Istanbul
 

Are the main sights in Istanbul easy to navigate on foot with a good map. Or should we hire a private tour guide. We are not into large tour groups.

If you stay in the old section of Istanbul you can easily walk to some of the sights such as the Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace. We used a private guide when we were there and had enjoyed it because of their knowledge of history and the city. Take a look at Ekol Travel - www.ekoltravel.com and we also used Transbalkan Travel who we not only used for a guide, but for airport pickup.

Many of the historic sights can be seen by foot if you are in the Sultanahmet neighborhood. There is a streetcar you can ride that brings you from Sultanahmet to the waterfront, where you can visit the Spice Market and eat a fish sandwich bought from the boats at the harbor.

There are also some sights a little further afield--the Dolmabahce Palace can be reached with a short walk from the streetcar, but you must take a cab to visit the Church in Chora, which is a very worthwhile visit.

We took a bus tour the first day that was very interesting, and gave us a broad overview of the most interesting areas.

Get a guidebook and you'll be able to be your own tour guide. Istanbul is fascinating!

Last summer we stayed at the Conrad out past Dolmabahce Palace. We would have preferred to stay in the old town in one of the little hotels there, However, we managed just fine taking busses and trams. One advantage to our hotel was that it was close to the ferries and we spent a Sunday riding ferries to the different areas. We also took taxi's with no problem. You should be able to do it on your own. Have Fun!

Public transport is cheap and easy in Istanbul, including taxis. he main sights in Sultanahmet are indded close enough for leisurely strolling. The one caveat is to watch for the occasional unscrupulous taxi driver who sets the meter to the higher night (GECE) rate when it should be at the daytime (GUNDUZ) rate.