For those folks had been taken the offer of "Stopover in Istanbul" by Turkish Airline, which hotel did you stay? How did you like it? Was the hotel location convenient for that short time sightseeing? Were you able to easily find public transportation travel back to IST International for your connection flight? Were you able add on the free guided tour? TIA for your time to response.
Posted by
68 posts
I haven't done this stopover deal but we just returned from Turkey. We stayed at the Galata Hotel in the new district. in Istanbul. In my opinion, it was perfectly situated. Easy access to the the sights in the old district (Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, etc) and the new (Chianger, Taksim, etc) It was clean and comfy. A quiet respite from the wonderful chaos of Istanbul. Professional and a great breakfast.
We could easily walk both directions. Or take the funicular up the hill in the new district.
We did not do a guided tour but Rick's Istanbul guidebook is very good.
It's easy to take the trams in Istanbul. Just be prepared. It is not the western Europe you might be accustomed to. However, it is wonderful and manageable.
Posted by
68 posts
I forgot to add: do yourself a favor and take a taxi to the airport.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2714 posts
I have not, but there have been prior inquiries on this in the forum. As I recall, most of the hotel choices for the layover were not in the central tourist area. In any case, see if any of these might help answer your questions:
Posted by
Chicago
19 posts
Thanks to the Turkish airlines you can stay for a while without paying extra that’s what I heard