Why should I go? Istanbul is among the most underrated cities for a
whirlwind weekend: Europe with an Islamic elegance. Mosques bubble on the
horizon. Great marine waterways, edged in evergreen, carve it with striking
slashes of Mediterranean blue. It’s riven dramatically east/west by the
cobalt Bosphorus, coursing south. Istanbul comes with an addictive
nerviness: in spring, you can carouse in bars that spill onto side streets
seemingly borrowed from Barcelona, party on a waterfront to rival Sydney’s
or explore relics of empires Byzantine and Ottoman, just four hours’ flight
from the UK. Your orientation starts here.
What do I do? Pay homage to the city’s spired icons, which squat like
monster crabs on the skyline. Watermelon-pink and many-domed, Aya Sofya
(Tue-Sun, 9.30am-4.30pm; £3.65) has survived earthquakes and empires,
Crusader rape and reincarnations (Christian, Islamic, secular). It is 1,500
years old, and the dark galaxy of its interior still hums with magical
mystery, pricked by sunlight from high windows. Sultanahmet Camii, aka the
Blue Mosque (daily, 8am-noon, 1-3pm, 4-6pm; donations), is a shapely Ottoman
triumph. Completed in 1616 by a genius apprentice to Sinan, Turkey’s “great
architect”, it is identified on the horizon by its six slender minarets.
Within, loud Iznik tiles gleam in greens and marines, hence “Blue Mosque”.
The rambling lawned residence of the sultans, Topkapi Palace (Wed-Mon,
9.30am-5pm; £3.65), could take a day if you idle over every spoil. Silver
trays gifted to Suleyman the Magnificent; doors inlaid with mother-of-pearl
for the Baghdad Pavilion; reliquaries (hair, tooth, dust) of the prophet
Muhammad; and chambers of thrones, daggers and ancient porcelain from China,
sent precariously down the Silk Road, via Jeddah, up the Nile and over the
Med from Alexandria.
See the European and Asian shores of the Bosphorus unfurl, red-roofed and
resinously leafy, on a ferry from Eminonu quay to the fishing village of
Anadolu Kavagi (returns £3.65).
Disembarking, you might eat grilled shrimp and drink rosé in the nononsense
Baba restaurant, as parents dip toddlers’ toes in the briny, then ascend to
the ruined castle.
Or day-trip to Buyukada (returns £2.60), one of the Princes’ Islands, an hour
into the sea of Marmara. Here, overthrown Byzantine rulers and nobles were
once deposited. A steep, stony path, up through umbrella pines, disgorges
you beside the monastery of St George of the Bells. A glass of the monks’
wine complements a perfect moment.
Back in town, sunset means margaritas at Nu Teras (June-Sept, Mesrutiyet
Caddesi 145-7), a Miami-modish diner, roofless atop a tall apartment block —
take a stool to survey Sultanahmet’s minarets beyond. Like that? You’ll love
Leb-i Derya (Kumbaraci Is Hani 115-7), a late bar high on a roof above a
tumbling central side street. South, you glimpse Topkapi, the Blue Mosque
and Aya Sofya, sodium-lit and shrunk like mantelpiece ornaments. North, the
endless city twinkles like a biblical Manhattan.
Where do I stay? Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul (00800 6488 6488, www.fourseasons.com;
doubles from £265) trounces all the competition in tourist-thronged
Sultanahmet. Based here, you’ve got historic atmosphere (it was once a
prison), calm luxury, quiet courtyard dining and those must-see mosques
practically ensuite. For pseudo-sultans, Les Ottomans (00 90 212-287 1024, www.lesottomans.com;
doubles from £648) is an opulent marriage of chandeliers, drapes and day
beds in a 10-suite mansion. Design-hotel devotees favour the Bentley Hotel
(291 7730, www.bentley-hotel.com;
doubles from £89), near the stores of uptown, upmarket Nisantasi. It’s a
nine-storey number in a palette of cocoa, slate and gunmetal.
Where do I eat? Mikla (Mesrutiyet Caddesi 167-85; 293 5656; mains from
£16) typifies fashionable nocturnal Istanbul. Crowning the high-rise Marmara
Pera Hotel, it comes with slimline Scandic furnishings; and, as you dine on
fish gingered up exotically, the mosque-blistered old city glitters way
below. Changa (Siraselviler Caddesi 87-1; 249 1348; mains from £10) delivers
Istanbul’s original and best fusion (calamari with spicy lemon and garlic
sauce) in a high-ceilinged town house off Taksim Square. Or, for trad
piscatorial, try Balikci Sabahattin (Seyit Hasan Kuyu Sokak 50; 458 1824;
mains from £9): citrus-drenched sea bass at tables in a cobbled backstreet,
with lanterns splashing vines with light overhead.
How do I get there? Both British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com)
and Turkish Airlines (020 7766 9300, www.thy.com)
fly to Istanbul from Heathrow. EasyJet (www.easyjet.com)
flies from Luton. Trailfinders (0845 058 5858, www.trailfinders.com)
has flights from Manchester with Turkish Airlines, and from Glasgow, Bristol
and Cardiff with KLM via Amsterdam.
I'm student in he univercity department of English Language and Literature and had many tour with British Friends. They found me and I showed them my city.
Living in Turkey, Istanbul I always want turists to explore my whole city not some part of it. This is just because of late tendencies to tourism. They come to Istanbul and eat in specific places that has been already chosen by some critics and they see places by the some way. However, that is not suitable for the spirit of the city. You should dance with the rthm of the city and the city itself should take you to eat and walk.
Fatih , Istanbul, Turkey
I love Istanbul. It is like stepping back into history. For anyone who appreciates architecture this is a dream come true. I So many fantastic buildings to explore and photograph I love the mosque interiors particularly; lots of exotic things to look at in the spice bazaar and grand bazaar; nice people to make you feel at home. Topkapi Palace is something else; among the treasures are bits of wood from the Kaabah and Prophet Muhammad's beard - how cool is that?
Nooraini Mydin, London, United Kingdom
this city is just fantastic.i love istanbul
ferdi, horsham, uk