Topkapı - 01

One of my Dutch friend had planned a mini-trip to Istanbul, therefore he asked me what they should definitely do/visit and what they should not do. I recognized that I did not think about that before from a tourist’s point of view. It was a hard question, but thanks to my two friends who has many guests from different nationalities. With their suggestions, I am able to write an answer as following:

First of all this website seems really good: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/turkey/istanbul
You should definitely see Istanbul old city. You should see at least following historical places:

  1. Sultan Ahmet (Blue Mosque)
  2. Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia)
  3. Topkapı Palace
  4. Basilica Cistern
  5. Grand Bazaar

You should do Bosphorus Ferry Trip. You may also do a Princess Island tour.

See the options here https://goo.gl/GyR9zJ:

  1. Als je maar één dag hebt
  2. 48 uur in oud Istanboel: dag 1 en dag 2

Eating
Kadikoy Ciya Sofrasi: http://www.ciya.com.tr/ or https://goo.gl/K9ZjFU
Karakoy Gulluoglu: https://www.karakoygulluoglu.com/

Alternatives:
Kadikoy Yanyalı Fehmi: http://www.yanyalifehmi.com/ or https://goo.gl/gt2hDK

Shopping
You need Turkish Liras. We usually use 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 Turkish liras.
Don’t prefer to take or use 200 Turkish Liras.
There may be fraud with 200 Turkish Liras.
See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_lira
Credit card usage is common. But be careful with your debit card.
Don’t allow anyone to use your debit card by using magnetic stripe.

And something about prices:
There are non-negotiable price tags in most of the city’s retail outlets.
Most exceptions to this rule can be found in the Grand Bazaar.

Transport
Be careful with the taxi drivers. (yellow cars which have a label Taksi)
Always use google maps.
And the last thing about public transportation: https://goo.gl/JCksmZ