Istanbul DIY?

[katiepe]

How easy is Istanbul to get around by yourself?

Is a tour-ship or otherwise-or necessary?

Any help would be appreciated

[Hlitner]

We have posted about this in the past (you can do a search) and we think Istanbul is one of the easier DIY cities in Europe. From the ship you can walk up to the main street (the one that leads to the bridge) and catch the inexpensive tram (they have ticket machines at the small station). You are going to need some Turkish Lira..which you can get at ATMs which are just about everywhere. There is a lot to do in Istanbul and based on our most recent visit (6 weeks ago) we recommend the Rick Steves Istanbul book which does a good job covering the city and attractions including good info on public transit. Once you are over the bridge it is possible to walk to all the major tourist attractions (Topkapi, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Covered (Grand Bazaar), Spice Market, etc. Of course this assumes you have no mobility issues. Otherwise you can always grab a taxi or use the tram to get between the major parts of town. Keep in mind that many of the attractions accept only Turkish Lira (or perhaps credit cards) but you will never be far from an ATM. English is widely spoken in Istanbul (and Kusadasi) and most of the signs are also in English so there is little language barrier.

 

Hank

[tom_uk]

We did Istanbul diy when we visited there on Celebrity Solstice (a while ago, now - doesn't time fly?). I had researched the trams in advance and on that day this was a big win - there was a G8 finance ministers meeting in the city, and the roads were very congested. At one key point the tram tracks run in their own carriageway, and this meant that we got to the attractions in the old city much quicker than the excursion coaches. We later learned that some coaches took an hour to get from the ship to the drop-off point.

 

We also found that 'official' sites, e.g. Topkapi Palace & Hagia Sophia, only took Turkish Lira (or credit cards). Those were the only places we visited, in fact. I also heard that restaurants and bars were more prepared to take Euros.

 

Here's a link to a blog entry I made that day.

 

(In Kusadasi/Ephesus on a different day it was Turkish Lira only at Ephesus. However the bars and shops in Kusadasi would take anything.... at an exchange rate of their choosing, of course!)

[John Bull]

Very cheap & easy using the tram, which runs along the main street one block behind the quay. Take the tram to your furthest point-of-interest, probaby the Blue Mosque, then plan your route downhill via the places you want to see & end up at the Galata Bridge. From here you can walk or tram back to your ship, depending how far along the quay it's berthed.

 

As Hank's post, for the tram you'll need two lire per person per trip, flat rate.

Taxis at the pier- avoid them like the plague, they won't use their meters & will want exorbitant fixed prices.

 

On this map, A is the furthest away that your ship will berth (its a very long quay, stretching from Galata Bridge) & B is the Sultanahmet stop, for the Blue Mosque.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Meclis-i+Mebusan+Cd&daddr=41.0218,28.97432+to:41.0179899,28.97166+to:Ticarethane+Sk&hl=en&ll=41.017923,28.978844&spn=0.02299,0.040641&sll=41.014685,28.9785&sspn=0.022991,0.040641&geocode=FXANcgId7E26AQ%3BFWjxcQId8By6ASkZlnhq6LnKFDEjZFz_-Q5N_Q%3BFYXicQIdjBK6ASlFGtu967nKFDEirn2zwCgQCQ%3BFTS8cQId_CS6AQ&oq=Sultanahmet+CaIstanbul,+Turkey&mra=dpe&mrsp=2&sz=15&via=1,2&t=m&z=15

The blue line doesn't follow the tram route, due to one-way streets etc.

The stop before Sultanahmet is Gulhane.

 

Lots of info if you click back to the "other Med ports" forum, click on "search this forum" (above the questions & announcements) & type in "Istanbul"

 

JB :)

[AttilaTheFun]

Thanks for the blog entry tom_uk, very interesting and helpful!

[AttilaTheFun]

FYI: I started a similar thread with advice on how to see some of the major sites on our own and got great advice: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1598227

[iancal]

Agree with everyone. We have been to Istanbul several times. It is one of our favourite cities. It is extremely easy to tour on your own, and to take ferry rides.

 

The trick is to do a little research and plan out your day with enough 'free time' to take in the sites and sounds that the book cannot convey.

[Hlitner]

I would add emphasis to John Bull's post about the crooked taxis at the port (or almost anywhere else). They will try not to use the meter, if forced to use the meter they will often put it on the more expensive night setting, and if you are wise to that trick they will often take you a very long way to your destination. We actually experienced all of those problems on a single taxi ride (when we were staying at a local hotel) and it was only when we demanded to be taken to the police that the taxi driver was finally brought under control. In the end we paid him about half of what was on the meter :)

 

Hank

[katiepe]

Thanks so much for all the helpful info.

Sounds easy with some good research in advance..

[nyyhoneybee]

Very easy to DIY. I was there for 11 days in April and have a thread in here about my time there

[giraffelt]

We just got back from Istanbul; flew there after the Oceania Riviera maiden voyage which ended in Athens.

Just a couple of observations in support of other postings:

-Istanbul is an amazing city; so much to see and do and the people everywhere are very friendly and helpful; vendors are aggressive but if you say "no thanks" they leave you alone.

- easy to get around by tram which runs on its own right of way; road traffic is insane; took as long to get from the airport to our hotel in the heart of the city as it did to fly from Athens (the taxi was supplied complimentary by the hotel so the driver wasn't try to rip us off)

- for the main attractions (palaces, etc.) have Turkish Lira, several times the credit card transaction wouldn't go through

- for purchases in the main tourist areas (spice market and grand bazaar) the merchants can switch from lira to USD to euro faster than I could say "how much"; outside those areas its best to have turkish lira

 

Istanbul was the highlight of our trip

[Travelcat2]

Also just returned from Istanbul. IMO, the tram is the way to go. So easy to see things on your own. It's safe, fast and is near the cruise port.

 

One little negative........ the lines to get into the main attractions are VERY long. If you are with a group, you go to the head of the line.