Istanbul ship excursions - good or bad idea?

[louiseemma1000]

Hi. We will be docking in Istanbul with celebrity cruises in august 2014. We were considering booking an excursion from the boat to see all the sights (best of Istanbul over 2 days) but we have heard that the traffic is so bad that we would spend hours on a coach stuck in traffic leaving little or no time to see the sights. Has anybody had any experiences of this? Would appreciate your advice. Thank you :)

[cruisemom42]

Istanbul is one of the easiest cities to do on your own. The tram runs only a few blocks from the ship and takes you to old-town Istanbul where all of the following are located in easy walking distance:

 

Hippodrome

Haghia Sophia

Blue Mosque

Basilica Cistern

Topkapi Palace and Harem

Archaeological Museum

 

you either walk a short distance (just follow the tram tracks, lol) or reboard the tram to get to the Grand Bazaar.

 

Traffic is indeed terrible. Not only that, but coach trips tend to waste a lot of time on things like a "rug demonstration" (basically a sales pitch with a little education thrown in) and/or meals or other forced stops.

 

Get Rick Steves' guide to the Mediterranean ports and you'll get all the info you need on how to do this port (and others) on your own.

 

By the way, I'm advising you from my own experience. I was one of those who took the ship tour on my first visit and was bitterly unhappy with my day in Istanbul. We wasted over 3 hours of the tour on a meal and a carpet stop. By the time we got to Haghia Sophia (the last stop), it was dark and we had only a few minutes before we had to rush back to make the final boarding time on the ship. We didn't even get to see the upper level. It was a total disappointment and it's what made me vow not to take ship tours if other options were available.

 

Since then, I've been back to Istanbul several times and even stayed there (on my own). I never have felt uncomfortable as a solo woman walking around or sightseeing. Istanbul is one of my favorite cities.

Edited January 26, 2014 by cruisemom42

[Adventures ahead]

I agree. If you are good walkers, there's no need for an excursion here. You can see a lot in one day as the main sights are close to each other. Our cruise stayed overnight so we saw all of the above, with the exception of the museum, and also the Spice Market and climbed the Galatta Tower. Topkapi takes awhile so you wouldn't be able to accomplish the entire list on one visit - an excuse to go back! I'd suggest visiting the Blue Mosque first because it's open before the others. Allocate time for each visit and try to stick to it.

 

The tram is fast and cheap. You need local currency to buy tokens from a dispenser.

 

Seeing things 'on your own' isn't for everyone. People need to do what they're comfortable with. Regardless, it's a wonderful city/

[Hlitner]

You are getting some wise advice. Unless you have some kind of personal aversion to doing your own thing, Istanbul is one of the more perfect do it yourself cities. And, as has been posted, using the inexpensive Tram and your feet is a great way to avoid being cooped up in a crowded tour bus stuck in a parking-lot like traffic jam. The Tram Line runs on tracks along the street and bypasses almost all the traffic problems.

 

If you do want to do the city on your own, get a very good guide book (we love the Rick Steve's book) and read it, cover to cover, before your trip. You then will be in a good position to plan your days. Also keep in mind that some of the major Istanbul sites close one day a week (usually Sun, Mon or Tues) and that should be a major consideration in any planning.

 

Hank

Edited January 26, 2014 by Hlitner

[John Bull]

Can't really add anything.

But can fully endorse the advice & info you've been given.

 

Plenty of folk on your ship will be using the tram, some will be old hands, so you'll be in good company.

