48 Hours in Istanbul: A Feast for the Senses

Istanbul is such an incredible city to explore! I recently spent 48 hours in Istanbul and I was thoroughly impressed with the city. There is so much history and culture here!

Arrival

I arrived at the Istanbul airport very early in the morning after taking an overnight flight from Bangkok. The airport was fairly empty and getting through customs was pretty quick. The airport is about an hour away from Istanbul so I was able to get a taxi to bring me to my hotel.

It was still dark when we left the airport but by the time we got into the city area, the sun was coming up. The hotel I stayed at was called Hotel St. Sofia and it was right behind the Hagia Sofia. Also, right across the street was the Basilica Cistern, which was super kewl but I’ll talk about that later.

I was instantly greeted by one of the many cats that roam the streets here in Istanbul. They are very friendly and love to be pet.

This was a very nice hotel and the people at the front desk were very nice and helpful. It was too early to check in to my room but they were able to hold on to my bags while I explored around the city. They gave me a recommendation for a great place to get breakfast with a good view of the water.

Breakfast

The place was called Dürbün Cafe Restaurant and it was located right across the street from the piers. It’s located on the 5th floor so you have a great view of the Asian side of the city. Fun fact for ya, Istanbul is the only city in the world that is located on two continents separated by the Golden Horn.

The European side has the oldest parts of the city and the Asian side is newer with still a lot of development happening. I sat in a room that had a lot of windows and the views were incredible. It’s a very busy waterway – lots of boats and lots of seagulls!

This was my first time having a legit Turkish breakfast. It really it quite the spread! It’s toast, butter, jam, hard boiled egg, salad, cheese, slice of meat, omelette and coffee. I was extremely full afterwards but also extremely satisfied! It was sustenance I needed to walk around exploring this city for the rest of the day.

City Strolling

I walked through a park near the waterfront called Gülhane Park that was really nice and clean. It was a bit chilly that day but some people were out walking around. I made my way up towards the old mosques. Hagia Sofia had a long line to get in, so I decided to check that out a different day.

I continued walking along the park in between the mosques and it really is a beautiful area. There is a giant Egyptian Obelisk in the center of the square and a few other remnants of the old world. With no line to get into The Blue Mosque, I decided to check it out!

This mosque is absolutely massive and built entirely from marble stone. The pillars are super smooth to the touch and even the massive one in the center has intricately carved out sinks.

By this time it was about noon, so I was able to check into my room. The room wasn’t too big but the bed was very comfortable and the Hagia Sofia was right outside my window. I took a short nap for about an hour or so.

After my nap I walked over to the Grand Bazaar, which is a massive collection of shops/venders in a huge space. This bazaar is super famous, super old and also super touristy. And I had a great time!

Grand Bazaar

First stop was to eat – I needed to have a doner kebab in my life. Found a small stand right on the outside of the bazaar that didn’t look too busy, and I ordered a meat doner wrap with fries and a pomegranate tea. It was delicious! The hot sauce that came with it was really good!

Now with a full belly, I was ready to walk around the Grand Bazaar. It’s a really busy place and so many people selling stuff. I think there are around 4,000 vendors at this bazaar. It’s setup like a grid system kinda, so you can make rights and lefts but still sorta know which direction you are going.

I’m not gonna lie there was a point where I was a bit lost, but then I saw a different exit then where I entered and decided not to venture too far away from that exit. I stopped into a sweet shop because I was looking for Dubai chocolate. The guy didn’t have it but let me try this white chocolate with espresso bits in it covered in Kadayif – which is this sweet crunchy stuff. I loved it! Chocolate acquired!

I then popped into another shop to get some fancy soaps because I’m a sucker for fancy soaps! Got a bunch of varieties but the one that stuck out to me was the citranella soap. I haven’t used it yet but I will need to soon to keep the mosquitos away!

After buying a few items and souvenirs, I used the second exit that I saw. This brought me about 1/4 mile away from the spot where I entered, so I just walked along the streets/alleys. It really is quite trippy walking around there because it’s so old. Lots of connected alleyways with stairs and some steep hills. I was able to find my way back to the hotel and got to see a bit more of the city.

Basilica Cistern

The Basilica Cistern was such a cool place to visit! It’s an ancient water tank for some of the old Palaces in the area. Originally built in the 5th century, used for over a thousand years and then forgotten about for a century. Restoration projects started in the 1980’s and then re-restored in the 2020.

You enter the building right off the street and then take the stairs down into the cistern. It’s a massive space! The government installed a steel staircase and walkway in the 2010’s. Just in case you were wondering – the Basilica Cistern has 336 marble columns (I counted) holding up the roof. The water still flows beneath your feet as you walk but you don’t come in contact with any water since you are on the steel walkway.

I did absolutely zero research about this place before going in and I was surprised to find giant stone faces at the base of some of the marble columns. Very kewl! Apparently the story is that they used marble statues that were even older than the cistern in the construction of the columns. Kind of a crazy story if you ask me.

