Going to Istanbul for 7 nights on Tuesday. Any ideas for not in the guidebook things to see? Local color, non tourist neighborhood cafes. Are there good English speaking tours at the major sites, or do you need to hire a separate guide. Is Izmir doable in a day trip, by air I would assume.

7 nights in Istanbul is a great amount of time. You will be able to see all the major sites and then take in the local flavor.

I highly recommend a trip up the Bosphorous. Don't do an organized tour, just take the local "taxi" type boat that stops off at many locations on both side of the river. If you start early enough you can spend a bit of time in a couple of different spots.

We really liked hanging out and drinking a few cold ones under the Galata Bridge. No, we weren't posing as trolls. There are many good seafood restaurants and places to sit and have a drink while watching the boat traffic and relaxing after a day of site seeing.

Enjoy!

There are ferry-type boats which go on the Bosporous in the direction of the Black Sea. We enjoyed picking a village for lunch, getting off there, and then after we had poked around, taking another back to the city.

We had no problem finding tours with English speaking guides, although you will be inundated with young men who want you to hire them. (And sell you carpets.) If you want to go this way...it shouldn't be very expensive...I would ask your hotel to recommend one and tell you what the price should be.

Please, please, when you run into the little boys at the Eminono bridge from the Sultanahmet District across the Golden Horn, let them shine your shoes, at least once. They are adorable.

In the Sultanahmet District we found a cafe filled with locals, sort of a sports theme, but I cannot remember the name. Ask a local where the sports teams hang out. Or just wander the narrow streets.

Izmir wouldn't be a day trip driving. We rented a car in Istanbul and drove to Kasudasi to see Ephesus and took two days to get there, staying at Canakkale, across the Dardanelles, the first night. I don't know the situation about flying to Izmir.

Have a wonderful trip. We preferred the Sultanahmet to the Taksim area because of the history and atmosphere, but one or two blocks away from the main street in Taksim, and paralling it are sidewalk cafes which specialize in mezes (think tapas) where you can order and order as you like. An American who was teaching in Turkey took us there. Not many others of our ilk, they were gleefully supping at the modern American hotels in the area.

Have a wonderful trip.

hilaryus: (youngest daughter's name is Hlary and we all call her "Hilarious" because she is...she's 45 now, mother of two and we all still call her that......)
Istanbul can be really enjoyed with all its flavor in 7 days..our last visit there was for a week before heading into the countryside ..
The suggestion above for the Bosphorus boat ride is an excellent one...go to the end of the line and you can have lunch and wait for another ferry back..the town is Andalou Kavagli
and is loaded with very good fish restaurants...you can also hike to an amazing view at the fort ruins, where you can see ships filing thorugh the entrance to the Black Sea..the ferries run regularly and often. Stopping at each little port is very colorful, also.
One of our favorite places, mentioned in Lonely Planet, is the Pierre Loti Cafe, high on a hill overlooking the Golden Horn...be sure to go (take a cab) at about 4 in the pm, sit outside on its terrace, have a snack , tea or beer, enjoy the wonderful view below..and at 5, the call to prayer begins, slightly out of sync. from all the mosques in Istanbul...it's a kick! Wonderful photo ops from there. You can walk back on the trail 15 minutes to the nearest suburb and take another cab to Taksim or wherever you wish.
Anopther off-beat thing you'll want to experience is the famous Military Band Concet at the Military Museum...check times at your hotel. Exceptionally colorful, drum and bugle corp and demonstartion of close order drills. We loved it. After the show, you're free to take photos with the band members, etc. They're very gracious about it. The Museum itself is quite interesting, historically speaking.
Visit the famous Pera Palace Hotel with it's wired cage elevator..
Visit the famed Pudding House where hordes of 1960's-1970's backpackingkids from all over the world hung out..it's in a square near the Yerabatan Cistern and Topkapi(u)..and do, of course visit those two sites. Don't hesitate to have a tasty custard snack at the Pudding House..very good short menu.
Just strolling the streets, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Markey , etc, will give you an unforgettable flavor of Istanbul. We found many good to excellent restaurants throughout the city..for very authentic Turkish, stop at Haju Baba off Istiklal Street near Taksim Square..pick your own food, superbly "local" yet tourists do come there. The many fish restuarants on Kumkapi(u) Street (near Topkapi(u) gives one plenty oif choices..and those on the piers of Beskit district, are also very good and reasonable.

The Sunday market at the artsy section of Ortakoy near the Ciragan Palace Hotel is very colorful, too.

Enjoy Istanbul...
Stu T.

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You can fly to izmir daily with Turkish airlines, atlasjet etc. Fares starts from 69 YTL.
Have fun,
Murat

Thank you everyone for your great suggestions.