Going to Istanbul - will crossing to the Asian side be possible for me?
 

Hello all,

Fiance and I are going to Istanbul for one of our honeymoon stops in October. We are interested in taking a cruise along the Bosphorus, but I am wondering if it will be possible for me to get off on the Asian side? I am in a small, manual wheelchair and am unable to climb steps (less than 3 is not a problem). I can't find a lot of information about what that side is like and from pictures in Google images it looks like there are steps all over the place. Any suggestions? We are pretty adventurous, but realistically should we bother with this? Even if we can only explore a small portion this is fine with us as I am used to having to sacrifice certain sights during our travels.

Any advice is very much appreciated!!! Thank you!

it is a city built on a hillside hence the steps... you need to look into the actual dock you will land at, an email to your cruise company should get a straight answer. And congrats on the honeymoon.

When you say 'cruise company' are you referring to one of the ferry companies? We are not taking a cruise ship - maybe I should have clarified that better in the post. We will be staying in Istanbul for 6 days and we were just interested in taking a ride along the Bosphorus one day in a boat or ferry. I have found it easiest and most helpful to get the opinions from people on these forums that are well traveled to the area. Of course I will contact the ferry companies, but I've found that often doing this their response only entails details about the actual accessibility of the boat, rather than details about the stops...To be honest with you if I had followed the advice of tour companies, travel advisors, etc I probably would have never traveled anywhere as they seem more set to dissuade me from going at all!

Also - part of the problem is I'm not sure which dock we will land at, because I don't know which stops would even be possibilites for me. Advice on this is needed, if possible!

Adoc: Taking the roundtrip ferry cruise up the Bosphorus, you can get off at the last stop (Anadolu Kavagi), a small town on the Asian side. If I recall, there is a gangplank ramp which should accomodate your chair. The town is flat, and only a long walk up to the fortress ruins for a Black Sea view, would not be possible. Plenty of places for lunch in town, and you could take the next ferry back to Istanbul...should give you a few hours to explore the rather colorful town of friendly people. Here are some pics of both Istanbul and the ferry trip to familiarize you with it. Go, and enjoy.

stu

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...55559232592530

scroll down to the Boshporus Ferry if you wish.

@tower Thank you so much!!!

I recommend that you take a regular commuter ferry from Eminonu or Besiktas to Kadikoy and get back the same way. The advantage is that Kadikoy is a busy and reasonably flat area with a good pedestrianized shopping area housing a very popular specialist restaurant called Ciya Sofrasi.

If you wish to take a Bosphorus cruise, take the shorter one or get off the full cruise at Sariyer (on the European side) to enjoy the more interesting fish market and the very local area.

If you go all the way to the last stop, you are stuck for 2-5 hours at a small village with good views and just some not so good restaurants, and with a bare not very old fortress to which you would need to be transported somehow.

Here are the schedules for all the ferries :
http://www.sehirhatlari.com.tr/en/ti...ables-338.html

The gangplank ramp that Stu mentions above had some 2-3inch slip slide protection every foot or so nailed on it and it can be at a steepish angle depending on the boat and the pier. However, even if your fiance cannot aid you, the chap who pulls the ramp and ties the boat or other passengers will definitely help you. So you should not worry at all.

In case, you are not sure of the whole thing, another alternative is to take a vehicle ferry from Sirkeci, across to Harem and go along the coast stopping for tea, coffee or a bite to eat, towards Salacak and maybe even Uskudar. This is not a populated area until Uskudar but will give you incredible photographic opportunities, especially in the morning and at sunset. You can take a commuter ferry back from Uskudar to Besiktas, across for some more sightseeing, or just take another vehicle ferry back to Sirkeci.

You are an amazing resource for Turkey travelers, otherchelebi. I'm saving everyone of these posts for our June trip.

otherchelebi thank you SO much!! The details will be so incredibly helpful to us - this is exactly why I come to the forums for help.

The ferry over to Kadikoy lands you on the deck and it is very flat around town although some streets are cobble-stoned. I recommend you take the short cruise up the Bosphorus. Great scenery and you can view it from protection if there is a chilly breeze. Best wishes on your marriage and trip - Istanbul is an amazing city.

It is a pleasure to assist sf7307 and Adoc86.

OC...happy to see you're out on parole. Them Turkish jails are no fun (see "Midnight Express"). Nothing like that here in crime-free USA. Did Eser leave you after the trial?

stu

Stu, actually, Eser is in and I am out. They realized who the real culprit was. (she had bunionoctomy on both feet, last week and is at my mercy for the next month)

"tower on Mar 1, 13 at 7:53pm
OC...happy to see you're out on parole. Them Turkish jails are no fun (see "Midnight Express"). "

Speaking of Midnight Express, it was on TV last weekend. I hadn't seen it since it first came out in 1978, I think it was. It still makes the hair stand up on my arms. I thought about it when I was in Istanbul years ago. Smiles.

Happy Travels!

OC....Bunionoctomy...ouch. Best wishes for a rapid recovery to the much better looking member of your twosome!
stu

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