Exciting Istanbul!!!!

There is a huge amount of historical sights, museums, shops, cafes, restaurants. I don`t know if I should start to tell about all of them. You`ll either love or hate the people. They can be realy strange, but you may fell in love with them like I did. They`ll do anything for you to sit in their restaurant, buy their shoes or carpets or other goods just so they can prove to their neighbours that they can sell better than they can!!!I love you Turks!!!!:o) Visit the Hypodrome,the Archelological museum,take a Bosphorus tour,visit the Palaces on the both sides of the Channel....Very important for the girls!!!Turks love blondies,so be careful!They might hunt you!!! Also,don`t walk alone,or in female only group late at night.You can have troubles!!!! You must visit some of their disco clubs with turkish music and you`ll dance till death!!!

Quick Tips:

When I get out of the bus at the bus station, a million taxi drivers surounded me, and each one of them gave lower price. Finaly I made a deal with one of them, but when we arrived in the center of the city the price was much higher than the one that we first arranged. I payed, but when I was leaving the car I said "Teshekur" which means "Thank you" in Turkish the taxi driver run after me to give my money back. He said that I deserve that because of my respect to his nation! It was very funny! So,be nice, and they will give you all their respect and love. Plus,never hurry to pay if you want to buy something.their prices are never fixed.They love when you say that their price is very high and tell them a lower one.At the end you`ll get the thing that you want almost for free!!Example:I wanted to buy leather jacket.The price was 250 Euros.Then I said can you give it to me for 200.No,I have a special price for you-he said.I`ll give it to you for 50 Euros!!!!The same thing happens not only at the markets,but in shops too.

Best Way To Get Around:

If u are coming to Istanbul by bus,you`ll arrive at the Isanbul Otogar(main bus station).There is a metro line from the Otogar to the center of the city(Aksaray).It is very fast and very cheap.If you are in the European part of the town you can walk around to the major sights. But if you are in the Asian part you must get a taxi. Turkish drivers are the fastest in Europe (don`t get scared,they are very careful), and plus if you are lucky you`ll meet a lifetime Turkish friend! So have a nice trip!!! Shops are closed for the religious holidays(Ramazan-twice a year and the date varies each year) and New Year(only 1st and 2nd of january).Plus almost all of them are open till 22 o`clock in the night,so you can use the day time for other things instead of shopping

The hotel was renovated this year (2003), so it’s more beautiful than before. It is in the heart of the old town, just a few steps from Haiga Sofia, Blue Mosque, the Old Bazaar. . .

They have very nice rooftop dining room with a marvelous view of the old part of the town. The rooms are very comfortable and nice (all of them are air-conditioned)!!! The room service is great, the personnel too, not to mention the price. Even it’s in the most frequent part of the town, it is very quiet and peaceful. You shouldn’t avoid it!!!

Well, this is one of the best restaurants that can be found in the European part of Istanbul. It is in the center near all major sights.

The food is great - you can choose whatever you want to, but if you want to try local turkish cuisine, this is the best place for that thing. I will recomend the Sish kebab.It's slices of meat with lots of different vegetables. It can be found in all restaurants, but it has a diferent taste everywhere. But here,it is the best.

Also after lunch I recommend you the world famous Turkish kahve (coffee).It's not made in a machine, but is boiled in special plates and is much stornger than the filter cofee. Bon apetit!!!

It's a nice place to relax after the walk through the major sights. It's a very relaxed place where you don`t have to worry about how you are dressed, or how you'll behave. The staff is very nice and friendly.

I won`t recommend it to you for lunch or a dinner, but for a quick snack it is great. They have many different salads and they were my best choice that I made in this restaurant. I recommend the Russian salad, but only if you don`t go there in the middle of summer (it has a lot of calories so it`s not recommended for summer heats, especially not in Istanbul).

You just can’t resist the guy who stands in front of the shop and invites you in. If you go there once, he’ll be grateful to you and you can always get a free table if you want to go there once again. Plus you can get a lower price -- always!!!

It's a nice place where you can eat Turkish specialties, Italian food, continental . . . almost all cuisines!!! It’s very clean and the food is fresh!!! If you go there in the morning or in the evening, try their best meal: bourek. It is a salty pie with cheese, spinach, or meet. The best combination with this meal is ayran (something like yoghurt). But as the name says, their best deserts are the puddings!!! There are dozens of kinds for everybody’s taste.

If you are a vegetarian or you just want healthy dining, you must visit this place. It is not a strictly "vegetarian only" restaurant -- meat meals can be found here too. I couldn’t even imagine that so many different meals can be made from vegetables only!!!! You won’t regret if you try anything that can be found here. The food is always warm and prepared in front of your eyes. If you don’t like their recipes, you can write your own recipe and they will be very happy to prepare it for you.

At the entry, there are a million jewelry shops. You would like to go in each one of them. They have gold, silver, crystals, diamonds. . . anything that you want!! There are leather jackets, clothes, shoes, food, spices, souvenirs, carpets, underwear, porcelain, and their world famous water pipes (the best ones that you can buy in all Turkey). As I said earlier, don’t hurry up with giving your money to them -- their price is always very high at the beginning and very low at the end!!! Plus you almost always get a free gift!! And before buying something be sure that you’ve checked all stores. The stores that are on the main street are very expensive according to the ones in other streets and corners. Don’t forget to visit the spice market that is just a few steps from this bazaar and take some of delicious Turkish flavors in your home!!!!

This is a great museum that will bring you back in the time to the earliest Turkish history, Ottoman Empire, and nearest 20th-century history. It will take you almost a whole day to see everything that’s there, but it’s worth it!!! You’ll see their clothes (which are very unique), jewelry, arms, weapons, knives. . . Just go!!! You must not avoid the harem. That is the place where all the Sultan’s women took baths and the eunuchs kept them from uninvited guests. Before you enter the museum, you’ll walk through a huge park where you can just sit and rest your legs. It’s free of charge so you can relax there and enjoy any time you want. Also there are exhibitions of young Turkish artists in the park almost every day.

This is one of the biggest mosques in Europe and has the most beautiful ornaments. As the name says the color that dominates in the arabesques is blue. It has a big yard where tourists usually spend most of their time, but when you get inside, it's a completely different experience.

Of course, before entering in the mosque, you will have to take off your shoes (that is a tradition). It's an Islamic rule that women can’t enter the mosques, but since this one is a popular touristy sight, women can go in, too. You can stay while the service is on, but the best time to look around is between 5 and 7pm because there is no service at that time and there are no believers, so you can just walk around and not be afraid that you’ll disturb somebody during their prayer. It’s a "must see" sight.

In the yard there is an old man who sells traditional Islamic hats -- they're very cheap and it's a beautiful souvenir that will remind you of this marvelous piece of art. Also there are many people that will tell you about the mosque’s history for a very cheap price-around five dollars. They speak many different languages, so you’ll understand no matter where you’re from.