When you tell people that you’re going to Istanbul, their reactions fall into one of two categories: those who look wistful as they declare: “I’ve always wanted to go there, it’s top of my list.” And those who will dreamily recall a trip they took in the past. Now that I’ve joined the latter group, I’m not surprised at the reaction.
The point is that Istanbul is the sort of city that evokes thoughts and feelings in many people. It is hard to imagine a place that could be outdone in terms of its combination of the buzz of a huge metropolis, the sense of history to be found at every turn, and its sheer beauty.
Famously, Istanbul manages to straddle the continents of both Europe and Asia, each land mass separated by the Bosphorus Strait. Its population is estimated at about 14 to 15 million, a figure that excludes the city’s many undocumented refugees.
My plus one and I travelled with the Travel Department, an Irish-owned and operated guided group tour provider.
“Is this your first trip with the Travel Department?” several of our group enquired. For many of our travel companions, this was not their first outing with the company. One couple had even met years before on another of the tours.
Apart from the sheer amount of activities we packed into our four-night schedule – much of which time, if we had been left to our own devices, would probably have been wasted trying to figure out the logistics of this huge city – the benefit of travelling in this all-in, everything-planned manner was the sheer delight that was our guide, Meltem Karamete, a woman with almost 30 years’ experience under her belt, and one of the founders of the History Culture Tourism Guides Association of Turkey.
From the moment she picked us up at Istanbul airport early in the morning to the time that she dropped us back after our trip (also early morning), she was unflagging in energy and a mine of information.
We were picked up from the Occidental Taksim hotel by coach to begin our first day’s itinerary. The hotel is situated just off Taksim Square, an area filled with shops, restaurants and hotels on the older, European side of Istanbul where the city was originally founded.
Taksim Square was also the site of demonstrations in May 2013 that started as a protest at plans to redevelop a park and turned into an uprising against Turkish president Recep Erdoğan.
Our first stop was the Blue Mosque which dates back to the early 1600s. Parts of the Ottoman era structure are buillt on the foundations and vaults of the Great Palace of the Byzantine emperors. This, it seems, is a “very Istanbul” state of affairs; a city where one magnificent structure rests on the older remains. It feels at times that if you took a vertical slice of the city, cake-like, the various layers would reveal bits from ancient Rome right up to modern day.
Any woman planning to visit the mosque should pack a head covering of some kind. If, as happened when we were there, the weather is damp, then it’s a good idea to take a spare pair of socks – you will be required to remove your shoes on entering and if your socks get wet, you’ll be damp for the remainder of the day.
In fact, it was unseasonably cold when we visited, not an issue when there is a warm coach waiting to pick you up, but if you are planning a trip, then our guide recommended late spring, late summer or early autumn as the ideal times to visit.
We left the Blue Mosque and walked across a square to the Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman sultans and their wives, courtiers, eunuchs and children from the 15th to the 19th century. The palace unfolds in stages, one magnificent courtyard following another, four in total, each one more ornate and impressive – especially in relation to the mosaic tilework – than the last.
Lunch was much needed after the palace, which deserves several hours to properly be taken in. We headed for Altin Balik restaurant, tucked under Galata Bridge, a symbol of the way in which every inch of space in such a populated city must be used. Above our heads, local fishermen lined the bridge, their lines dropping down into the water just below us as we tucked into a delicious fish dish.
After lunch, we rolled happily onto the next item on our agenda, a cruise on the Bosphorus waterway. It was spectacular, and gave a whole new perspective on the city: banks dotted with Ottoman palaces and mosques, interspersed with old merchant homes now owned by the extraordinarily wealthy, and chi-chi shops aimed at the cruise-liner customer.
Refreshed, we moved on to the Spice Bazaar, where alongside multiple kinds of Turkish Delight, we purchased a number of teas, including pomegranate. I preferred this Bazaar to the Grand Bazaar, which we visited the next day, where the highlight was the central antiques quarter. To my mind, much of it involved designer knock-offs and I felt slightly overwhelmed by the hard sell.
Our guide had recommended Faros, a restaurant several doors from our hotel. Given the exhausting pace of our schedule, we ended up eating there each evening, meeting many members of our group who had also returned, not just for convenience but, given the deliciousness of the fare on offer, reasonable prices and its relaxed atmosphere.
The next morning, we ascended Camlica Hill, where we took in views of Istanbul from the Asian side, a different perspective of its monumental urban sprawl. There were rolling hills covered in residences.
Before that, we had visited the summer residence of the Ottoman Sultans – Beylerbeyi Palace, which was built in the 19th century. The opulence on show here might be summed up by the fact the owners felt the need to include a gifting room in their residence.
The palace includes a large marble fountain and pool. There are intricate wooden dining chairs carved by one of the sultans who lived there, and a marble waterside pavilion book-ended by two beautiful kiosks.
My city break was to some extent micromanaged by two architects in my life: my father – who, when I mentioned where I was going, revealed a life-long ambition to visit Istanbul and gave me a list of places to visit – and my travel companion who is also an architect. Both spoke in awe about Hagia Sophia, the former church which then became a mosque, then a museum and is now a mosque again.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the mosque has been called the Eighth Wonder of the World as it is jaw-droppingly beautiful. It adds an extra layer to your trip, I told my companion, as he pointed out small details, like split marble stones opened to reveal the inner pattern.
Istanbul is a city of endless layers to be revealed. Our four nights there were fascinating but not nearly enough to really experience this wonderful place.
Getting there
Liadán travelled as a guest of Travel Department and Turkish Airlines on the Istanbul City Break, four nights with Travel Department from €799pp; departing May, October and November.
This fully guided holiday includes flights, B&B, transfers and guided excursions of both the European and Asian sides of the city on two half-day guided city tours. More information at traveldepartment.com or 01 637 1644
