Istanbul, 4 adults , 2024

[joshcowin]

4 adults going to Istanbul next year.

When's good to go?
Wheres good to stay?
Any specific recommendations?
This will be our main holiday so can stay up to 10 days, how long should we stay?

Any info, tips, recommendations would be mega helpful!

[HotJambalaya]

wouldnt really be bothered to stay more then about 4/5 days in istanbul to be honest.

The grand bazaar and that are is full of junk, interesting walk around etc, but you're unlikely to want to buy anything there. Lots of great food though.

I did a walking food tour which was nice too.

[MarkJS]

I can recommend the Neorion hotel. Nice hotel in an excellent location.

If you like live music, try the Nardis Jazz Club near the tower.

I love Istanbul - an amazing city.

[Venisonpie]

MarkJS said:

I can recommend the Neorion hotel. Nice hotel in an excellent location.

If you like live music, try the Nardis Jazz Club near the tower.

I love Istanbul - an amazing city.

Agreed, loved it. Take a boat across the Bosphorus into Asia, explore the spice market, go to the aqueduct and the Cistern Basilica plus any number of mosques. A great cultural experience - I also came home with a few cashmere shawls which made great xmas presents for the females in my life.

[joshcowin]

Thanks for the tips so far!

Any recommendations on tours or guides?

[Raptor7000r]

joshcowin said:

4 adults going to Istanbul next year.

When's good to go?
Wheres good to stay?
Any specific recommendations?
This will be our main holiday so can stay up to 10 days, how long should we stay?

Any info, tips, recommendations would be mega helpful!

I went in Feb last year was a little damp and cold but not as bad as here, gets very busy in Summer.
We stayed in Taksim across the bosphorus found it quite good just at the top of istikal street which is the main street of the city centre probably at least 2 miles long.

Depending on if you want to visit the cultural places, would do the bosphorus cruise, galata tower, hagia sophia, topkapi palace there's a few others but topkapi tops them all, grand bazaar although expect to get lost we did and couldn't find the original store we wanted to buy an english tea set in they all have turkish size sets mainly. Cisilia bistern, visit a hamam, the Asia side has a few places to go although we were only there 4 days so crammed quite a lot in. Looking to go back next year sometime.

[rolster]

I went as a tourist for the first time a few years ago just before Covid. I had been many times before on business and had never really looked around the place.

I was talked into going on a Big Bus tour on the first day there by my sister in law and went on it grumbling away but it actually gave you a highlight tour around the city allowing you to layout in your mind where all the attractions and museums were.

The highlights for me were the Basilica Cistern, the Hagia Sophia (maybe skip the Blue Mosque if not your religion) and the Rahmi M. Koc transport museum which i could have spent a couple of days in, but the others would only let me spend a day in, but well worth it for anyone into machinery of any sort.

I chartered a good sized yacht with catering and a tour guide on one day and we had a great time cruising up and down the Bosporus for an afternoon and evening with plenty of food and drink and with the tour guide we could ask as many questions as we liked on the route.

I would think that for a week to ten days you will find plenty to do, transport around the place is good and taxis are cheap. loads of great restaurants and cafes around the place.