mp413

I have a 3-day stopover in Istanbul, first time ever. Given the short time frame I really want to stay in the best spot for seeing historical sites. I would also like to be in a place where there is a lot of streetlife/nightlife, as I am on a tight budget and can't afford taxis (and am a single female so I would like to be able to walk around safely at night).

Any suggestions for where that might be? I am guessing somewhere near Hagia Sophia but is that dead at night? Even specific intersections to be near would be helpful--I am using a website that pinpoints youth hostels on a map.

Thanks!

mp413

CarrieAnn40

My daughter and I spent 3 nights in Sultanahmet in August. Most of the main historical sights are within easy walking distance and the main tram line runs straight through the middle to go a bit further afield.

We stayed at the Hali Hotel, as recommended by Michael on this forum - http://www.halihotel.com/
I asked for a nice upper floor room and got one with a view of the Agya Sophia, which was €55/night.

The area was busy at night. We weren't looking for nightlife just somewhere to sit outside and watch the world go by. And we never felt unsafe.

Type in Istanbul in the search box at the top of the page and you will pull up loads of info on Istanbul.

afterall

Hello,

Without a doubt, it has to be Sultanahmet! You can walk from there to all the main attractions; as well as down to the water, and only a stone's throw from the main tram line heading out of the city should you want to visit the Kariye Camii (Church of St Saviour in Chora) - highly, highly recommended.

I've never stayed in a hostel in Istanbul because when you're somewhere where you CAN get a nice room for not a fortune (think Bangkok) it seems a shame to pass up the opportunity.

Prices have gone up since I stayed there five years ago, but in case it is within your budget you might like to check out:

http://www.sidehotel.com/english/pension.asp

I thought it was excellent - very central; lots of local colour including fruit and veg markets in the surrounding streets; roof terrace. I'm older than you, and it was my third visit to Istanbul, but as a solo female traveller I felt quite safe going out to eat (plenty of options nearby) and window shopping after dark. Say till about 10.00pm while the streets are still busy.

And even if it is out of range, it will at least give you a point on the map.

On my first visit (a long time ago) I stayed in Laleli. After a bad first night I found a lovely pension but I have no idea what it was called, and chances are it isn't there anymore. That area is a lot further out; still OK for access to the tram but if you can spare just a bit more cash then go central, go Sultanahmet.

Cheers.

josephina

On the conditions of...
"3-day stay"
"first time"
"best spot for seeing historical sites"

Sultanahmet

Lots of steetlife (the raucous Grand Bazaar is just on the edge of the district a cheap tram ride away), but best nightlife is NOT in the area. Lots of little hotels and restaurants, though, and you can walk around the neighborhood by yourself without fear.

Proenza_Preschooler

As everyone of Fodor's knows, I am not a fan of staying in Sultanahmet. I think tourists get a very skewed impression of Istanbul when they stay there. This is the section of the city that contains most of the big tourist attractions like Topkapi, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Grand Bazaar. Yes, it is convenient, but it is also very parochial in the sense that you only see other tourist and don't get a feel of cosmopolitan Istanbul.

If you do stay in Sultanahmet, please don't spend all of your time there. Get out and see the city where real Stambulis live. Go to Beyoglu, Taksim, Ortakoy, and Nistansi. Go over to the Asian side.

There is no nightlife in Sultanahmet if you are the kind of person who is used to the nightlife of New York, LA, London, or Paris. (I don't think sitting in a Sultanahmet hookah bar with Swedish backpackers is "nightlife.&quot

Get a Time Out Istanbul for nightlife venues across the city. Cabs are cheap in Istanbul.

Thingorjus

Weadles

I would take Thingorgus's excellent advice. Stay in Sultanahmet so that you are within walking distance of the major touristic sites, then venture out into the other neighborhoods which will give you a totally different perspective on Istanbul.

Guenmai

Yes, stay in Sultanahmet and then just either take the street car, bus, or taxis to other area. There's a street car near Aya Sophia. A guest, from the same hotel I was staying at (Empress Zoe), and since we are females decided to hook up and go around town together one day. We were out for over 12 hours and at night,too.
We met in the breakfast room at the Empress Zoe. She was doing a one year, solo around the world trip. Almost all of my trips are solo,too.

We took the street car down to the area where the water is and then took the bus across the bridge and to the Galata tower where we had an incredible view of Istanbul. After we visited the Galata Tower, we walked back across the bridge. Istanbul is a really nice walking city.

We also went to the Taksim area on the bus, too and jumped on a ferry and took in another area of Istanbul.

When in Istanbul, if you don't have to wear leather shoes then it might be best as kids will sometimes approach, out of nowhere, with shoe shine kits and then plop a piece of shoe polish on your shoes without your permission and then start shining them and demand a fee. This happened to me when the above person and I were out and at the Suleymaniye Mosque on top of the hill.

She was wearing cloth shoes and I leather knee boots. I was pretty furious. We had just sat down a hot second, when I heard the shoe polish go plop on my boots. She said it happened to her,too and that's why she had taken the cloth shoes out of her suitcase and was wearing them. She was at the end of her stay in Istanbul and I was at the beginning. Plus, in cooler weather I usually only take one pair of shoes/boots on vacation...the ones on my feet. Happy Travels!

mp413

Thanks to all these greatly helpful responses.

I am really torn what to do! Staying in Sultanahmet sounds like it makes the most sense, b/c it's where all the sights are. However, I am on a tight tight budget, and it occurs to me that if I stay in Sultanahmet, I'll have to take taxis at night to get to other areas where the Turkish nightlife is (am I wrong?), whereas if I stay in a more night-lively area I can use public transport to get to the sights during daylight.

Thoughts?

