Istanbul, Turkey
The interior of the impressive Hagia Sophia, a former mosque and church turned museum.
Istanbul is an atmospheric city of stark contrasts — and all the more interesting and dynamic for it. It straddles two continents, Europe and Asia, which are separated by the vast, beautiful Bosphorus Strait, with each side having its own unique vibe. Generally, the European side contains most of the action, while the Asian side is quieter and more residential. The city is also a contrast of old and new. There are the distinct personalities of The Old City neighborhoods (historic Sultanhamet and Galata) and the more modern shopping/social-life/business districts (such as Beyoglu, which is also the home of Istanbul Modern, one of the cities’ two contemporary art museums).
Most of the iconic and historic sightseeing happens in The Old City (Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, etc.), but the modern part of town is not to be overlooked. We spent a good amount of time there eating, shopping and (to a lesser degree than in other cities perhaps) drinking. Expect to spend a lot of time walking (or taking the modern tram or ferry systems) as the city sprawls for miles on both sides of the Bosphorus and the Bay. And be sure to check out both the European and Asian sides of the city. On this visit to Turkey, we bookended the trip with stops in Istanbul. For the arrival we stayed on the European side in the charming and conveniently located Cihangir neighborhood, and at the end of the trip, we were glad to have spent a few days on the quieter Asian side. That hotel was smack on the Bosphorus and had views of the famous Bosphorus Bridge — and there were a few nice restaurants directly on the waterfront nearby as well. Plus, it gave us reason to take one of the hundreds of daily ferries down and across the Bosphorus (sunset is highly recommended), which in itself was beautiful.
Much has changed since we were in Turkey in 2011; the government has clamped down a bit on some freedoms and equality, so we were glad to have gone when we did. But the Turkish people are warm and welcoming and we never had a problem traveling around the country as a gay couple — even in more remote or rural areas, let alone Istanbul. The city also has a brand new, impressive, international airport, which should make traveling in and out of Turkey’s hub more pleasurable (though we had no issue before). I believe that like any other country with a questionable leader, the people are what matter.
Istanbul is a big, gorgeous, and always interesting city with beautiful views in every direction, and we loved the time we spent there, as well as the rest of Turkey.
*This was part of a 14-night trip to Turkey. To see our complete Turkey trip itinerary click here.
The Gimlet Traveler Rundown:
All ratings are based on our experience and are on a 5-star rating system (see Site Info for more details). For mapped locations and links to the places listed here (and more) visit Google Map at bottom of page.
Gimlets: ****
The rooftop bar is popular in Istanbul. Our first night in Istanbul we visited 5 Kat rooftop, a casual and fun restaurant and cocktail bar with wide open views over the Bosphorus; we started with afternoon cocktails (complete with wacky straws — pictured below), but eventually we got around to a good gimlet at dinner later (bonus: they provided blankets for warmth as even in August the evenings were cool). At the contemporary, upscale rooftop restaurant Mikla (atop the Marmara Pera Hotel) there is a bar outside directly facing a lovely view of the old city. Perfect for a fancy cocktail before your fancy dinner. Other cocktail bars of interest that we didn’t have time to visit or are new since our trip (see the map below for details): Monkey Istanbul Rooftop, Vogue Rooftop, Alexandra cocktail bar, Moretenders Cocktail Club, Petit O Bar at the St. Regis, Emily’s Garden Bar & Restaurant, and 47 @ Ciraghan Palace (right on the Bosphorus, summer only).
