Istanbul

[poole]

Any ideas, please, for a one-day stop in Istanbul from a cruise ship

[pieter&sharon]

Any ideas, please, for a one-day stop in Istanbul from a cruise ship

From the ship take the streetcar (or a taxi) to the Sultanahmet area. The cruiseship shuttle is too expensive. Check out the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia and the Covered Bazaar. All within walking distance. If you have time go to Topkapi (also nearby).

[Off2China]

There's a lot of information on this board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=234

[cruisemom42]

Here is detailed info on how to do the above on your own. It's very easy!

 

http://www.istanbultrails.com/2009/08/istanbul-cruise-ship-port-and-visa-essentials/

 

FYI, if you are there on a Monday, Haghia Sophia will be closed. If you are there on a Tuesday, Topkapi Palace is closed.

[Anubi]

We did the ship's tour in Instanbul mainly because we were there on a day that the Hagia Sophia was closed and they opened it for Princess cruisers that day. We also saw the Blue Mosque and the Topaki Palace that day.

 

It was an amazing, and very exhausting, tour but we'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[poole]

Many thanks for all the helpful replies.

 

Late in anwering as have been on a fab. 95-day cruise on Aurora.

 

Poole

[jff50]

I would take the tram to the Sultanahmet area. Get a taste of the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Cistern, Grand Bazaar, Spice/Egyptian Bazaar (I like the Spice better than the Grand Bazaar), then walk back to the ship across the Galata Bridge. Right before you cross the bridge check out the fish vendors that sell there and stop at one of the boats that tie up at alongside the Bosphorus and get a fried fish sandwich. Also get a glass of fresh squeezed pomegranite juice from one of the many vendors that sell it--we thought it tasted fabulous.

 

Then you need to go back when you have more time to really appreciate this fabulous city--my favorite.

[hightownCO]

We did the ship's tour in Instanbul mainly because we were there on a day that the Hagia Sophia was closed and they opened it for Princess cruisers that day. We also saw the Blue Mosque and the Topaki Palace that day.

 

It was an amazing, and very exhausting, tour but we'd do it again in a heartbeat.

 

We had the same issue and I did NOT want to miss Hagia Sophia. Our Princess excursion included all that plus a lunch/Bospheros cruise. It was probably one of the best excursions we've ever done. I booked it right when it came available on line and it was $79 per person (2009). It sent up consderably closer to the cruise date!

[CTGirl]

We did the same tour with HightownCo. It was wonderful. The lunch was really good.

[Zukini]

I realize the original post is over a year old, but since this thread bubbled back up to the front page, I may as well add my two cents.:)

 

We were in Istanbul on May 25th, 2011. We had originally intended to take the tram or walk into Sultanahmet and see the sights, but we were offered a deal by our Ephesus tour agency to also add a tour for Istanbul at a bundled price.

 

Since we don't speak or read Turkish, and we don't know a lot about the culture or the city, we decided it might be worth the money to have a knowledgeable tour guide to not only escort us, but explain what we were seeing.

 

The agency set us up with a private guide, Fatih, in Istanbul, and it was money very well spent. We visited the Topkapi Palace and the Harem, Aya Sofia, the Basilica Cistern, the Hippodrome, and the Blue Mosque. We also stopped for lunch at a local place. The tour lasted about 7 hours, and having Fatih there to explain and put everything into context really enriched our experience. He also took us to a low-pressure carpet factory, which we actually really enjoyed, although we did not buy a carpet there...beautiful work, though.

 

I'd recommend him very highly, if you're interested in using a guide. My full trip report, including tons of photos, can be found over in this thread on the Princess board:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1423513