Hello fellow Fodorites! Apologies in advance as I am usually good at doing research before coming on here for detailed questions. However I have been super busy with life and I am hoping you can give me some advice so I know where/how to look.

My son and I (he's 13, I'm middle-aged woman) are flying Turkish Airlines from Boston to Hong Kong in April, and on our way back we choose to have a 36-h layover in Istanbul. We have never been to Turkey before and I know this doesn't do Turkey any justice but we want to at least dip our toes this time and hopefully will return in the future for a proper visit. Because of our ticket codes, we are not eligible for the free Touristanbul tours nor the free hotel stay.

We arrive IST on Saturday 04:55, and depart IST on Sunday 16:40. We are flying business class so hopefully we get some shut eye from HKG-IST.

A little preface: we are intrepid travelers, totally fine with public transit and DIY. However, on this short trip, I am weighing between that vs organized tour/private car service simply because the latter will be much more time-efficient.

Here are my Qs regarding transportation, lodging, sightseeing:
1. What is a realistic time for us to get from plane to pass customs at that hour (5am)? 60 minutes? 120 minutes?
2. I plan to stay the night in Sultanahmet. What is the "best" way to get there from the airport? The Havaist Airport Bus? Metro? Private car transfer? We are used to public transit so I'm not opposed to taking the bus or metro, but also considering we have very limited time in Istanbul, I wonder if a private car would save us a lot of time? Also, not sure if the bus/metro runs at 6am? OTOH, if most tours and sights don't start until 10am or later, then arriving in the city at 7am via private car doesn't help either.
3. Any hotel recommendations for Sultanahmet area? Ideally 200 euros or less. I checked Hilton website (I have status) and they have 2 hotels in that area: Hagia Sofia Mansions (Curio collection) and the Ritus hotel, but both are over 200 euros.
4. Sightseeing - given how little time we have, I'm thinking we should join an organized day tour on our arrival day, like through Viator, so we are not wasting our time getting lost / figuring out how to get from place A to B. Does anyone have recommendations for a guided day tour?
5. Bosphorus cruise - I was told this is a must. Should we do a daytime cruise vs night time cruise? Is it something that we can easily do on our own (ie, just walk up to ferry pier to buy tickets), or is it something better to do via a tour company?
6. Departure day - our flight departs 16:40 (Sunday). What would you recommend in terms of going to the airport - public transit vs private car? Again, we would do private car if that means an extra hour for sightseeing? What time should we arrive at IST by? 14:00 (2pm?) So does that mean realistically we need to leave city center by 1pm (private car) or 12 noon (public transit)? What can we do that morning between say 9am - 12 noon?
7. What are things we definitely should not miss on our first (albeit super short) visit to Istanbul? The more I read about Turkey, the more I look forward to a proper visit in the future.

I'm sorry for these seemingly "stupid" questions. I have checked websites online and read travel blogs, but few are about a short layover, esp how to maximize the time with the timeframe that we have. I do have a paper Istanbul map at home which i've consulted with; I inherited the map from my parents (map circa 2011), so I don't think the transit lines are entirely correct.

I can't answer most of your questions, but FWIW, a cruise on the Bosphorus was the thing I enjoyed least in my time in Istanbul.

I did this a couple years ago, although I was coming from Bari, so no jetlag to contend with, and I didn't have 36 hours. Business class on Turkish is a treat, and when you depart, their lounge has wonderful food (and plenty of it). Istanbul is amazing, beautiful, extremely crowded!

The downside: it took forever and a day to get from IST into the city. Traffic is mostly horrendous, though maybe not at the early hour you arrive. I took a taxi on my way into the city and a car service back out. Took over an hour. This was 2023. I think I read on TA at that time that the metro wasn't fully connected to the airport yet. Definitely check the TA Istanbul forum, lots of activity and practical tips, including many folks doing a long layover on TK flights.

I stayed in a really charming hotel that was recommended to me by posters on this site: Hotel Empress Zoe. In a super-touristed area but just adorable, wonderful people. Inexpensive.

Single room at Hotel Empress Zoe

Will try to remember what I did--I managed to squeeze in A LOT in my short time there and it whetted my appetite for a return. I didn't book a guide, but recommend getting tickets online in advance for what you most want to do (esp. Topkapi Palace museum).

ETA what I did: I didn't have the energy for the Bosphorus cruise, unfortunately. I went to the Palace, archaeology museum (nice because it wasn't mobbed, being I guess considered more of a b-level site, suited me!), Cistern Basilica, three mosques, and socks, underwear and pajama shopping because I stupidly forgot to bring anything useful in my carryon.

