Istanbul - length of lines

I will be visiting Istanbul and I am trying to plan my morning. What kind of lines should I expect at:

Hagia Sophia

Blue Mosque

Basilica Cistern

What time of year and day of week?

Keith

I was there three weeks ago and visited the Cistern around 4:30 p.m. On a Tuesday with a group of 30 people and there was no line.

The next morning we arrived at Hagia Sophia around 9:30 a.m. a group of four of us walked in with no line at all. We spent about 90 minutes there. When we walked in there might have been 20 other people there at the same time. By the time we left groups of school children and tour groups had arrived, so there were considerably more people.

At the Mosque there was a short line for people who were not appropriately dressed, because they had to pick up a scarf or a skirt, but we simply walked in. We arrived around 11 a.m. and there was plenty of room to move around and admire the beauty of this lovely place.

If you visit in the summer you might experience larger crowds. And the Mosque is a house of worship open to visitors, so it might be closed at certain times for prayers.

Thank you for the information. We will be there in June on a Thursday.

Reports have indicated that tourism in Turkey is significantly reduced this year. I imagine summer will be more crowded, but still not as crowded as previous years. The places where you are most likely to encounter crowds would be Haghia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. I would try to be at Haghia Sophia at (if not before) the opening time, if possible to avoid any lines to purchase tickets.

As already pointed out, the Blue Mosque does close periodically throughout the day for the various calls to prayer; you may want to check in advance of your visit what those times will be on the day you're planning to be there.

Thank you for the information. We will be there in June on a Thursday.

Traditionally it gets crowded by late morning but as mentioned with tourism down it might not be as crowded as often.

I would actually go to the sites in the order you listed.

Keith

We were in Istanbul last week. We were also there last June 2016 and compared to then, the city is empty. We were shocked. I mean we know WHY people are staying away but we didn't expect that the results of the tourist "boycott" would be so absolutely noticeable. We visited the Aya Sophia and while it was late in the afternoon and within an hour of closing, we were surprised that only 7 people were in line in front of us. We were in there in a flash and while in, it seemed like we had the whole place to ourselves. It was lovely!

Btw, we felt perfectly safe at all times. We walked around at all hours and didn't give it a second thought. There's an increased police presence (but it doesn't feel obtrusive at all). I

We were in Istanbul last week. We were also there last June 2016 and compared to then, the city is empty. We were shocked. I mean we know WHY people are staying away but we didn't expect that the results of the tourist "boycott" would be so absolutely noticeable. We visited the Aya Sophia and while it was late in the afternoon and within an hour of closing, we were surprised that only 7 people were in line in front of us. We were in there in a flash and while in, it seemed like we had the whole place to ourselves. It was lovely!

 

Btw, we felt perfectly safe at all times. We walked around at all hours and didn't give it a second thought. There's an increased police presence (but it doesn't feel obtrusive at all). I

Hello,

We will be staying almost 2 days in Istanbul on our next cruise.

Seeing that you have been there a few times what should we do,see and eat.

We will be arriving Friday July 22nd at 4pm and leaving the next day at 5pm.

Thanks

Sea ya

Eric

Hello,

We will be staying almost 2 days in Istanbul on our next cruise.

Seeing that you have been there a few times what should we do,see and eat.

We will be arriving Friday July 22nd at 4pm and leaving the next day at 5pm.

Thanks

Sea ya

Eric

Based on your message, it appears you will be in Istanbul just over 24 hours. If that is the case, then you should check the opening and closing times for the key places, and confirm when you need to be back on board. My suggestion for must see places in order would be:

1. Hagia Sophia

2. Blue Mosque

3. Basilica Cistern

4. Topkapi Palace

5. Spice Market

6. Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar is huge and somewhat repetitive after wandering around for a bit ... do not spend lots of time in the Bazaar if it means you do not get to locations 1 to 4

Hello,

We will be staying almost 2 days in Istanbul on our next cruise.

Seeing that you have been there a few times what should we do,see and eat.

We will be arriving Friday July 22nd at 4pm and leaving the next day at 5pm.

Thanks

Sea ya

Eric

Eric, where will you be staying overnight? If you are staying in the city as opposed to an airport hotel, you MUST give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. We took a taxi to the airport from our hotel near Galata Tower and it took an hour in traffic to get there. And our driver was driving like a madman! Taxi fare, btw, should be no more than 50 TL.

Slopoke15 gave you the list of the biggies you ought to see but honestly I don't think you have enough time for Topkapi Palace. That takes hours to see properly so I'd save it for another trip.

