When we visited Istanbul last time in 2018, we arrived at Ataturk airport which was the main airport of Istanbul. It was about 20 km far to the city center so it was considered reasonably close. This time the new Istanbul airport started its official operation in April 2019 a couple of months before our arrival in June. The new Istanbul airport is located about 45 km from the city center, so it was important to decide the best way to get from the airport to our hotel. We opted for Havaist airport bus service operated by IETT which is the public transportation authority of Istanbul. We took IST-Y1 which goes to Yenikapi but we got off at Aksaray and took a taxi to the DoubleTree Hilton old town Hotel in Laleli. The bus ticket cost TL 18 per person (and children over six count) and paid TL 10 for the taxi ride which was quite short.
The airport was quite huge but well organized with signs all the way to help you reach your destination and we also asked the staff to make sure we were going the right way. We reached the exit to the Havaist bus stop easily and it was a comfortable ride.
We stayed in DoubleTree by Hilton Istanbul Old Town hotel during our first 6 days and in Radisson Blu Istanbul Pera hotel during the next 6 days of our visit. The first hotel was an excellent choice as it was near most of the attractions in Sultan Ahmed and the old city. Radisson Blu was also a good choice being near Istiklal street with all shops and restaurants.
We arrived at DoubleTree hotel around 8 o'clock in the morning and the check-in was fast and the lady at the front desk was helpful in ordering a free an extra roll-away bed for the children. We got warm cookies as well. We stayed in a standard room overlooking the backstreet which was ok and the space in the room was reasonable, it was also near close to the hotel restaurant.
Fun at Forum Istanbul Mall
We had a couple of hours rest before we took off to Forum Istanbul which is one of the largest shopping and entertainment malls in Istanbul that's located in Kocatepe close to a metro station with the same name. To go there with public transportation we took the T1 tram from Laleli University tramway station in front of the hotel to Yusufpaşa station and then walked approx. 150 meters to Aksaray metro station where we took the M1 metro to Kocatepe.
The following are some of the highlights of Forum Istanbul:
- Legoland Discovery center
- Sea life Aquarium
- IKEA store and restaurant
Day 2 Istanbul - Historical tour
We got up at 08:00 AM and had our breakfast at the hotel restaurant and it was quite good. We had decided to spend the day visiting the historical sites at Sultan Ahmet area so we started by going to the Sultan Ahmed mosque famously called "Blue Mosque" (Sultan Ahmet Camii in Turkish). Renovation work was going on so you may see the scaffolding in some photos but visitors were not bothered by the works as it took place in small parts of the mosque.
The mosque is quite large with a yard attached to the mosque building, it was called the blue mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design. Women have to cover their hair if they wish to get into the mosque and men should wear trousers or long skirt to cover their legs. One has to take off his/her shoes when getting in the mosque, you can either leave your shoes on a stand or carry them in a plastic bag which you can get rid of when you get out of the mosque. Tourists are not allowed to cross a barrier to the praying part unless they are going to pray to avoid distracting the prayers. It took us less than 40 minutes to walk through the mosque and admire the artworks on the walls and ceiling.
After we has some refreshments in the area outside the mosque, we went off to Aya Sofya or Hagia Sophia which was originally built as a cathedral then converted to a mosque and then later on turned into a museum. This building has an amazing mixture of Christian icons and Islamic calligraphy creating a unique experience for visitors.
The airport was quite huge but well organized with signs all the way to help you reach your destination and we also asked the staff to make sure we were going the right way. We reached the exit to the Havaist bus stop easily and it was a comfortable ride.
We stayed in DoubleTree by Hilton Istanbul Old Town hotel during our first 6 days and in Radisson Blu Istanbul Pera hotel during the next 6 days of our visit. The first hotel was an excellent choice as it was near most of the attractions in Sultan Ahmed and the old city. Radisson Blu was also a good choice being near Istiklal street with all shops and restaurants.
We arrived at DoubleTree hotel around 8 o'clock in the morning and the check-in was fast and the lady at the front desk was helpful in ordering a free an extra roll-away bed for the children. We got warm cookies as well. We stayed in a standard room overlooking the backstreet which was ok and the space in the room was reasonable, it was also near close to the hotel restaurant.
Fun at Forum Istanbul Mall
We had a couple of hours rest before we took off to Forum Istanbul which is one of the largest shopping and entertainment malls in Istanbul that's located in Kocatepe close to a metro station with the same name. To go there with public transportation we took the T1 tram from Laleli University tramway station in front of the hotel to Yusufpaşa station and then walked approx. 150 meters to Aksaray metro station where we took the M1 metro to Kocatepe.
The following are some of the highlights of Forum Istanbul:
- Legoland Discovery center
- Sea life Aquarium
- IKEA store and restaurant
Day 2 Istanbul - Historical tour
We got up at 08:00 AM and had our breakfast at the hotel restaurant and it was quite good. We had decided to spend the day visiting the historical sites at Sultan Ahmet area so we started by going to the Sultan Ahmed mosque famously called "Blue Mosque" (Sultan Ahmet Camii in Turkish). Renovation work was going on so you may see the scaffolding in some photos but visitors were not bothered by the works as it took place in small parts of the mosque.
The mosque is quite large with a yard attached to the mosque building, it was called the blue mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design. Women have to cover their hair if they wish to get into the mosque and men should wear trousers or long skirt to cover their legs. One has to take off his/her shoes when getting in the mosque, you can either leave your shoes on a stand or carry them in a plastic bag which you can get rid of when you get out of the mosque. Tourists are not allowed to cross a barrier to the praying part unless they are going to pray to avoid distracting the prayers. It took us less than 40 minutes to walk through the mosque and admire the artworks on the walls and ceiling.
After we has some refreshments in the area outside the mosque, we went off to Aya Sofya or Hagia Sophia which was originally built as a cathedral then converted to a mosque and then later on turned into a museum. This building has an amazing mixture of Christian icons and Islamic calligraphy creating a unique experience for visitors.
It took more than an hour to walk through Ayasofya and we went up using old brick slide passage not fit for wheel chairs.
Comments
Post a Comment