Turkey 2025

We arrived in Istanbul, Turkey late at night and had arranged for a driver to take us to our hotel in the Fatih district which was more than an hour away. We checked into the hotel and spent some time with the hotel staff learning about history of the hotel (it was originally a bank and its lobby was featured in a James Bond film!) as well as getting recommendations on what to do in Istanbul. We hadn’t done a lot of research into the area because we’d added it onto our trip later in our planning process so getting their help was really beneficial. We ended up using nearly all of his suggestions!

Before starting out on our first day to begin exploring the city, we sat down for breakfast at the hotel and had the full Turkish breakfast which was huge! It had a basket of rolls with jams/jellies and sweet cream, Turkish sausage, eggs, cheeses, hummus, spicy eggplant dip, walnuts, figs, dried apricots, fruit, meats, feta with jam, waffles with fruit ,our choice  of an egg dishand coffee/OJ. This became our ritual before we set out each morning! 

Our hotel was conveniently located by the Spice Bazaar and not too far from the Grand Bazaar, which was nice so we could enjoy these in small doses as we were out and about, as they can be overwhelming.  We walked a lot of the area in the beginning of the trip and then learned how to take the tram to explore further away.  We would definitely recommend our hotel, as they were friendly, incredibly helpful and the location was perfect.

As we set out our first day, we had learned from the US State Dept through their travel advisory email service that there would be demonstrations related to the war in Palestine near our hotel and that we should be aware and diligent, After talking with the hotel staff we decide to cross the Golden Horn into the Beyoğlu district where there would be less protest activity to see the Tower of Galata, built in the 1300s as a watchtower by the Genoese. It was a great way to look out over the city and see the many different buildings and land features. Heading back we grabbed lunch at a fish wrap stand along the way - these are everywhere along the water in Istanbul!  But don't get one under the bridge...we were told this multiple times times!

Since we were not familiar with the area and did not speak Turkish we decided to hire a guide through the hotel to see some of the main sites in the Fatih district where we were staying. We spent an entire day touring Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia Mosque and the Basilica Cistern. Some highlights were learning about the Topkapi Palace (built in 1460) and its history as the home of the Sultans during the Ottoman Empire, walking through the Hagia Sofia (built in 360) and watching the call to prayer service, seeing the Blue Mosque (built in 1617) and seeing its grandeur, and learning about the history of the Basilica Cistern (built in 600) that was built under the city and provided it water for centuries. Each of these was individually amazing and seeing all of them together made for a wonderful and long day! We were so thankful to have hired a guide to help us navigate the entry lines, explain the sites to us and teach us about the culture and history of each of these.  As walked back to the hotel, we found a doner wrap restaurant to refuel and it was so good we went back again later in the week!

After a full day on our feet exploring Istanbul we took a break the next day and pampered ourselves with a VIP visit to a local hammam that catered to couples. It was an amazing and fun experience! They started by giving you a sponge bath with an incredible amount of bubbles while we laid on a heated hammam table. That was followed by a steam bath/sauna and then an hour long massage. At the end we were shown to our own relaxation area with couches and pillows where we were served fruit, tea and water. After we were finished it was hard to walk back to the hotel because we were so relaxed! We considered going back again later in the trip,  but we had things to see!

Istanbul is a city that is built on the water given that it sits on the Bosphorous Strait with Asia on one side and Europe on the other. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara which connects to the Mediterranean Sea so it is a massive trading route. We wanted to learn more about it so we went on a cruise that took us up the Bosphorous for several miles and gave us a ton of detail on the strait, how it functions and its importance to Istanbul and Turkey.  We even had quick stop on the Asian side of Istanbul for some yogurt, which was delicious!

Having seen how many mosques that were located in Istanbul (there are more than 3,000!) we wanted to see more of them so we set out to see a few more. We hopped on the tram (very easy to navigate) and headed farther into Istanbul to see several more churches. Our first stop was the “Iron Church” which was named that because all of its parts were made of iron in Bulgaria and shipped to Istanbul where it was erected. Our next stop was the Chora Mosque (also known as the Kariye Camii) which was built in the early 4th century and has served as both a Christian church and a mosque in that time with frescoes and mosaics that are visible showing its long history. It was stunning!!! As we made our way back to our hotel we also stopped to see several other sites including the Shehzade mosque near Istanbul University and through the Grand Bazaar again where we haggled with some kids to buy a small suitcase to bring home some of the other things that we had purchased during out time in Istanbul! 

Our final day in Istanbul was spent touring the Dolmebahce Palace which served as the home of the Ottoman sultans starting in 1843 replacing Topkapi Palace and was used as their home until 1924 when the caliphate was abolished. The palace was amazing with huge, ornate halls, ballrooms and a staircase with crystal balisters!

All in all Istanbul was an amazing treat for us because of all the new experiences and learning but the most endearing part was its people.  They were so warm and welcoming and generally always seemed to be happy. It was great to spend time among them getting to know them and their culture!  We ate amazing food, drank a lot of tea (which you got every time you asked for your check!)  and explored the craziness of the streets and markets. We highly recommend a trip to Istanbul, even if it isn't on your list!

1. Our private VIP hammam experience!!!
2. Being in the Hagia Sofia during the Call to Prayer
3. Friendliest people
4. Istanbul's history...started in 667 BC
5. Stunning mosques
6. The craziness of the markets and people watching
7. Turkish food!

Lodging

Orientbank Hotel Istanbul

Transportation:

Airport transfers: private car through hotel

Trams and walking

Excursions:

Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern: Private tour guide (hotel concierge)

Bosphorus Tour on Luxury Yacht (hotel concierge)

Turkish Bath at Tarihi Cesme Hamami

Restaurants

Maranda Doner

fish wraps (don't go to the restaurants under the bridge!)

Hafiz Mustafa 1884 (sweets)

Sehzade Cag Kebap