Istanbul

I have always wanted to go to Istanbul, mainly to see Hagia Sophia, which has always fascinated me since my schooldays. I noticed that Turkish Airlines had started flying direct from Edinburgh and that, remarkably, some return flights were barely over £100 (for a high-quality, full-service airline!). Then there was no stopping me. I booked myself into a highly rated small hotel in the Old City (Sultanahmet) for four nights.

Costs. Flight £107. Visa £14. Car parking £15. Istanbul hotel (B&B) €43.50 per night. Three-day museum pass TL85. Kariye Church TL15. Basilica Cistern TL20. Bosphorus cruise TL12. Tram or Metro jeton (single journey) TL4. Evening meal with wine TL45–TL57. Total cost of trip £358.

Places I stayed and was happy with. Basileus Hotel, Istanbul (Days 1–4, Read my review).

Books. Rough Guide to Istanbul (Rough Guides, 3rd revised edition).

Day 1: Travel to Istanbul. Left home at 9.30 am and drove to Edinburgh Airport. Plane left at 12.15 pm (great flight!) and arrived at Istanbul Ataturk Airport at 6 pm (local time). Finally found Metro (line M1) at 6.45 pm and alighted at Yenikapi at 7.15 pm. Then I got very lost for a time; it was dark and I set off walking in the wrong direction. Eventually reached my excellent hotel (pre-booked) at 8.30 pm (my host was appalled that I had walked “all that way”!). After freshening up, I went out and walked around the Hippodrome until 10.15 pm.

Day 2: Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque. Had breakfast in my hotel at 8 am and then went and exchanged £80 for TL304. I bought a 3-day pass into the main museums for TL85 (about £22). Entered Hagia Sophia and stayed for about an hour and a half. I then visited the royal tombs and the baptistery, before heading into the Topkapi Palace compound, visiting both the Palace and Hagia Irene. I walked through Gülhane Park next to the Palace compound to look at the Column of the Goths and had some lunch in a cafe overlooking the Bosphorus. Then I retreated to my hotel but found my room was being cleaned. So I visited the Blue Mosque, the ancient church (now mosque) of Little Hagia Sophia, and the scant Byzantine-period remains of Bucoleon Palace before returning again to my hotel at about 5.30 pm and, later, going out for some dinner.

Day 3: The Land Walls, Kariye (Chora) Church, Basilica Cistern. Had breakfast at 8.20 am and then caught the T1 tram out to the Byzantine-period Land (or Theodosian) Walls. I first walked south along the Walls and then turned north. I then diverted from the walls to visit the nearby Kariye (Chora) Church and its famous mosaics and frescoes. Afterwards, I continued south along the Walls, intending to reach the Golden Horn but I started to get lost amongst the slums. So I returned to the main road and walked into the city and found the Valens Aqueduct and the Marcian Column. Then I caught the T1 tram back to Sultanahmet and visited the impressive Basilica Cistern and the pretty Sokollu Mehmet Pasha mosque near my hotel. I returned to my hotel at about 5.15 pm, rested for a bit, and then went out to dinner.

Day 4: Bosphorus cruise, Spice Market, Archeological Museum. Had breakfast at 9 am, exchanged £20 for TL75, and caught the T1 tram down to the Golden Horn at Eminönü. Looked around the New Mosque and then took the 11 am Bosphorus cruise (Turyol) until 12.45 pm. Looked round the nearby Spice Bazaar (I bought some dates and some turmeric), and then toured the Islamic Science Museum and the Archeological Museum. By this time it had started to rain heavily (the first time on this trip) and I retreated to my hotel at about 3.50 pm. Later, I went out for dinner.

Day 5: Travel home. Had breakfast at 8.45 am, left hotel at 9.30 and walked to see the Column of Constantine. Caught T1 tram and M1 Metro out to the airport, arriving at 10.40 am. My flight left at 12.40 pm and landed in Edinburgh at 3 pm (local time). I popped into work and was home by 5 pm.

Reflections. A trip that fulfilled all my expectations. Even the weather was pretty decent, apart from on Day 4. I did a lot of walking and was glad I was wearing my lightweight walking boots. My worldly goods were all contained in a 20-litre rucksack. The hotel was excellent: very clean, a great breakfast, and very friendly – the owner even left me in charge of reception for 5 minutes while he popped off for something. I probably did too much sightseeing on Day 2 and could have left one of the major sights until the following days – but then my enthusiasm and energy levels were very high that first full day. There are cheaper ways of using the Metro or tram than buying the old-fashioned jetons as I did, but on a short trip I did not want to go to the trouble of paying for a card, charging it up, and then reclaiming my initial deposit at the end. Istanbul was much busier (already!) with tourists than I had expected in March. The carpet-shop touts were rather irritating but I tried to deal with them in good humour as they could be said to add to the local colour of the city.

© 2015 The Untravelled World