must sees in Istanbul
 

Hi all

I'm staying at the WOW hotel in Istanbul for a conference in June

Any recommendations of what to do?

Are the conference type tours the way to go or just as easy to do it yourself

I'll have about 3 free days

many thanks

It is up to you, you can join some daily city tours
http://www.istanbulcityhotels.com/istanbul_tours.aspx

But also You can explore city yourself too :)

1. Museums area = Sultanahmet mosque, basilica cistern, topkapi palace,hagia sofia museum
start with topkapi and Hagia sophia due to close times

2. Suleymaniye mosque
Bosphour tour with a boat

3. Dolmabahçe palace and go to see Ortaköy
eat kumpir :D

4. Kariye museum
Eyup Sultan mosque, pierre loti hill
Miniaturk

5. Shopping in Egyptian bazaar and Grand Bazaar

do #1 and chose others for urself , 3 days wont be enough to do them all :)

Your hotel appears to be near Ataturk Airport.

In your free time, the first area you'll want to explore is probably the Sultan Ahmet area, which is the "museums area" emeritus lists above. You can probably ask @ the front desk or concierge the best way to get to travel to/from that area. If there is a small group of you attending the conference who want to go, maybe you can arrange to travel together.

However, I would likely not hire an organized tour. While I'm sure they can be interesting, I personal often find them rushed and rigid and force me to either stay longer at places I have no interest in, or leave quicker at places I'm fascinated by. This is just me. Maybe you're the tour type.

Especially since you are staying at a hotel that likely has a full concierge service, I don't think there would be any need for a tour. They should be able to recommend restaurants, arrange taksi service, etc. For example, when you are headed out, have the bellman who hails the taksi to confirm how much the fare will be with the driver -- make sure the driver knows that you will report any issues to the hotel, etc. These are all the kind of hassle issues that people take tours to avoid, but you are paying good money for a full service hotel to get the same effect.

In any case --
So, after Sulten Ahmet area (a full day itself), you should probably decide what you kinds of things you're most interested in. I would think a cruise down the Bosphorus in June would be amazing, but it can also take up a full day (7 hours), and I personally don't think I'd have as much fun on a boat for 7 hours by myself (though certainly you can strike up conversations with other tourists).

Do you want to see "old Istanbul" or the new, hip scene?

Taksim Square is where modern Istanbul is centered. There is a great cultural center with pretty inexpensive opera and ballet tickets. Again, your hotel should be able to help with that.

Do a search in the forums for Istanbul and you will find lots of threads and trip reports, including very recent trips, for ideas.

goturkey.com

city tour market good seafood

about all you have tine for.

Istanbul is a wonderful city to visit. No need for a guide. The metro is great and easy to figure out, plus lots of walking is the best way to see things. There is so much to see and do - your hotel can provide you with a city map. Check other threads and trip reports. Mine was just posted last month. You'll have to pick and choose in your short visit.