Istanbul Reviews

Istanbul sightseeing. WHEN WE WERE IN ISTANBUL: We spent five days in Istanbul just before Easter 2009 and we stayed at the Orient Express Hotel in the Sirkeci area of old Istanbul. (Another separate review) Istanbul is the only city built on two continents and split by the sea. The Bosporus is the section of water ...  Read the complete review

Everything people say about this city is true- romantic , busy , bustling, ancient , fascinating. It is also a young city as , its population , currently estimated at anywhere between 15 and 20 million, depending on who you ask, is more than 60 % below the age of 35. This lends the city a vibrancy that grabs you by the throat . Getting there in ...  Read the complete review

One of the world's biggest cities, Istanbul is almost too diverse and too historic to sum up in one review. One could spend weeks in this fascinating metropolis and still barely scratch the surface. The city is at once bewildering, enchanting and exciting and exploring it can sometimes feel like hard work but your efforts will be rewarded many ...  Read the complete review

Despite visiting Istanbul last in Summer 2007, I am very keen to add my voice to the positive reviews as I absolutely loved my time there and am desperate to return. While Inter-railing, my partner and I arrived in Istanbul on a 2 day, 2 night train journey from Budapest... now that bit I don't recommend! After my partner had his card swallowed in ...  Read the complete review

While living in Northern-Cyprus I saw myself confronted with the situation, that whenever I wanted to leave the island to visit my family back home I couldn't do so with a direct flight, but had to endure a stop-over in Turkey. As I had visited Istanbul before my relocation and loved the city, I always made sure that this stop-over was not ...  Read the complete review

I’m pinching myself hard as it seems only a couple of weeks since I posted my travel review on Venice, and now here I am posting another on Istanbul. There are two reasons for this – there was only a month between school half-term holiday and Easter this year, due to the ‘moving feast’ nature of Easter, and I didn’t really sit down to ...  Read the complete review

The light blinded me as I stepped out onto the roof-terrace where I was going to have my breakfast. My first view of Istanbul in daylight was wondrous. The Marmara Sea, on one side, covered in a haze as the sun did not fully manage to burn through the light clouds. On the other side of the hotel, the magnificent domes and minarets of Aya Sofia and ...  Read the complete review

Merhaba, hi and hello, dear reader, place a glass of Turkish tea beside your computer, two cubes of sugar, no milk, lean back and follow me! I’ve wanted to go to Istanbul for yonks, but somehow never found the time in the ideal period for visiting this city which is from the middle of May until June when it’s not too hot ...  Read the complete review

The proverbail joint of East and West,istanbul conbines the beauties of both Europe and Asia in a city separated by the strait of bosporus.No other city is so well known for featuring beautiful Orthodox cathedrals complemented with the dome-shaped mosques that are a symbol of islam. In many respects,istanbul is no different than any ...  Read the complete review

Beggars hold out their hands in desparation as they sit outside the Topkapi Palace. Inside there are millions of pounds worth of emeralds, rubies and diamonds. An 84 carat diamond set in a gold mount and surrounded by 79 brilliants (these are what they call the relatively small stones that are worth little more than our average house) is displayed ...  Read the complete review

About as far as you could reasonably travel for just a long weekend away, Istanbul is about three hours' direct flight from London. It's a hip destination, frequently appearing in broadsheet travel supplements at the moment, and regularly featuring in travel magazines. Things are also looking up for the city – it's a candidate ...  Read the complete review

I lived here in Istanbul for over 10 years and where I lived is so close to Bosphorus. I can say that Bosphorus is the best place I have ever seen. There are also two fabulous bridges on Bosphorus. Bosphorus is the name of the sea between Istanbul's Asian Side and Europen Side. You can cruise in Bosphorus. Also you should see thir from ...  Read the complete review

If you've lived in a European city all your life you have no idea of what you await in Istanbul. It is a place which has almost been taken out of a movie, with dazzling sunsets, enchanting sounds and stunning smells. Built on two sides of the bosphorus it is the melting pot of two cultures: european and islamic, and what better way to ...  Read the complete review

I reccommend Istanbul as a must for any traveller. It is the most beautiful city that I have been to and I have travelled my share of the World. The highlights of this bustling city full of people has to be the Blue Mosque for me. Its amazing Architecture reaching back several hundred years is truly an amazing sight. The high domes and the ...  Read the complete review

I visited Istanbul in February last year, and visited as many sights (mostly in the main historic area) as I could cram into five days. BASILICA CISTERN I particularly enjoyed the Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Saray, literally 'underground palace'). This is a Byzantine underground cistern (it stored water for the great palace ...  Read the complete review

Istanbul is a bargain these days, especially after the earthquakes scared half the tourist industry away. But things are starting to pick up. Istanbul is so rich in history and culture, it can be quite difficult to imagine. The Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque are definitely worth visiting. The treasures in Topkapi palace were amazing. You ...  Read the complete review

Turkey was the first country I visited in Europe and I must say that it was well worth it. The people there are really friendly and everything is so cheap. In Istanbul, the main things to see are the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia (near the blue mosque) and Topkapi palace. A must go is the Egyptian Bazaar and also the Grand Bazaar. In the former, one ...  Read the complete review