Istanbul

Muzi5434

Hi all,

I'm heading over to Istanbul in about a weeks time. Just wondering if people have gone there before and can point me to where I can do the following activities:

Parasailing, jet skis, quad bikes and para gliding?

I googled all of them but wasn't much luck.

Thanks,
Muzi:)

tatli_lokma

Istanbul isn't really the place for beach style water sports as you mention...its much more a cultural/sightseeing place. Sorry I can't help, I've only ever been sightseeing in Istanbul and never actually seen any of the activities you mention being offered. Its a bit like expecting to do these activities in Dublin city centre!

Daisy78

Hello all

Looking for some travel advice on Istanbul and hoping you can help me out. Myself and a few friends are thinking of booking a long weekend (4 nights)in Istanbul at the end of September. I don't really know much about the city so I'm trying to do a bit of research before I book the flights. Firstly any good recommendations for accomodation? Whilst we are on a budget I think we could stretch a wee bit if it meant staying somewhere nice. As a group we love our food and like trying different things so if anybody has restaurant recommendations that would be great too.

Re sights well we don't tend to do the usual touristy type stuff so if anyone has any recommendations on the best way to experience the city it would be much appreciated.

Daisy

SpatialPlanning

Daisy78 wrote: »

Hello all

Looking for some travel advice on Istanbul and hoping you can help me out. Myself and a few friends are thinking of booking a long weekend (4 nights)in Istanbul at the end of September. I don't really know much about the city so I'm trying to do a bit of research before I book the flights. Firstly any good recommendations for accomodation? Whilst we are on a budget I think we could stretch a wee bit if it meant staying somewhere nice. As a group we love our food and like trying different things so if anybody has restaurant recommendations that would be great too.

Re sights well we don't tend to do the usual touristy type stuff so if anyone has any recommendations on the best way to experience the city it would be much appreciated.

Daisy

Hi. I have been living in Istanbul for almost a year now. I don't have any hotel recommendations but can recommend a few neighborhoods.
Cihangir is a great little spot. Close to taksim and has loads of nice restaurants and bars. The taksim nightlife is only a 10-15 minute walk away.
Kadikoy is on the Asian side and is a neighborhood with a brilliant atmosphere.
Besiktas is another good spot. It has a ferry port with ferries to lots of different areas in the city. It's a decent place in terms of connectivity too. Also plenty of cool restaurants and bars.

What to do and see when here;
Boat tour from Ortakoy- lasts an hour and a bit, costs 10 lira, beautiful sights and very relaxing. Buy a baked potato from one of the stalls and take it on board with you.
In sultanamet there are lots of touristy things to do.. Grand bazaar, blue mosque, hagia Sofia, Topkapi palace. All within walking distance of each other.
Mosques - ortakoy mosque is recently opened and is beautiful. The Hagia Sofia is huge and probably the most famous mosque. It's pretty much a museum now but you don't really need to go inside. Take a walk around the area and go into the blue mosque across from it.
Topkapi palace is a large palace near the hagia Sofia with some of the worlds largest gem collections. A little pricey. You can buy a 48 hour museum pass if you are interested that will gain you entry to lots of places.

Take a ferry from kanakas to the princes islands and get off at buyukada island. Rent a bike there and spend a few hours cycling around the island. Beautiful spot. The ferry ride over is pretty cool too.

Food ;
Ciya is my favorite restaurant in Istanbul. It's in kadikoy and serves lots of side dishes and delicious mains. A very popular spot and not too expensive.
The restaurant across from U2 bar near taksim square is amazing too. Try the lamb!

If you want to know anything specific them feel free to pm me and I'll do my best to help you out. I know plenty of restaurants and things to do!

Benbecul97

Resurrecting an old thread from 5 years ago, rather than start a new one!

Like the OP, looking for some travel advice on Istanbul and hoping someone can help out.
Looking at 5 nights during this Easter break - April 12-28, 2019 - with two kids (14 & 11), so after recommendations for accommodation and things to do - not nightlife!

Thanks in advance!

Rebel Boy

Is Istanbul safe for a solo traveller? I love visiting different places, but Turkey in general people have always put me off going there.

JohnCleary

Rebel Boy wrote: »

Is Istanbul safe for a solo traveller? I love visiting different places, but Turkey in general people have always put me off going there.

Yes