Oh and by nightlife I'm not looking for clubs and discos and tourists--more just strolling around in the evening, having lots of food options, and maybe a nice place to have coffee or a drink on the way home. Preferably a taste of Turkish nightlife rather than that of backpackers or tourists visiting.

Thanks again, really love the help I get on this forum.

mp413

sandra3120

MP - as Thinggorjus mentioned, there is much to see in other areas of the city, so limiting yourself to the area where Topkapi, Yerebatan Saray, Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque are located won't let you see some of those other places. Dolmabahce Palace, just down the street from the Ciragan, and Beylerbeyi, across the Bosporos are two that pop instantly to mind. As many others have said, public transportation is good, so you might want another area of the city closer to where you are seeking your evening entertainment so that you can walk at night and use transport during the day.

Weadles

There's plenty of public transportation (buses,trolley) to other areas of Istanbul from Sultanahmet, so if that's where you want to stay, do it! Plus, taxis were not that expensive. At least not in July of 2007!

afterall

Can I ask what you imagine "Turkish nightlife" to be? And what sort of entertainment those advising to go to other areas think you fill find there after dark?

I'm all for leaving Sultanhamet to explore. I walked back from Kariyee Camii the first time I visited. And strongly believe that any great city is about the "must-sees" and just wandering to see what you will find, in about equal proportion.

I "waste" a lot of time that way compared to those you pre-plan every moment, but there you go!!

Got side-tracked there! So here's the question again:


Can I ask what you imagine "Turkish nightlife" to be? And what sort of entertainment those advising you to go to other areas go find it have in mind.

Hope to visit again before I kick the bucket so would be really like to know.

Weekender

Afterall:

I totally agree with you. What is wrong with serendipity?

Once, on a flight to Paris, the woman sitting next to me informed me that she had lunch and dinner resrvations booked for every day of her 3 week stay. She asked me what I was going to do in Paris and I told her I had absolutely no plans. She looked at me like I had three heads! And, by the way, I had a wonderful trip.

Guenmai

When I went to Istanbul, I didn't make any big pre-plans either as I figured it was an exploring, on foot, kind of place and that's what I did. I walked for hours on end.

Upon arrival, I just made sure that I had a hotel reservation, in Sultanhamet, since that was my area of interest. And then I either walked or basically took public transportation elsewhere, even ferries.

I also jumped on that hour and a half double-decker bus that stops right across from Aya Sophia and went around the city to get a general overview and to do some photography from the bus. It only cost the equivalent of US$10.00 then...spring 1999.

Happy Travels!

mp413

Thanks to all those who have been trying to answer my question!

Afterall et al.: let's not get carried away, I'm not planning every moment down to a T. I am asking which neighborhood would be best to stay in, for me, given my extremely short time to see the city, and my interests. It's going to be mid-December, I can't afford cabs, so I think my questions are reasonable and do not reflect overzealous pre-planning.

I made quite clear what I mean when by 'nightlife,' above: "Oh and by nightlife I'm not looking for clubs and discos and tourists--more just strolling around in the evening, having lots of food options, and maybe a nice place to have coffee or a drink on the way home. Preferably a taste of Turkish nightlife rather than that of backpackers or tourists visiting."

I thought it was obvious what I meant by "Turkish" but let me clarify: in most cities I have lived in/visited in Europe there is a nightlife, usually congregated around youth hostels, that caters to pretty much backpackers and that's it. That's NOT what I'm looking for. I'd like to hang out in an area that locals might frequent, basically.

I have gotten some really good advice here, I appreciate all the help. More is welcome!

mp413

afterall

Mp - my comments re overplanning were not directed at you, but at another respondent.

You keep repeating the mantra "can't afford taxis" - well, me too. So Sultanhamet is the place to stay. But seems you think it will be too "touristy" for you.

In which case try Laleli.

re nightlife by your definition - Turkey is very secular, but may I ask if you have visited any other Muslim countries?

josephina

mp413

Ignore the thought police here. Your questions were on target, and your follow-up answers were equally so.

Stay in Sultahnamet so you can see what YOU want to see easily. You can walk around to nice, family-owned, nice restaurants--and there are lots of them--quite safely. You can easily jump on a tram should you need to see all the rest that Istanbul has to offer.

Seamus

Stay in Sultanahmet so you can walk to the tourist sites. At night take the tram across to Istiklal cadessi, the pedestrian street lined with restaurants and shops which sounds like just what you are looking for - lots of locals.

BTW, taxis are cheap in Istanbul so they may be more affordable than you think - but you know your budget best.

risab

My family (parents and teenage daughter) went to Istanbul in April. You can search my trip report on fodors. We stayed at the Galata Residence in Galata (Beyoglu). It was an apartment residence and a great price. We loved the location and we walked mostly everywhere - especially we walked over the bridge to Sultanhemet (even twice a day) and back in the evening. It is very safe. We took taxi's a few times to Balat, Ortakoy, and when we went to the Asian side. But other than that we walked. We're from NYC so walking is part of our normal routine. But, it surely can be done and it is a beautiful and safe place to walk. We loved the area we stayed and would hands down stay there again and stay at teh same place again.

Grcxx3

I've been to Istanbul 3 times - twice I stayed in Sultahnamet and once in Taksim. To be honest, I liked our stay in Sultahnamet the best. We were withing walking distance of great fish restaurants, just a few blocks from the Grand Bazaar (one of my favorite places) and walking (or cheap taxi) rides to the major attractions. We liked it, and we - too - liked to wander around in the evenings after dinner, people-watching and enjoying a drink. We never did see the whirling dervishes...I just can't stay up that late!

HappyTrvlr

We split our stay in two locations, Sultanhamet and near Taksim. The latter provided access to a non-touristy choice of interesting restaurants and street scenes. There was no comparison between the two locations as far as good dining. The tram takes you over to Sultanahmet easily to see the historic sites.