Do note the name of the tram stop where you board - it'll be one of three depending where your ship berths. And a long walk back to the ship if you get off at the wrong stop. :p

 

JB :)

[KatKay]

We just returned from a Med cruise on the NCL Jade. Our ship docked in Istanbul overnight. I echo the sentiments of the other posters; there is no reason to buy a ship excursion. The tram is fast and easy. Turn right out of the port parking lot and walk a couple of blocks; others from the ship will be heading that way as well. When you get off in old Istanbul, the sites are close together and very walkable. Download tours onto your iPod or iPad and you'll be all set. Since it would be closed the next day, we visited the Topkapi Palace and Harem the first afternoon after we docked at 1 pm. Since we wanted a guide to help us maximize our time and see the sites, on the second day we met a well-reviewed local guide, who we had engaged for 100 Euro, at 9 am and took a 9 1/2 hour tour that included all of the sites as well as a Bosphorus cruise. We had an amazing time, went at our own pace, saw everything there was to see and did it all at a fraction of the cost of a ship excursion.

[Relda]

We never take the ship excursions as they are always accompanied by some pointless stop at a rug/glass/other product factory or store that the ship has some sort of moneymaking deal with. That and the feeling of being herded cattle was enough to put me off ship excursions forever. Now it is either DIY or joining up with fellow roll call peeps (usually 6-10 people) to do private tours with local companies. So much better and SO much cheaper!

[NCruiser2012]

Thank you so much for your advice. We overnight in Istanbul on the ship and then are spending an extra night at a hotel before leaving from the airport. My plan was to do the half-day ship tour to get the lay of the land and then explore on our own the next two days. Now I am rethinking this.

 

Questions:

 

When the ship docks, is there a mass exodus to the tram?

I am assuming taxis would also be caught in traffic?

[cruisemom42]

Thank you so much for your advice. We overnight in Istanbul on the ship and then are spending an extra night at a hotel before leaving from the airport. My plan was to do the half-day ship tour to get the lay of the land and then explore on our own the next two days. Now I am rethinking this.

 

Questions:

 

When the ship docks, is there a mass exodus to the tram?

I am assuming taxis would also be caught in traffic?

 

I wouldn't say it's a mass exodus, but in my experience there is generally a fair number of people headed that way, at least when the ship is first cleared.

 

Taxis are definitely impacted by the traffic issues. And in addition, the ones who wait at the port for fares are often known for overcharging passengers. (The best way I've found to get a "fair" fare in Istanbul is to ask a hotel or restaurant to call one for you. Picking one up off the street is pot luck, and not in a good way.)

 

There's a website called Turkey Travel Planner with a lot of good, detailed information on how to take the tram, including a map and information specifically for cruiser passengers. It's a good resource for anyone thinking of doing it on their own in Istanbul.

[24butterfly]

Thank you so much for your advice. We overnight in Istanbul on the ship and then are spending an extra night at a hotel before leaving from the airport. My plan was to do the half-day ship tour to get the lay of the land and then explore on our own the next two days. Now I am rethinking this.

 

Questions:

 

When the ship docks, is there a mass exodus to the tram?

I am assuming taxis would also be caught in traffic?

 

FOr the tram, not I don't believe that there's a mas exodus. ALso, there's a fenced in area where a bunch of taxi cabs are, and they will try to get at least $15 USD to get to Old Town. If u walk like u are walking to the tram, the taxi's will bargain with u---u can get it for $10, but even that's too much. It's just supply and demand--they know u want a ride, so they're going to charge. It's really not that far to the Old Town. THe traffic is traffic, but u won't be stuck in it for long periods of time b/c the ride to the Galata Bridge isn't that far.

[4774Papa]

Istanbul is one of the easiest cities to do on your own. The tram runs only a few blocks from the ship and takes you to old-town Istanbul where all of the following are located in easy walking distance:

 

Hippodrome

Haghia Sophia

Blue Mosque

Basilica Cistern

Topkapi Palace and Harem

Archaeological Museum

 

you either walk a short distance (just follow the tram tracks, lol) or reboard the tram to get to the Grand Bazaar.

 

Traffic is indeed terrible. Not only that, but coach trips tend to waste a lot of time on things like a "rug demonstration" (basically a sales pitch with a little education thrown in) and/or meals or other forced stops.

