I think I wanted to see the Hagia Sophia, but instead I was visiting other places in Turkey built by Romans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia


http://www.historvius.com/historic-sites-in-turkey/pl78

Topkapi Palace
Archaeological Museum
Just walk around and enjoy the sights of the Sultanahmet neighborhood (the old city).
Hagia Sophia is nice, but in the end, it's just another religious edifice with pretty mosaics. (Maybe I'm just jaded). I was more impressed by Topkapi.
Don't be afraid to tell the carpet sellers to bug off. They're good humored and they'll handle it well.
Don't be afraid to bargain -- in fact, it's almost mandatory at the Grand Bazaar. When I was there, I was ready to pay full price for some scarves and the merchant seemed insulted. He said, "Don't you want to bargain? You're supposed to bargain!"

If it's your first time in Istanbul, I hope you're staying in the Sultanahmet neighborhood -- that's where most first-time visitors find almost all the major sights within walking distance. But Beyoglu is also a nice area to stay in.

But don't be afraid to get out of the old city and visit the lively neighborhood of Beyoglu, which will require a cab ride. It's where my favorite kebab place in the whole world is: http://www.zubeyirocakbasi.com/

Istanbul is one of my favorite cities. It's safe, it's delicious, and it's packed with history.

And jealous. Have the best time evah. Come back with pictures and a full report. Please.

Istanbul was once Constantinople
now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople



And there might be giants. So be careful.

People just liked it better that way.

it's nobody's business but the Turks.

I went to one that is popular with tourists. The building dates to the 1600s or so. All marble. Fantastic experience. I loved Istanbul. The food was great and not expensive.

Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque were simply astounding. I didn't enjoy Topkapi Palace as much as others, but I loved the area around the Grand Bazaar. If you're into cooking and saffron in particular, they had very good prices on Iranian saffron - the best kind.

This was during a 12-day cruise from Barcelona in 2011. The original destination was supposed to be Alexandria for two days, to allow an overnight excursion into Cairo. Due to the unrests in Egypt, the ship ended up calling Istanbul home for 3 days.

We arranged our own Istanbul excursions to the major sights (Topkapi, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque) with friends we made online on cruise message boards. The rest we visited on our own, just walking around, taking the bus, etc.

But not for the claustrophobic.

Topkapi, Blue Mosque, spice market, and here's a tip if you can find this stuff (let me know if you do!!): Lokum ("Turkish Delight&quot is sold everywhere, but she bought some from one place that had a dark red (made from pomegranate) fruit base and with shelled pistachios in it. AMAZING!!! If she had brought back 10 kilos of the stuff, I would have been sick, but happy.

The shop is the Ottoman Spice Center: Mısır Çarşısı İçi #17, 34460 Eminönü (İstanbul)

If you've never been there before, Turkish has the dotted and the undotted "i," the "ç" is pronounced like the "ch" in "chair, and the "ş" is pronounced like the "sh" in "shoulder." The dotted "i" is pronounced like the "e" in "be," where the undotted "ı" is pronounced halfway between the "a" in "father" and the "u" in "gum."

Anyway, IF you can find this place, ask for the dark red Pomegranate lokum with pistachio nuts. Buy LOTS of it!!! This stuff is "Çok iyi"

İyi akşamlar!

but if you bring back too much of it, it's not so good once the freshness is gone.

Americans have no idea how delicious Turkish delight can be, because we taste the stale stuff. But taste it at the Spice market -- in many different flavors, with incredibly fresh nuts in them -- and you will be in heaven. And I don't even like candy.

Another thing that's great in Turkey are the fresh pistachios. There's a nut shop in Beyoglu where they come out hot from the roaster.

Trust me that there will be no drug smuggling here.

... to Constantinople!

If you get lost, ask a Ninja (a veiled woman) for help; they know everything and mysterious shortcuts.

The street are remarkably dirty; if you bring sandals, bring ones that can be washed, because you'll want to.

Will consider these. Cheers!