I should add: If being on the water is a priority, a ride on the Golden Horn might work.

These can be useful reads:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...smid=url-share

The day of our Bosphorus cruise, it was pouring rain and I wish we had skipped it.

I can recommend the tour company we used (I have no affiliation with them) as they were easy to deal with and likely could craft a private tour for you including transportation, hotel and guides. We were there over 10 years ago so much may have changed but it doesn't hurt to contact them and see what they have to say. I learned about this tour company on this website as someone else had used them: https://cappadociatours.com/turkey/istanbul-tours.

Highlights for us included: Topkapi palace, the Haghia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the underground Cistern, the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar.

Would agree time invested on the cruise would be better spent in other places given your tight schedule. Highly recommend the Basilica Cistern if you must prioritize what you really find important and or significant.

We did an evening cruise with dinner, and I wasn't thrilled.

I far preferred the simple ferry ride from Karakoy to Kadikoy which cost about 1/20th of the price and was far nicer.

We used a company called Istanbul Airport Taxis for our transfers and they were great.

We stayed in a lovely hotel in Karakoy, right on the water, the Wings Hotel. Our room was 300 Euro, but it was a massive 50sq m with a balcony and water views, full cancellable and with breakfast. I am sure you could get a regular room for 200. Ferries were right there and the tram to get to Sultanahmet.

I found Sultanahmet intensely crowded, and it was lovely to get away and just watch the boats on the Bosphorus from our hotel.

If you are not familiar with Roman (especially Byzantine) and Ottoman History, guided tours might be a good solution.
The so called "must does" are always the same:
Topkapi Serail with Historical Museum
Aya Sophia
Chora Church
Blue Mosque
Roman Cistern
Hyppodrome
Bazar
Galata Bridge and Galata Tower
and as many other mosques, palaces, city walls and towers as you like.....

YK, Just arrived IST today. Will have thoughts in a few days. So far, easy and great.

More thoughts already.
1 IST Airport and Turkish Airlines
i do not know how many other flights will arrive at the same time. I do know that walking from arrivals to exit is long. The airport is big. Turkish Air business class gets fast tracked at immigration so that should cut the time. I think you could be out within one hour….especially if you get some Turkish Lira from your own bank at home before the trip. Must have: for some foods and some toilets. Aim for 20 TL and 50 and 100 values. Turkish Airlines does a nice job with in flight food, too.
2 Airport to city transportation
since you have a short time window in town, I would suggest a pre-arranged airport taxi pick up. Advance uber? Or, f you want a private guide to avoid lines at attractions, maybe the guide could pick you up and start talking and informing you both in the car. Your main challenge is optimizing 36-hours. You are good walkers and a wonderful planner.
3 What you can do that early
a hotel Turkish breakfast comes to mind…your hotel or an even fancier one or a walk or walking tour or the guide might know some places.
4 Hotel location
Sultanamet for sure. No suggestions, alas.
5 What to do
you and your teen need to identify priorities Mine was to hear the call to prayer. You might want to pick one palace, one mosque, one cistern, one ferry ride to/from Asian side. I think you could accomplish that on Saturday, especially by skipping lunch. For Sunday, you may have one museum in mind and one self-guided walk or walking tour. Everything, almost, is open your days of the week. And, if you care for cats, hundreds to see. Even if you don’t care for cats, you’ll see the,
6 A progressive dinner Saturday
there might be a couple of classic foods you both want to try, whether doner or overstuffed baked potato. You could do a 2 or 3 stop moving meal. Remember no tap water for you or your toothbrushes.
7 Return to airport
I’d probably prebook uber or a taxi from the hotel and you need to leave four hours before your flight to have 3 hours at the airport. Ihave heard the Turkish Airlines Istanbul lounge has good food if that takes care of a meal or allows sleep on the plane.

We flew Turkish Airways business class this last October and took their offer of two nights free in a hotel. Having read horror stories about unscrupulous cab drivers, I reserved a shuttle ahead of time. It took about 45 minutes to get to our Hilton hotel in the Besiktas neighborhood. The bus or metro are also options. You can use an Istanbulkart for those but there are machines just outside arrivals and they take credit cards. You can also just use a contactless credit card on busses ferries and metro. Tap on and tap out. No need to get Turkish lira ahead of your trip. Once you get your bags and pass through customs at IST, you'll head down and out to the arrivals floor. Avoid the lovely, smiling agents at the exchange desks (poor rates) and look for exit gate 8 or 14. You'll find a bank of bank ATMs near each. The bank ATMs give a better exchange rate.