 

Get Rick Steves' guide to the Mediterranean ports and you'll get all the info you need on how to do this port (and others) on your own.

 

By the way, I'm advising you from my own experience. I was one of those who took the ship tour on my first visit and was bitterly unhappy with my day in Istanbul. We wasted over 3 hours of the tour on a meal and a carpet stop. By the time we got to Haghia Sophia (the last stop), it was dark and we had only a few minutes before we had to rush back to make the final boarding time on the ship. We didn't even get to see the upper level. It was a total disappointment and it's what made me vow not to take ship tours if other options were available.

 

Since then, I've been back to Istanbul several times and even stayed there (on my own). I never have felt uncomfortable as a solo woman walking around or sightseeing. Istanbul is one of my favorite cities.

Yes, Yes, Yes,

We did Istanbul on our own. All the museums have audioguides for English, so you don't need a human guide. The Chora church is the only site that is not walking distance from the ship. That would best be seen by taxi.

[chipmaster]

My 2cents is DIY. We did this port a few years ago, knowing nothing and wanting to see a lot we did a private tour. Aftwards it was clear it wouldn't have been very easy to DIY with a little research. The one upside is that the exchange in those days was great and the private tour was very good deal. If I had to do it again, beside the horrible traffic I still might choose a private tour. I WOULDN"T TOUCH THE CRUISE SHIP TOUR.

[cruisemom42]

My 2cents is DIY. We did this port a few years ago, knowing nothing and wanting to see a lot we did a private tour. Aftwards it was clear it wouldn't have been very easy to DIY with a little research. The one upside is that the exchange in those days was great and the private tour was very good deal. If I had to do it again, beside the horrible traffic I still might choose a private tour. I WOULDN"T TOUCH THE CRUISE SHIP TOUR.

 

Can you clarify your statement? I believe you meant to say that it WOULD have been easy to DIY, and I wouldn't want others to be confused.....

[Julessmiles]

We felt the Sulieymane Mosque was much more beautiful, peaceful & quieter than the Blue Mosque however it is further to get to from the ship. We walked there and then back to the Hippodrome area via the Grand Bazaar.

 

Another must do is to visit the Galata Tower - amazing views over the whole of Istanbul and do walk both under & over the Galata Bridge - a great experience.

 

Istanbul has to be my favourite city.

[Mrs.Murphy]

We are looking into how to spend our day in Istanbul and have no problem with doing our own thing, but have a couple of questions...

 

1. Is it walkable to main attractions and if so how far/long/easy to find?

 

2. How does paying the tram work? Day ticket etc?

 

3. What are entrance fees for main attractions?

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[4774Papa]

We are looking into how to spend our day in Istanbul and have no problem with doing our own thing, but have a couple of questions...

 

1. Is it walkable to main attractions and if so how far/long/easy to find?

 

Yes, very walkable. You can walk from the ship to the historic area or take the tram. Tram fees are very small.

 

2. How does paying the tram work? Day ticket etc?

 

3. What are entrance fees for main attractions?

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

 

Here is the Istanbul portion of my member review of our Celebrity Constellation cruise which starts with four days in Istanbul. It answers a lot of your questions.

 

Exploring Istanbul

We visited most of the main sites in Istanbul, specifically, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace and Harem, Istanbul Archaeology Museums, Byzantine Hippodrome, Spice Bazaar, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, Chora Church and Theodosian Walls.

After arriving on 21 September, were had the usual jet lag, but visited the Hippodrome and Blue Mosque that afternoon.

Hippodrome

The Hippodrome was the Byzantine version of Rome’s Circus Maximus. Directly west of the Hippodrome was the Emperor’s palace. Emperors had a private path within the place building to the Emperor’s box at the Hippodrome. The Blue Mosque is in that location today. Most of the structures of the Hippodrome were taken to construction buildings in the area. The Hippodrome is now something of a large oval square with column at one end and the Obelisk of Thutmosis III in the middle. The Hippodrome was enlarged by Emperor Constantine in the fourth century when the capitol of the Roman Empire was moved from Rome to Constantinople. The Hippodrome could seat 100,000 spectators. Chariot races were popular in those days.

