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How to spilt time between Istanbul and London

I'm planning a to spend approximately two weeks in Istanbul and London this coming February. How should I divide my time between the two cities? I'ave never been to either one. I plan on flying to Istanbul, then to London, then back to the states. While in London I would like to go to Ireland for a day. Thanks.

Posted by
3938 posts

We’ve been faced with similar situations in the past. Our son’s family did exactly the same trip you are describing 2 years ago (minus flying to Ireland for a day!) This is how we’ve worked to make a decision we’ve been comfortable with.

Read as much as you can about each city and area in guidebooks and online

Divide a paper down the middle and list things you’d really like to see in one city on the right the other on the left

Are your desires fairly even or does it skew in favor of spending a bit more time in one place than the other

Both are extensive cities with a lot of history and a lot to see

BTW going to Ireland for a day or any amount of time on this trip should be saved for a future trip, it just doesn’t fit in (time and effort) with this trip

Posted by
4256 posts

If you're only going to Istanbul and nowhere else in Turkey, 5 nights, 4 days should be sufficient.

Posted by
11294 posts

Read what Mona wrote, and then read it again. She's 100% correct.

In particular, don't even THINK of going to Ireland from London for only a day. That would be like going from New York to Chicago for the day. Sure, you literally can - but why would you want to? It will just be a lot of time in airports and on planes for not much return.

If you do want to see some of Ireland, with two weeks you can certainly take away some of your London and Istanbul time to devote to Ireland. If you're doing this, make sure your flight back to the US is from Ireland rather than London, so you don't waste a day.

Posted by
15560 posts

I agree with Harold that you could easily fit a few days in Ireland into the plan, but I'm not sure February is a good time to visit. A lot depends on what you want to see and do, and that goes for London and Istanbul as well.

Posted by
35 posts

Forget Ireland "for a day"(in February).
I've been to both (multiple times) and I would spend a little more time in Istanbul than London. First of all, its' MUCH cheaper. I can pretty much do whatever I want in Istanbul. Eat huge incredible feasts, drink all night, etc., without spending hundreds of dollars per day. The sights and people are amazing and you will have no problem filling 9 days. Don't get me wrong, London has plenty of sights as well. But I find Istanbul much more enjoyable. And in February, the weather in Istanbul should be better than London.

Posted by
7049 posts

You can easily find more than 2 weeks worth of stuff to do in either city, so I would base your decision on what you want to see in both. But I wouldn't give Istanbul less than a minimum of 4 full days (preferably much more).

Posted by
7595 posts

Istanbul is a great city to visit. We spent five days prior to our Black Sea cruise.

We visited
Hagia Sophia
Blue Mosque
Topkapi Museum
Basilica Cisterns
Archaeological Museum
Chora Church
We cruised the Bosphorus into the Black Sea on our cruise ship. You can book a Bosphorus cruise, it was great.
The Grand Bazar

Posted by
11033 posts

While in London I would like to go to Ireland for a day.

Would you ask this question " While in Dallas I would like to go to Oklahoma for a day" ?

Do Ireland when you have the time to do it properly