Istanbul Youtube Video

For anyone going to Istanbul and wanting to get to the Sultanahmet (old) section of Istanbul from the ship, this youtube video is helpful:

It shows brief views of the walk from the terminal (exit only, no re-entry) to one of the 2 tram stops with trams to Sultanahmet, the old part of the city. It also briefly shows the taxi stand with rates, the "jeton" (token) machine at the tram stop, the walk across the bridge in case the machine isn't working, and inside the Spice Market. I believe Viking's complimentary tour includes the Spice Market, or if not, the last stop for the tour is right near the market.

Just thought I'd post the link to the video, as I know there are at least 2 Istanbul cruises coming up this fall that include Istanbul. Here's link to video:

I meant to add that in the video the person shows bills being inserted into the token machine with them being spit back out. I've read that the machines only take 20 lira or smaller bills. I can't tell the denomination of the bill the person is using, but I suppose it's possible it's larger than 20 and therefore not being accepted. I'm planning to have small bills when I visit, or better yet, coins. Also, I doubt you'll see any of these, but apparently a while back there were bills floating around that had lots of 000s on them. Those are old bills, and practically worthless.

Roothy - the ship in the video is not exactly where the Star docked in April. The one time the Star's been in Istanbul it was a bit further out from town (north), so would be a bit further to walk to the Galata Bridge. Also at the Tophane stop, there was another token machine across the tracks going in the other direction and down a bit, but she might not have seen it. There is only one machine on each side. The ship was about midway between the Tophane and Findikli stops, but because of the construction going towards Tophane, we found it easier (and prettier) to use the Findikli stop. (We did use both at different times.)

We did not have to walk through nearly as many dilapidated buildings as she did in this video before getting to the main street. Of course there's no telling which terminal they will use the next time the Star docks in Istanbul. The video does give you an idea of what to expect though.

Thanks for that information, Elizabeth. It's good to know there's more than one token machine at the tram stops. It would be kind of strange to only have one, but not having been to Istanbul before, I really didn't know what to expect, or to question.

I was pretty much planning to use the Finkliki stop unless I found out later we were closer to Tophane. If all that construction is still going on (and construction never seems to be over very soon!!) Findliki sounds like the nicer place to head to. Besides, it looks like we'll be the third cruise ship in Istanbul that day, so I imagine we'll be bringing up the rear! There's a small (684 pax) Oceania ship there (after overnighting), a 2000 pax Norwegian ship coming in at 9, and we'll get there in the afternoon, after making the long trek from Kusadasi. SO - perhaps that walk from the ship to the Findliki stop will be shorter than I expected! Then again, by the time my cruise rolls around, the port will have assigned us a pier, and maybe I can figure out just where we'll be. In the end, though, it doesn't matter much, as the tram appears to be pretty close and easy no matter which pier and terminal you end up using!

One thing's for sure: I'm expecting Istanbul to be big, bustling, and noisy - and that is indeed what that video portrays!

Yes Roothy - the tram is easy and takes you right through the Old Town. And yes it's a bustling place with lots of noise, strange smells and lots of colors. I recorded the calls to prayer one day, but when my DH downloaded them to the computer, he unfortunately lost them. We quite liked Istanbul - where east meets west. I'm sure you will too. Hope you are able to spend a couple extra days there as there's so much to see!