Friends of ours who frequented Istanbul recommended skipping any and all Bosphorus cruises and simply taking one of the ferries over to the Asian side. Same water and views for little $$. The bus and tram system worked great for us getting to and from Sultanahmet Square.

NYCMOM50 Thank you! I didn't know you are headed to Turkey. These are excellent tips; I need to get that Turkey guidebook so I can read more in detail.


greytop13 Thanks for the tips on the ATM locations. Do you recall which shuttle company you used? Maybe I should book my hotel first and see if the hotel has recommendations for shuttles/car service.

We used tranigo.com for the shuttle both from IST and back. Both times we were in a new, roomy Mercedes van by ourselves though we had reserved sedans. Good drivers and complimentary bottles of water. Price was 45 euro each way. Booking your hotel first is a good idea since you'll need that info to make the shuttle reservation, if you decide to go that way. Your hotel is likely a good resource also. I found several helpful videos on YouTube. The IST bank and ATM page can be found HERE. You may hear that cab drivers are better since they use Uber now. We did not find that to be the case.

I agree with NYCMOM that you may want to pick one mosque at Sultanahmet Square. The Blue Mosque is beautiful and worth a visit, but be aware that they clear the mosque and close to tourists during prayer times. You can check the schedule online. Hagia Sophia was built as a church, changed to a mosque, made a museum, and has now returned to a mosque. The main floor is only open to Muslims, the ornate tiles covered by green carpeting. All others are directed to the second floor. We were really impressed by the Basilica Cistern. We thought about visiting Topkapi Palace but didn't have the time to do it justice.

The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are incredibly different and each is a gem. If you can visit both, do consider it!

YK, I am terribly impressed by the Rick Steves’ guidebook for Istanbul.

We did an evening Culinary Backstreets tour, a first for me. I don’t know if your son would enjoupy input 5 pm to 10 pm. Of course, you can leave early. It is a splurge, but takes care of dinner and you learn a lot.

i know you enjoy evening concerts, but I am not in-the-know about these in Istanbul. ( In NY, I hope you’ve gone to the Peggy Rockefeller concerts at Rockefeller University. )

You can buy one Istanbulkart.easily at a vending machine and use it for both of you. That works for ferries, busses, Metro, commuter trains, and the funicular. Metro was easy to use.there is a small cost for the card and you can only load a few hundred TL at a time. Of course, you can use your contactless credit card just as easily, for a few cents more.

Thanks again for all the great tips. I went ahead and booked a hotel (World Heritage Center Hotel) right by the Sultanahmet tram stop, they offer airport transfers so I think I'll take advantage of that. Yes it's pricey but probably worth saving the time and stress. I will skip the bosphorous cruise and use my time for something else! NYCMOM50, no concerts on this trip; my son isn't really into it and I assume we will be pretty exhausted that evening given our flight arrives at 04:55!

I'll look at RS guidebook and some other books to see which places are our must-sees. I was searching for guided day tours and I might consider this one below, but I still have 4+ months to do more research.
https://www.getyourguide.com/en-gb/i...1-day-t326411/

That tour looks like a reasonable one to me, assuming you prefer a tour to do-it-yourself. FWIW, I preferred the Spice Market to the Grand Bazaar, but I'm sure people differ in their preferences. Several people have already mentioned the Basilica Cistern -- if you can fit that in, I don't think you'd regret it.

YK, still thinking of your questions…re: palaces. I doubt your teen would be fascinated by the Dolmabahce and it is not near the other sites so I might suggest you consider crossing that off your list.

After i see both the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, I can comment. Let me just say Blue M. is free and an.S. Costs about $50.

As for the big Markets, I think virtually everyone can skip the Grand Bazaar. I thought the Spice Market was better and much smaller. At the Hazer Baba stall, there are literal mountains of spices and the English-speaking salesperson will vacuum pack. ( I frequent Kalustyan’s in NYC so was not tempted.) With the best salesmanship, he will offer samples of nuts, candies, dried fruit, and Turkish Delight. He will also ensure you are brought small paper cups of pomegranate tea, which was delicious. ( Of course, I reciprocated by both tea and dried fruit😀.).

Now for a time saving breakfast your second day, here’s one option we used: we bought plain yogurt for our refrigerated mini bar, bought tangerines, grabbed non-Turkish coffee from Starbucks, and nabbed a 20 TL simit from a cart to feast in our room. A simit costs about 20TL and resembles a large, flattened sesame bagel.

bottled water is necessary and available widely. Even vending machines inthe Metro sell it for an unbelievable to me 10TL.