When we arrived at the Hippodrome, we found it to be partially filled with stalls of a cultural exchange exposition between Turkey and Korea. The Blue Mosque is an imposing structure adjacent to the Hippodrome. It has six minarets rather than the usual four. We entered the courtyard adjacent to the mosque and were approached by a man offering to guide us through the mosque. He said we could pay him what we desired after the tour. I should have said no, but agreed. His half hour tour of the mosque was fine, but I had already read most of the information in my guidebooks. I offered him 10 TL ($5) and he indicated he was insulted, so I added another 10 TL. He still was unhappy, but we left him in any event. We were approached frequently by locals and some would try to just chat with you then lead up to the solicitation visit at a run shop. From then on, we just said no.

Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque was a very impressive structure. It was constructed from 1609 to 1616. The Sultan meant to build a mosque that outshined Hagia Sophia, which is not far away. Hagia Sophia was the Byzantine cathedral built by Emperor Justinian in the 6thCentury AD. The interior of the mosque is very impressive with its beautiful blue tiles and many windows. Before entering, we removed our shoes and carried them in a plastic bag provided at the entrance. Ginny had brought a scarf to cover her hair. If you plan to visit the Mosque, you must avoid visiting during the Muslim prayers. Muslims pray five times a day, but for some reason a sixth prayer call exists for the Blue Mosque. Inside, there are carpets on the floor for prayers and the wide front of the mosque points toward Mecca, which is designated by the mihrab, a structure next to the pulpit where the Imam preaches.

Hagia Sophia

The next morning, after sleeping 12 hours to recover from jet lag, we set out to visit Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. I had purchased museum passes for each on the internet, so we could skip the line waiting to buy tickets. The only snag with this plan was that our home printer printed the scan able passes on a slightly reduced scale, which did not work on the museum scanner. The museum attendants reprinted our passes for Hagia Sophia, Topkapi and the Harem, but took a few minutes. We decided to purchase the audio guide for each museum that we visited in Istanbul, and I highly recommend that option. You don’t need a guide and you save on paying for guided tours. The audio guides are easy to use and well understood. We paid 25 TL ($12.50) each for admission and another 10 TL for the audio guide. The prices were similar for admission to Topkapi (Harem another 15 TL). Hagia Sophia was an engineering marvel to have been constructed in the 6th Century. Two earlier, lesser buildings were destroyed by earthquake and fire. Justinian wanted a building to last, so the domed roof was the largest cathedral in the World for a thousand years. Buttresses were added by later Emperors to support the dome and walls. The Ottoman Turks converted the building to a mosque after 1453 and the building was converted to a museum by Attaturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic in 1935. The building includes the minarets added by the Ottomans, in addition the mihrab and pulpit for the Imam as well as panels with quotes from the Koran. The Ottomans plastered over the mosaics in the cathedral, since Islam does not allow human forms to be displayed in art. Ironically, this acted to protect the beautiful mosaics. It takes less than two hours to go through the museum using the audio guide and taking in all the mosaics and other impressive features.

Basilica Cistern

The Basilica Cistern entrance is located not far from the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The cistern was built by Emperor Justinian to provide water for his palace and the surrounding area. The cistern is huge and while underground, supported by many columns that were taken from other buildings in the 6th Century. You can see that the columns are of different styles and types. Some have art work on them, such as the Medusa column. The cistern was used during the James Bond movie, From Russia with Love. It takes less than an hour to go through the cistern. The audio guide is somewhat useful, but not as good as in the other museums.

