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Second visit to Istanbul: itinerary questions

Posted by (Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico) on

I will be taking advantage of Turkish Airlines' free stopover program in early November before continuing for a tour in India. Of the hotel options they offered, the best location (though still not ideal) is the Radisson Blu Istanbul Pera (https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-blu-istanbul-pera).

I was in Istanbul in 2022 and saw most of the important sights, except the Blue Mosque and the Kariye Mosque (Chora Church) were both closed at the time.

Day One, my flight arrives at 6:30 am. So far I haven't booked anything for that day. I'm not counting on my room being ready for some time.

Day Two, I have booked a guided tour of the Blue Mosque in the morning.

Day Three, I have booked a food tour with Culinary Backstreets (https://culinarybackstreets.com/food-tours/istanbul/culinary-backstreets-of-the-bazaar-quarter) starting at 9:30 am and going until about 3pm. I have a ticket for Kariye Mosque the same day, so I'll plan to do that later, when crowds are supposedly smaller.

Day Four, my flight doesn't depart from IST until 8:45 pm. I haven't scheduled anything for that day.

Other things I'm interested in are the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum and a Hammam visit. I have the afternoon and evening of Day One, the afternoon of Day Two after the Blue Mosque, or the morning/early afternoon of Day Four. Any thoughts on scheduling those, or on my plan in general? All my scheduled activities are flexible and can be rescheduled or canceled without penalty.

Posted by
29508 posts

Your hotel isn't far from the Pera Museum, which I liked. It's not large, so you might be able to slot it in at some point.

I also enjoyed the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, but I don't remember how much time I spent there. I'd guess 2 hours or so, but I'm slow in museums.

Posted by
3475 posts

Scheduling a hamam visit on your arrival afternoon might be a great way to get softened up from your travels and head into a good night of sleep. I went to Hurrem Sultan Hamami near the Hagia Sophia - it was expensive but a very cool historic building and I was extremely pampered. There are plenty of other options though.

I think I would do the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum the morning of your final day, leave your bags at the hotel and then head back to the airport in the late afternoon. On your day 2 afternoon, maybe a ferry ride over to the Asia side or to Princes Island (I wished I had gone there, it sounds interesting and less big/crowded city).

Posted by
2165 posts

acraven, thanks for the tip on the Pera Museum. I will definitely plan on that.

CL, I was thinking a Hammam visit on my arrival day would be nice. Just worried that I'll fall asleep while I'm getting sudsed. ("Sudsed" is probably not a word, but oh well.) And I was supposed to go to Princes Island on my last visit to Istanbul and canceled at the last minute because I was too tired. So that's a good suggestion.

Thank you both!

Posted by
3475 posts

Just worried that I'll fall asleep while I'm getting sudsed. ("Sudsed"
is probably not a word, but oh well.)

That actually covers it pretty well! And other than the time you are soaking before the suds-ing and scrubbing, it's a pretty active encounter. If you added a massage afterwards sleeping might be more possible. :)

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