As to eating, you are spoiled for choice!! I'd go to whatever strikes your fancy. As you might expect, fish is excellent in a city as surrounded by water as is Istanbul. We never spent more than $50 USD for a meal for two that included starters, dessert, and wine. You could spend more or less than that depending on how much of a view your restaurant has. ;) One thing though--try the Turkish ice cream. http://laughingsquid.com/turkish-ice-cream-vendor-subjects-his-customers-to-countless-tricks/

Arrived last night for our 4th visit in this fascinating city. First issue -- clearly in response to security concerns passport control is taking their job more seriously than in the past -- we were in line for half an hour. And while last fall when we arrived at IST it took an hour to get to our Sultanahmet hotel last night it was the normal half hour -- so it can go either way. BTW, we always have our hotel arrange airport pick up -- 25 euros for piece of mind. And yes today as we went on our second Culinary Backstreets walking tour very few tourists in evidence. Our hotel confirmed reports of tourism off by 70 percent. Please come visit. We felt safe and welcomed.

Arrived last night for our 4th visit in this fascinating city. First issue -- clearly in response to security concerns passport control is taking their job more seriously than in the past -- we were in line for half an hour. And while last fall when we arrived at IST it took an hour to get to our Sultanahmet hotel last night it was the normal half hour -- so it can go either way. BTW, we always have our hotel arrange airport pick up -- 25 euros for piece of mind. And yes today as we went on our second Culinary Backstreets walking tour very few tourists in evidence. Our hotel confirmed reports of tourism off by 70 percent. Please come visit. We felt safe and welcomed.

So did we! I miss Istanbul already. I wish the cruise ships would come back the way they did before. Istanbul is one amazing port.

Eric, where will you be staying overnight? If you are staying in the city as opposed to an airport hotel, you MUST give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. We took a taxi to the airport from our hotel near Galata Tower and it took an hour in traffic to get there. And our driver was driving like a madman! Taxi fare, btw, should be no more than 50 TL.

 

Sounds to me as if the OP is overnighting onboard ship.

Exactly we are overnighting onboard the ship :-)

We arrive at 5pm and only leave the next day at 4 pm.

Exactly we are overnighting onboard the ship :-)

We arrive at 5pm and only leave the next day at 4 pm.

Well that's handy! You can walk off the ship and head down the (very beautiful tree-lined) street to two wonderful museums and then if you're hungry, get a stuffed potato (kumpir) at Ortakoy. The first museum is the maritime museum. We were heading to the Ortakoy neighborhood and it was on the way and as it cost approximately $2 usd to get in, we thought why not. It turned out to be a fascinating place and as a bonus, has a great little gift shop. http://www.theguideistanbul.com/location/maritime-deniz-museum Next up was the fabulous Dolmabahce Palace, which if you go will take up several hours. Several wonderful hours. What a palace! What an art museum! What gorgeous grounds! The Palace was one of the highlights of this last visit. http://www.dolmabahcepalace.com/ All this works up an appetite so if you have time and energy, walk a bit further to Ortakoy and get yourself a kumpir. Share it with your loved one. It's big. http://istanbuleats.com/2009/12/istanbuls-top-5-street-foods-4-maya-kumpir/

Well that's handy! You can walk off the ship and head down the (very beautiful tree-lined) street to two wonderful museums and then if you're hungry, get a stuffed potato (kumpir) at Ortakoy. The first museum is the maritime museum. We were heading to the Ortakoy neighborhood and it was on the way and as it cost approximately $2 usd to get in, we thought why not. It turned out to be a fascinating place and as a bonus, has a great little gift shop. http://www.theguideistanbul.com/location/maritime-deniz-museum Next up was the fabulous Dolmabahce Palace, which if you go will take up several hours. Several wonderful hours. What a palace! What an art museum! What gorgeous grounds! The Palace was one of the highlights of this last visit. http://www.dolmabahcepalace.com/ All this works up an appetite so if you have time and energy, walk a bit further to Ortakoy and get yourself a kumpir. Share it with your loved one. It's big. http://istanbuleats.com/2009/12/istanbuls-top-5-street-foods-4-maya-kumpir/

Oh wow thanks for all your help I will take a few suggestions for sure :-) Love the link to the picture of the street food.

Thanks again

Sea ya

Eric

Arrived last night for our 4th visit in this fascinating city. First issue -- clearly in response to security concerns passport control is taking their job more seriously than in the past -- we were in line for half an hour. And while last fall when we arrived at IST it took an hour to get to our Sultanahmet hotel last night it was the normal half hour -- so it can go either way. BTW, we always have our hotel arrange airport pick up -- 25 euros for piece of mind. And yes today as we went on our second Culinary Backstreets walking tour very few tourists in evidence. Our hotel confirmed reports of tourism off by 70 percent. Please come visit. We felt safe and welcomed.

So happy to have read your post. We are arriving in IST on Thursday the 9th and have our day planned for Friday, the 10th. We are a little concerned with all the recent travel warnings, especially Turkey.

I am happy to hear that you feel safe. Do you have any tips for first timers to IST? It would be greatly appreciated