Topkapi and the Harem

After visiting the Cistern, we had a light lunch and then moved on to Topkapi and its Harem. We purchased the audio guide for both. We spent the rest of the afternoon going through the Museum and Harem. Topkapi is spread over a large area and includes hundreds of rooms. The first portion of the museum includes the Imperial Gate and Courtyard, kitchens, porcelans, silver items, weapons. The Treasure room is very impressive, with its thrones, and jewels (like the crown jewels). The Topkapi Dagger is included. The 18th century Topkapi Dagger was meant as a gift from Sultan Mahmud I to Nadir, the Shah of Iran, but he unfortunately died before it could be delivered. There are several pavilions in the palace that are impressive structures. They are located close to the north end of the palace, near the Golden Horn (water). There is a section for Islamic relics that included items important to Muslims, such as the Prophet Mohammed’s signet, sword and bow.

The Harem is notable for its decorative tiles and baths and courtyards. The Harem held the Sultan’s wives and concubines. Large Ethiopian eunuchs controlled security at the Harem. We learned that the Harem included women that the Sultan never met, but were sheltered there for some reason.

The palace and Harem took more than three hours to go through with the audio guide. We finished in late afternoon and thought we were museumed out, but we still had more museums to see.

Chora Museum

The next day we wanted to visit the Chora church. The Byzantine church is now a museum. It was located about 4 or 5 miles from our hotel. We could have taken the tram to within a mile and a half of the site, but it required a transfer. We decided to take a taxi. The taxi cost 25 TL with tip included. The church was located in a residential area near the ancient city walls built by Emperor Theodosius, so we planned to walk from the church to the wall and follow it about a mile to where the street along the Golden Horn. The Golden Horn is an inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul and forming the natural harbor. The Chora was a relatively small church compared with Hagia Sophia, but contained many mosaics that were well preserved. We found the mosaics to be spectacular and well worth the visit. It reminded us of Byzantine mosaics we saw in Ravenna, Italy. After visiting the museum, we walked north for a short distance to the remains of the city walls. Much of the walls were ruins, but in some areas the walls were more intact. In particular, a restoration effort was underway on one section of the wall, demonstrating a massive and formidable barrier that protected the city for over a thousand years. On our way toward the street facing the Golden Horn, we got lost, but friendly locals pointed us in the right direction. We made it too street, turned south on our way towards the Spice Bazaar. We probably walked about four miles to the Spice Bazaar, but the exercise felt good and we saw parts of the city that were not normally exposed to tourists. We saw a wide range of homes and businesses. We saw some housing that could be described as unlivable in most countries, but those building were likely abandoned. Other houses and apartments were modest but clean. Other dwellings demonstrated some level of prosperity.

Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar

The Spice Bazaar was a mini version of the Grand Bazaar, but was interesting, due to the many stalls or shops that offered many spices, with the spices piled up in separate boxes like in a Chinese apothecary. There were other items sold in the spice bazaar, like dried fruits and foods, cooked, packaged or uncooked. It was very picturesque and worth the trip. The Bazaar is next to a mosque and built in an L shape. The Grand Bazaar is much larger and over a half a mile from the Spice Bazaar. Between the two bazaars are more shops. By the time we reached the Grand Bazaar, we had clearly been overexposed to shopping. The Grand Bazaar looked like a shopper’s paradise. We did not go through the entire Bazaar, which would take hours. I am glad that we saw the bazaar, but since we had walked from the Chora church we did not linger very long to shop.

That afternoon, the Hotel Lausos had the tea for our group of Constellation cruisers. There were about 24 participating and we all enjoyed getting to know each other. Several of us went to eat at the rooftop restaurant at the Lady Diana Hotel, which had great food and a great view of the city.

Istanbul Archaeology Museums

The next day we slept a little late due to our heavy schedule of sightseeing the previous days. This was our last full day prior to moving to the ship. We decided not to take a Bosporus cruise, since our ship was going to make two transits of the Bosporus. That turned out to be a good decision, since I had two guidebooks of Istanbul and the DK Eyewitness Travel guide of Istanbul had an excellent section on the key buildings and features facing the Bosporus. The Eyewitness Travel guide was great, with much detail and a great map of the city. I also had a Rick Steves Istanbul, which was helpful, but probably unnecessary since I had the Eyewitness Travel guide.

