George Holt |
Jul 27th, 1998 11:53 PM |
Only two days? Lets see, what can we leave out? Seriously Istanbul is one of those open ended cities, always something to see even for seasoned visitors like myself. <BR> <BR>A lot depends on what you're interested in. Get a decent guide book, there are lots - I have the Blue Guide, and a good scale street map because Istanbul is emminently walkable. <BR> <BR> Typically the tour companies offer a one day sight seeing tour taking in all or some of the places you mention, trips like the Bosporus are usually another half day extra. These tours are great for getting a taste of the city but you don't get long at any one place. Speaking for myself I don't think they spend enough time at Topkapi, there's lots to see in the treasury and the kitchens and it can be a little rushed on a guided tour. My advice is to spend a morning at Topkapi on your own, arrive at opening time, buy a ticket for the main palace and once inside head across to the harem and buy a ticket for the optional extra guided tour, the tour is optional but if you want to see the harem the guide is not. The number of people on each tour and the number of tours are limited each day so if you don't get there early you could wait a long time for a tour. The main highlights of Topkapi are the china collection in the kitchens, the jewelery etc in the treasuries, the memorabilia (for want of a better word) of the Prophet Mohammed, the Baghdad Kiosk and last but not least the cafe overlooking the Bosporus. There are other displays and ephemeral exhibitions as well. <BR> <BR>Right next door to Topkapi, left of the main entrance, is a suite of three museums, the Archaeology Museum, the Museum of the Ancient Orient and the Cinili Kiosk. <BR> <BR>One of the buildings around the Hippodrome is an ethnographic museum and also in the general Hippodrome/Hagia Sophia area is one of the underground cisterns once used to store water for the city. <BR> <BR>With time on your hands and a guide book in them you should head out and just drink in the atmosphere of the city. There are literally hundreds of mosques, large and small, narrow bustling streets, local markets and workshops. When you get lost, I've done it many a time, someone friendly will put you back on track. Its worth wandering up Divan Yolu past the entrance to the covered bazaar to the gate at the entrance to the university. Inside the university there is a tower, it used to be possible to go up this and get a view of the city but I don't know if you can do this now. Around the university there are some flea markets and behind it is the Sulimaniye (the Suliman the Magnificent mosque). <BR> <BR>Opposite the Galata Bridge is the Yeni Cami and the Misir Çarisi, the 'Egyptian Market' famous for its spices. Across the Galata Bridge and up the hill is the Galata tower which you should be able to climb for a view. <BR> <BR>Thats just a selection, should be a couple of days worth, but there's lots more. If you're not careful you'll end up going back and back, as I do! <BR>
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