Istanbul? A friend suggested Trip Advisor as a place to check first. He and his wife had used Trip Advisor for the same reason a few years earlier, and they had had a good experience. Using that website I booked us a 2-day guided tour called “Best of Istanbul”. It offered 1,2, and 3-day options. For most people, I would recommend the 1-day tour. Frankly, you can visit just so many mosques and monuments before your eyes start to glaze over. The key signature sights in Istanbul are all fairly close, and a well-devised tour can cover the most important sights in one day. Plus, my ignorance of the area caused me to overspend. The guided tour itself was $400 for a couple for the 2-day tour. A lot is not included in that price – transportation, meals, entrance fees, etc. Flying blind, I opted to include a driver for us. Again, a nice perk, but it cost nearly $500 for the two days, plus tips are customary for the tour guide and driver. In retrospect, I would opt for a 1-day guided tour without a driver. A walking tour is very feasible except for anyone with mobility issues.

Looking back, I booked things we really didn’t need. Depending on your interests, you can tailor your own itinerary and decide whether or not to get a guide. We enjoyed our tour guide a lot. His wealth of knowledge of Istanbul history, the locations we visited, and his pleasant demeanor made the tour very enlightening for us. Although I signed us up for a “group tour” not to exceed 8 people, we were the only visitors that day, so we truly had a private tour. Our guide was able to make adjustments on the fly depending on our interest levels, need for a break, or a change in the schedule.

On Day 1 we met our guide, Emrah, at our hotel, and he escorted us to our driver and the first of several stops that day – the Hagia Sofia. The Hagia Sofia is currently a mosque with a long and complicated history. Said to have been built in 537 AD, the building has been “repurposed” throughout its lifetime. Once an Orthodox Church, then a mosque, then a museum, and again a mosque in 2020. It was also a Catholic Church during one of the Crusades. In any event, it is a beautiful structure and well maintained.

From there we visited the Topkapi Palace, Hippodrome Square, the Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar. The sights were spectacular in person, and I think very impressive as photos. Although we had a car available to us, several of the sites were within a short distance from each other. The Topkapi Palace was especially interesting to us. This was the residence of the Turkish sultans for about 400 years. It has a “royal touch” in every part of the property. There are religious artifacts in several buildings and weapons and furnishings from years past. There are many individual buildings and impressive grounds, and time did not allow us to see everything.

Religious artifacts within the Topkapi Palace grounds

We stopped for a great lunch around midday at a nearby restaurant. As I said earlier, it was all within walking distance.

Our guide, Emrah, showing us a great local restaurant

We then went to the Hippodrome Square (site of chariot racing) and the Egyptian Obelisk, and then to the Blue Mosque, another stunning Ottoman architectural masterpiece. It is distinguished by its six minarets, and this is said to be the most visited site in Istanbul. This mosque was much more “modern” than the Hagia Sophia – it was built in the early 1600s.

The Egyptian Obelisk and Hippodrome Square

Tourists spoiling a photo in front of the Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque is the most visited site in Istanbul

We finished our first touring day at the Grand Bazaar, a place too overwhelming for me. I’m sure my wife could have found plenty of bargains there, but the huge nature of the bazaar and our long day made it a fairly quick trip.

We were pretty tired by days end, and we looked forward to relaxing back at the hotel before going to dinner.

On the Bosphorus Strait ferry looking at the Turkish flag

The suspension bridge connecting the Asian and European continents

On Day 2 we were picked up again by Emrah and went on an enjoyable Bosphorus cruise which was a ferry ride. There are many tourist-focused boat trips available, but the ferry covered a lot of ground (water?) for a reasonable cost. (Recall that all these tourist stops require some entrance fee. This is not covered by your tour ticket; you are paying for the guide’s expertise and direction.) We had lunch by the river, and then proceeded to the Galata Tower, and later the Spice Market. On the way to the Spice Market we stopped to get a Turkish Coffee made in the traditional way using hot sand as the heating mechanism. I’m a bit of a coffee snob, and I wasn’t interested in a second cup while I was in Turkey. It’s strong and flavorful but gritty. (Coffee filters are popular for a reason.)

I found the Spice Bazaar more manageable than the Grand Bazaar. It was smaller, and our visit took place in the morning before the market was very busy. We spent some time looking at different displays and sampling some spices and candies. We found a number of good gift items there. “Turkish Delight” is a tourist favorite, usually a nougat-based candy which we bought ourselves. It’s a must-see location for any foodies or gourmets in your group.

As a final activity before heading to the airport for a very late flight, we had dinner with my high school friend. At first I wondered whether this was even a good idea; after all, we hadn’t spoken in 60 years. Well, it was fabulous! We each recognized the other right away, and quickly put each other at ease. Before long the stories from our high school years emerged, and we laughed a lot. My friend, Ahmet, took us to a favorite fish restaurant on the waterfront, and we had a wonderful meal and evening.

Two high school buddies swapping stories

Currency In general you can get by using credit cards for most expenses. (As always, be sure your card does not charge for foreign exchange rates.). But I found it useful to have some local currency handy. Small charges (e.g. the Turkish coffee) are easy with the local Turkish Lira. And of course, it always helps to have small US bills available. I find it easy to give tips in dollars, and you avoid converting a lot of cash. Nobody has ever complained about getting US dollars.

Heading Home A very nice perk we received as a result of buying Turkish Airlines business class tickets was admittance to the business class lounge at the Istanbul Airport. This lounge was massive and very well stocked with many various foods and drinks. There were plenty of areas to relax (even a sleeping area) and a golf hitting net with a simulator. There seemed to be something for all tastes – salads, sandwiches, hot entrees, vegetarian plates, a coffee and tea station, desserts, and fully stocked bars. This made a long layover on the way home a lot more bearable for us.

One of several food stations in the Turkish Airlines business lounge

Final thoughts Our primary purpose for visiting Istanbul was tourism, and we wanted to get in as much sight-seeing as possible without running ourselves ragged. When in doubt, I tended to upgrade our transportation or touring options, and in retrospect I overpaid for much of it. Some of the very best and most popular sites are located close together in the “Old City” or Fatih. There are hotels in that area, but I felt the “New City” or Beyoglu was a better overall place to stay. It is a short distance away, but easily available by cab or tram. Our hotel was in the New City, and we enjoyed walking to interesting places nearby including many good restaurants. So, I recommend that you do better research than I did, and tailor your visit to get what YOU want out of it. There are many different tours available, and having a good guide is well worth the fee. Just decide how much to see and how you can best get that done.

Jun 26 Three Days in Istanbul

Sep 27 The Island of Fire & Ice

May 24 Our African Safari

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