The Archaeology Museums were great. We spent four hours there and loved it, but at the end were definitely museumed out. We did use the audio guide, which was excellent. Admission to the museum was only 10 TL.

There were three museums. The first museum we visited was the Museum of the Ancient Orient. This museum contained antiquities from Egyptian, Hittite, Assyrian and Babylonian civilizations. It contained friezes from the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, which reminded us of a similar exhibit at the Pergamum Museum in Berlin. There was a large and impressive collection of Hittite items. The Hittites were a Semitic people with an empire that was centered in Anatolia in the second millennium BC. The Hittites challenged the Egyptians. One of the most interesting exhibits is the Treaty of Kadesh, circa 1269 BC between Egypt and the Hittites. The treaty included provisions for the protection of the citizens of both empires.

The second museum that we visited was the Cinili Pavilion with Turkish Tiles and Ceramics. This museum includes many beautiful works of art in tile.

The third and most impressive museum was the Museum of Classical Archaeology. This museum was quite large with many impressive items. It included a huge span of history, but much was ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine. We saw many sarcophagi (ancient burial containers) with magnificent sculpturing. The so called “Alexander Sarcophagus” was awesome. It was not actually Alexander the Great’s sarcophagus, but built for another King, but depicts Alexander’s victory over the Persians. There were several impressive busts of Roman Emperors, as well as a bust of Alexander the Great. The museum is loaded with impressive items and is a must see if you visit Istanbul. However, after four hours of non-stop museum hopping, we had reached our limit. We wandered back to the hotel to relax a bit and planned an early dinner, since we were part of a group that planned to see a Whirling Dervish show that evening.

Mevlevi Sema Ceremony of Whirling Dervishes

Several of our Hotel Lausos group opted to see this ceremony, which was arranged by Marianna. It would be wrong to call it a show, since the participants consider it a religious ceremony. Apparently, the participants have a religious experience by whirling in a counter clockwise manner for about half an hour. They did stop a few times during the ceremony. The show or ceremony was interesting and we learned something of the Sufi Islam. The ceremony had is origin in the 13th Century. We were all impressed by the ability of the men to constantly spin for many minutes at a time. However, all agreed that after seeing the ceremony, we would not likely wish to do it again.

After the ceremony, we returned to the hotel, but again visited the rooftop of the Lady Diana Hotel for a nightcap. Again, we enjoyed the awesome views of the city, particularly the lit up Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.

The next day we checked out of the hotel and our group moved on to check in the Celebrity Constellation. I had arranged for a bus transfer for 14 persons from the hotel to the ship at the cost of 5 euros per person (also for 10 persons from the ship to the airport at the end of the cruise for 7 euros per person). I had found the transfer on the internet with eyewitness travel. I learned that being in charge of such a transfer has its problems. I had located the office of eyewitness and pay for the transfers in advance. When the bus arrived at eleven that morning, the bus had 14 seats, but one was for the driver. The driver got on the phone and another vehicle appeared very quickly, so we all made it to the ship without delay. I emailed eyewitness while on the ship and the response was that the additions vehicle had been arranged in advance. That is possible, but I have my doubts, in any event the transports worked out just fine on both ends of the cruise. We saved a lot not just taking a taxi for both transfers

 

[crystal_tips]

I can recommend the tram. It's easy. We just watched a few people at the tram stop and copied! You buy a token from a machine at the tram stop which gets you through the barrier. Istanbul is beautiful and fabulous.

[maryann ns]

Buy enough tram tokens to cover your number of trips. We were two people with two days making one round trip each day, thus we bought eight tokens. You can buy them later but this saved time.

 

Rick Steves book is great for touring Istanbul on your own.