Restaurants: ****
We had a very sophisticated alfresco dinner, along with well-made cocktails (mentioned above) and a nice bottle of wine, at sleek Mikla (located on the roof of the Marmara Pera Hotel). They also have an indoor dining room if the weather is cooler. For equally good views, but more casual dining, check out 5 Kat Rooftop (also mentioned above), but in truth 5 Kat is more about the views and drinks than about the food. Following a day of sun by their pool, we had a lovely lunch at the Ciraghan Palace Hotel’s outdoor Bosphorus Grill. Sadly, one of our favorite restaurants, a modern Turkish restaurant called Lokanta Maya, has closed. We had read about Lokanta Maya and Chef Didren Senol in a rave review in The New York Times prior to our visit and the food, decor and service didn’t disappoint (plus good chardonnay AND good gimlets!). Any new establishment of hers would definitely be worth visiting. Other restaurants of interest (included in the map below) that are new, or we didn’t have time to visit: Emily’s Garden has a pretty room and outdoor garden, and also has a bar; Spago Italian Restaurant at The St Regis; Lucca is a very popular spot with the locals for brunch, lunch and dinner; Octo Restaurant on the top floor of the JW Marriott; and Neolokal, which is a little bit fancy-haute for the GT, but has a nice bar and a contemporary room with views.Sights: *****
No shortage here: the staggering Hagia Sophia (AyaSofya), formerly both a mosque and a church, now decommissioned and preserved as a museum; directly across the plaza from the Hagia Sophia is the impressive Blue Mosque (still a mosque, so you can only visit inside at specific hours — check in advance). Between those two iconic buildings is one of the fanciest hammams in the city, The Hagia Sophia Hammam (Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamam). It lives up to the grandness of its neighbors (having been restored and renovated) and is well worth a visit, if you have the need for some pampering. We also loved the green, peaceful grounds of Topkapi Palace, with its beautiful historic buildings to explore, impressively detailed tilework, a great vista overlooking the Bosphorus and, last but not least, the collection of the Sultan’s precious jewels. Those sites as well as the Basilica Cistern (the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath Istanbul), are in the Sultanhahmet “Old City” neighborhood. Of course, you must visit the enormous and unique (some might say overwhelming) Grand Bazaar for authentic (and non-authentic) Turkish goods, and its cousin The Spice Bazaar. Also we would recommend that you make sure to get on the water at some point, which is easy and inexpensive to accomplish: take one of the many ferries across the Bosphorus or around the Golden Horn. A stroll up on the pedestrianized Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Street) is great for both mainstream shopping and people-watching. And take a ride on the quaintly antique wooden tram that runs along its length. Other sites of note (included on the map below): The Galata Tower, Istanbul Modern (a contemporary art museum), Dolmabahce Palace. If you need a break from sight-seeing, spend a morning sunning at the very nice and very large pool at the Ciraghan Palace Hotel (on a purchased guest pass — 100 euros at the time). It overlooks the Bosphorus. We were virtually alone!
GT Tip: Ask the vendors at the Spice Market if they will vacuum-pack your purchases, so that you can easily bring them back in your suitcase. Most can.Shopping: ****
Head to the upscale Nisanstasi neighborhood for high-street fashion as well as upscale and hip independent boutiques; Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar (both mentioned above); near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia is the much smaller Arasta Bazaar — great for Turkish crafts, ceramics, and antiques (we brought home two vases from here); head to the Cucukurma neighborhood for antique shops; pedestrianized Istiklal Caddesi (mentioned above) for mainstream shopping; and we hear the Galata neighborhood in the old city also has cool boutiques now. There are a number of huge, modern (and sometimes architecturally interesting) malls in Istanbul, if that’s your thing. The big ones are generally a bit outside the center, so you would need to take the metro or a taxi to get to them.
Review of Witt Istanbul Hotel Rating: *****
A calm, modern oasis, The Witt is a great retreat and a convenient base for exploring this amazing city, located on the European-side in the pleasant and charming residential neighborhood of Cihangir (close to a tram stop). Large, open-plan rooms with great custom furnishings, a spa-like bathroom and a staff that always wants to be helpful combine to make this a highly recommended and luxe-feeling property at a relatively reasonable price. The only thing we missed was some kind of common outdoor space (a rooftop or a garden), but that said, we were quite happy in our very quiet and bright city-view suite, and we highly recommend this property.
Date of stay: September 2011
Room tip: Bosphorus view rooms cost more but we were happy in our 4th floor city-view suite. The hotel is very well soundproofed. All rooms are open-floorplan suites.
Review of Sumahan on the Water Rating: *****
A Luxurious Alternative on the Asian Side
We stayed at The Sumahan on our return to Istanbul, at the end of our trip before heading home. This turned out to be perfect; things are quieter on the Asian side, but that was ok for us, as we had already seen all of the sights in the old town and on the European side in our first go-round. The hotel is smack on the shores of the Bosphorus and all of the serene rooms have amazing views of the water and the bridge (and fireplaces if its cold enough, we were there in warm weather). The staff is very professional, discrete and helpful. The hotel has its own restaurant with a patio right on the water, a full-service spa/hammam, and to cap it off they also have a private boat (small!) that will take you across to the European side (there is also a regularly scheduled commuter ferry that lets off just down the block and which goes to the old city). All of that said, the hotel is on the expensive side and not the most convenient to the bulk of the tourist sites. Still, if its a quiet, luxurious waterside getaway you're looking for, and you don't mind hopping a boat to get to the action, this is certainly a lovely choice.
Date of stay: September 2011
Other Hotel Choices:
•The Stay Bosphorus — right on the water by the Bosphorus Bridge
•The Stay Nisantasi — in upscale Nisantasi shopping/residential neighborhood
•10 Karakoy — in trendy/edgy Karakoy, right by The Galata Bridge and the Golden Horn.
•Georges Galata — Cute boutique hotel in Galata
•JW Marriott — in trendy/edgy Karakoy, right by the Galata Bridge and the Golden Horn.
•St. Regis Istanbul — in upscale Nisantasi shopping/residential neighborhood.
Below is a map of hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping and sights found during our research. We didn’t have time to visit all of them during our trip, but all were of interest. Click on the icon at top left of the map to view the legend. Or you can click on the full-screen icon at top right to expand, which will also bring up the legend. The map is best viewed on a computer.
