We spent four days in Istanbul as part of our honeymoon - absolutely unforgetable.

You're right - it is scarey, but all big cities are the same.

We stayed very central, and the views over the Blue Mosque, St Sophia, Topkapi and the Bospherus were amazing - and the noise when 100+ minarets call the faithful to prayer is awesome.

Be prepared for hassle - the touts around the major tourist sites are numerous and persistent, but don't let it put you off.

The absolute jewel in the crown is St Sophia - we couldn't drag ourselves away and ended up going on consecutive days.

Topkapi is another musr-see. Bospherus cruises. To be honest, I'm a bit clautrophobic and didn't enjoy the Grand Bazaar, but most people love it.

Istanbul is noisy, dirty and magnificent. It'll be a real experience.

There are lots of popular histories of the place out there - it's well worth doing some research before you go.

I'd agree with all Rich's comments. It's scruffy, noisy, crowded & absolutely magical.

You have to do all the usual touristy things - there's a reason they're in the guidebooks! But the things that stick most in my mind:

. getting to the Aya Sofia as soon as it opened, and being the first inside under that amazing dome

. buying a hot fish sandwich from a small boat tied up by the Galata bridge, and then washing it down with a beer or two in a pavement cafe, watching the ferries come and go

. going the the miltary museum & seeing the superb tents (pavilions really) used by the Ottoman emperors, then seeing the afternoon concert in the museum's lecture theatre by the famous Mehter jannisary band

. eating doner kebabs down the Cicek Passaji [sp?] just off Istiklal Caddesi

. visiting Justinian's underground cistern and seeing hundreds of Roman columns while classical music gently played

Enjoy

- Tony -

[edited to get the name of the band right]

"Getting to the Aya Sofia as soon as it opened, and being the first inside under that amazing dome"

Good God, that makes you about 1,600 years old although the current dome isn't the original

I'll agree with everyone else - what a fantastic place.

I'll never forget the sight of the Blue Mosque by night, the call to prayer, the noise, the people, the smells and how big and ornate everything is - got neck ache from looking skywards the whole of the time!

My top places:

Topkapi Palace - what a wonderful place this is - but you need to allow pretty much a whole day to see it all.

The Blue Mosque and Aya Sophia of course - wow, amazing!

A visit to the spice bazaar is a must and of course the Grand Bazaar.

Gulhane Park is lovely too, takes you from Sultanahmet right down to the sea.

It's definitely worth buying a decent guide book before you.

There's a small Kofte restaurant near Sultanahmet restaurant - well known for its meatballs - they've got to be the best in Istanbul! And just outside the Blue Mosque (Hippdrome square) there's a really good Turkish kitchen (restaurant) - great food and very reasonable.

Nightlife in Sultanahmet seemed to be pretty low key but that may have been due to the freezing temperatures in February! Boy it was cold!

Don't take sterling travellers cheques - I could only change mine in the banks and the queues were horrendous. They seem to prefer dollars or Euros.

It's a magical place but we warned - it'll leave you wanting to return.

Enjoy!!!

Mazz

How did everyone arrange their trips to Istanbul? - didyou book flightsand hotel seperately or a package?
Could you advise which companies to use etc?
Thanks
Carolyn

We booked ours DIY - You can do either BA or THY from Heathrow and booked our hotel through the net (just put in Istanbul hotel in google) and the hotel done our transfers.

When are you thinking of going?? We done a winter trip(dec) and extremely cold We also done it in October and not half as bad!!

LA

We booked a package with Tapestry - four nights in Istanbul followed by an internal flight to Dalaman and the rest of the fortnight in Kalkan.

It was a really nice mix.

My boyfriend is Turkish so arranged the hotel, I just organised my flights.

I flew with BA out of Heathrow on a direct flight, my chap met me at the airport (Istanbul Airport is a doddle) and we got a taxi to our hotel in Sultanahmet.

The hotel we booked was the Zeynep Sultan and it was really lovely. It's centrally located - literally 5 mintues stroll from the Blue Mosque and the tram station in Sultanahmet. Very modern, clean and comfortable with controllable heating in all rooms, sparkling bathrooms, CCTV cameras in all the public areas and lovely Turkish breakfast (much better than you get in some hotels in seaside resorts). Staff were very nice too. I'd recommend it!
Check out the website: http://www.zeynepsultanhotel.com

I wouldn't hesitate in doing a DIY to Istanbul rather than a package holiday - but I don't know which would be the cheapest option. As a rough guide my return scheduled flight cost me about £190 in February this year which was including all taxes etc and I think that hotel was £40 a night.

I'd love to go back!

Mazz

We spent 10 days in Istanbul staying with a Turkish family we met in Bodrum. You must visit the Dolmabace Palace and try to find time to visit the cisterns and the islands in the Bosphorus. Remember to wear 'respectful' dress when visiting the Mosques and enjoy the most wonderful city. If you are there on a Saturday go to Camlica (sp?) - it is the park on the hill where all the wedding parties go to have their photos taken and it has stunning views!!! I am really jealous and can't wait to go back again.

istanbul is the cultural capital city of the world..scruffy or not its supreme. it cant be beaten for its history and the sites, sights and atmosphere.

Thanks all for the info really loooking forward to it all now although still nearly a year away i just wanted to be certain that it was something i wanted to do...and after hearing all yout great experiences I can't wait thanks again all