Travel to Istanbul will mean arriving at the new and grand Istanbul International Airport, IST, the largest airport in the world. IST is Europe’s 5th-busiest airport after London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The airport opens in 2018 and was designs to be the world’s largest airport with a 150 million annual passenger capacity and room to expand. Istanbul is not simply one of the fastest-growing cities in Europe, it is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world and a major crossroads for Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
The new airport is locate to the north of the Istanbul city center and between the Black Sea coast towns of Yeniköy, Tayakadın and Akpınar, approximately 33 miles from the center of Istanbul but more than hour’s drive through traffic. The airport is to be link by several lines of the Istanbul Metro: one starting from Gayrettepe Station on the new M11 line, another from Halkalı on the Marmaray rail line. Travel into Istanbul by taxi is easy and affordable — around $20.
Travel to Istanbul: Top Things to Do
The Blue Mosque
The mosque is known as the Blue Mosque because of fame Iznik blue tiles that make up the imposing walls of interior. The mosque was build between 1609 and 1616 years, during the rule of Ahmed I with six minarets and a huge courtyard.
The site of the Blue Mosque is on the palace of the Byzantine emperors, facing the Hagia Sophia and the hippodrome. Much of the mosque rests on the foundation and vaults of the Great Palace. The sultan, himself, came to break the first sod as the Blue Mosque was intend to become the first mosque of his empire. Tours are available and visitors with proper dress and head coverings are welcome.
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace is a museum locate in Istanbul very near to the blue mosque. It was a huge project create during the times of the Ottoman empire. Make sure that you visit the Harem which is locate inside the museum. The Topkapi palace includes accessories of all the great Prophets of the past, for instance, their clothes, shoes, swords etc.
The Topkapi Palace is the largest and most popular attraction in Istanbul. The lavish complex was built in between 1466 and 1478 by the sultan Mehmet II on top of a hilltop site overlooking the Golden Horn to the north, the Sea of Marmara to the south, and the Bosphorus strait to the north east. The palace was the political center of the Ottoman Empire between the 15th and 19th centuries, until the Dolmabahce Palace was erect by the waterside. Top attractions: the Harem quarters, the Turkish baths, and the Imperial Treasury where impressive collections of bejeweled Ottoman armor, accessories, gem encrust furnishing and famous Topaki dagger is displays. Also among museum collections here are precious Islamic relics said to come from the prophet.
Bosphorus Cruise
A Bosphorus cruise is a great way to view the entire city of Istanbul. Cruises are inexpensive, relaxing and refreshing, lasting up two to six hours, depending on tour selections.
Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar is a highlight and a must. It teems with tourists but it is easy to head away from the crowds and into your own discoveries. Stores sell shoes, purses, headscarves, pasha pants, carpets, candy, spices, intricate ceramics, low lighting lamps … all the usual souvenirs one could expect in Turkey. But you can also find well-crafts jewelry and books. The bazaar is a good place to have a cup of richly brew Turkish coffee and relax while the crowds walk by. The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covers markets in the world, with 61 covers streets and over 4,000 shops. It was complete in 1730 and brings all the medieval and ambiance one could want in a shopping experience.
Hagia Sofia Museum: Travel to Istanbul
This Hagia Sofia museum was a church initially but then convert into a mosque by the Byzantine emperor. It is extremely beautiful with wonderful architect work, has a rich history, a lot of importance to religion as well as unexplained beauty. The museum is adorn with some of the most explicit items from the past. Dating back to 537 AD the Byzantine minument is still one of the great architectural wonders of the world.
Travel to Istanbul: Visitor Tips
Free and safe
Istanbul is still very much a free society, although that may be in transformation. However, the people still speak their minds for the most part and women feel safe and free to wander in public without head coverings or chaperones. There is little crime in the city and certainly not anything near what is normal in U.S. cities with much smaller populations.
Traffic
This is a huge city with some 15 million souls and they all commute at rush hour. Leave plenty of time to get where you need to go.
Visas
For U.S. citizens, this is best done online through the Turkish Consulate. Visit: https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/
Hammams
These are the Turkish Baths that make a visit to this country so intriguing. In the better hotels and in recommend venues, these are usually common rooms (separate by gender) of heat marble platforms where an assistant pours warm, deliciously scent elixirs over the body and scrubs and rubs and scrapes and kneads you into a squeaky clean pulp of flesh. It’s a highly recommend experience and may become the highlight of your trip.
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