Istanbul can truly be called the Queen of Cities. Straddling two continents, between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, Istanbul will charm you like no other place. I have had the good fortune to visit the city twice, and I would be happy to come here many more times as well. It’s a place where the old meets the new, where Asia meets Europe, where you see glass and chrome buildings as well as 500 year old palaces, a place of history, culture, myths and legends.
Both times, I have stayed in the old city – at Sultanahmet. The good part is that so much of the city can be covered on foot. And with the weather fairly pleasant from autumn, it is fun to walk among the cobbled roads and city squares, exploring the attractions. The famous Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque are pretty much on every tourist’s bucket list, as is the Golden Horn and a visit to one of the famous Hamams. For those in a party mood, there is always Ishtiklal Street where a crowd of 3 million converges on weekends for a night of revel. But I’d advise to spend a little time outside the known areas, step out of the tourist areas, get a little bit lost, wander into a local eating joint for kebabs, stroll below the bridges on the Bosphorus, explore the city and look at some of the really old mansions, amazingly well preserved and with the charm of a bygone era. I know it sounds clichéd, but Istanbul is really a bridge between the East and the West, and that is what adds a special flavor to the city.
One place I can happily advise to ignore is the over-hyped and over-priced Grand Bazaar. It’s a row of shops, with clusters selling the same items – and mostly some tacky souvenir like a hookah or a nazar. It might be interesting to a Westerner who’s never stepped into a bazaar, but for someone like me, from India, it was a fairly forgettable experience.
Random Musings of a Wanderer 