There were also some statues scattered around and LED lighting that added some nice effects to the experience. I was down in the cistern for about 20-30 minutes – wasn’t rushed and saw everything. When you exit, you go up a different set of stairs which takes you to the gift shop before exiting. I got a few souvenirs and gifts for people. I really enjoyed the Basilica Cistern and you should check it out if you’re in Istanbul!

Galata Tower

After the Basilica Cistern, I took the train over the asian side of the city which is across the bridge. The transit system is very convenient and efficient. I wanted to check out the Galata Tower and then get something to eat. I ended up taking a slightly longer way walking to get to the tower but I didn’t mind at all because the city is so interesting.

Lots of hills and winding roads on the way up and the buildings are so tightly packed together. It is incredible to think that this is one of the oldest cities in the world and since it is such a major trade hub, you have cultures from all over the world here!

I finally made it to the Galata Tower and it’s really cool to see up close. The tower is placed in a prominent spot on this hill and you can see it from far away. There was a long line to get inside, so I decided to skip it for now. I was happy enough to see it and get a few selfies in front of it ☺️.

Antiochia (dinner one)

I found this restaurant recommendation from reddit. Some people commented that this place has a very unique spice blend that’s delicious. And I can confirm the deliciousness!!

I walked in with no reservation and was seated immediately. The waiter brought me out some nice sparkling mineral water as I perused the menu. Everything looked good on the menu but I ended up going with the classics. I ordered hummus with pita and the grilled chicken. Everything was super fresh and delicious! The spice blend used on the chicken was heavenly!

One thing I loved is that they also gave me a small dish full of freshly ground cumin. I dipped the hummus into there and also the chicken. The cumin was the most enjoyable part for me and I never had that before at a restaurant. Such a simple thing but adds so much flavor to each bite. I thoroughly enjoyed this meal and would come back next time I’m in Istanbul!

After dinner, I was super full so I walked it off. Past Galata Tower one last time. It’s super beautiful seeing the tower at night and also very nice walking around the city. I took the train back to the European side of town and walked around a bit more before retiring for the night. I walked about 26,000 steps that day so I was tired and ready for bed.

Istanbul Day Tour

I woke up bright and early that morning – did some journaling and showered before heading down to the lobby. I had some Turkish coffee while waiting to be picked up for the tour. A guy showed up at 9 and brought us to the bus. The bus picked up some more people, then we hopped over the bridge and got onto a boat.

Once we were on the boat, we were given a nice Turkish breakfast spread. We ate our breakfast as the boat took off down the Bosphorus Strait. It was so kewl being able to see the city from this vantage point! The seagulls flocked the boat as people were throwing bits of bread off the back. These seagulls are a lot bigger than the ones I am used to in New Jersey, and there are so many of them! It was a fun boat ride and after about a half hour we stopped at our first stop of the day.

Beylerbeyi Palace

Our first stop was Beylerbeyi Palace (Sultan’s Summer Palace), which was once used as a summer home for the Sultans and as a guesthouse to welcome foreign dignatories. This palace is now a tourist destination for people to admire the craftsmanship of the Ottoman Empire.

Before you even enter the palace, you are greeted by a beautifully manicured landscape right on the water. We had a bit of rain that day and some splashing coming from the water, but luckily it wasn’t too bad. There are a few kewl statues outside of the building including two lions outside of the front door.

Inside of the palace is really stunning and beautifully ornate. The chandeliers are huge and made from French Baccarat crystal. There was an audio tour available so I was able to hear the stories of what the different rooms were used for. Each room was unique, elegant and decadent. There was even a gift giving room for guests to receive gifts from the Sultan.

Although you were not allowed to use cell phones or cameras inside of the palace, I was able to snap off one pic. Please don’t tell anyone! ☺️

After checking out the building, we all met outside. We exited through the gift shop and I grabbed a few souvenirs for family. Walked back to the boat and on to the next stop 😊

Grand Çamlıca Mosque

It was only a short boat ride to the other side of the Bosphorus Strait where we docked again and got onto buses. The buses took us up a big hill through some newer housing developments. We got dropped off at the Grand Çamlıca Mosque, which is the largest mosque in Turkiye, and walked up the path to the entrance. Took some pics before going inside.

This mosque is truly impressive in size and the architectural detail is beautifully crafted. As we were walking around the outside of the mosque, it started snowing. The snow definitely obstructed the views of the city from that height but the snow was also beautiful to see. Only issue was that I wasn’t expecting snow and didn’t dress properly for this lol. Luckily I had my lightweight travel hoodie and a winter hat. Would’ve been a lot chillier without that!

Next we went inside to walk around and that’s where I became even more impressed with this building. As I walked around I noticed that even the smallest parts of the building were built in a beautiful way

I was also lucky even to be present during one of their prayer sessions. The sound reverberates off of every inch of that space and you feel it in your body. It is a giant space in the center that is open to the dome top. There are multiple levels all around the sides and I went to each level. Another thing that amazed me was that those minor details of beauty were consistent throughout the whole mosque.

This building really is a beautiful work of art and I’m super grateful that I was able to experience what it’s like there during prayer time. I can only imagine what it’s like with 65,000 people in there!

Eyüp Teleferik

After the Grand Mosque, we got back on the boat to head towards our last stop. They served us lunch and I remember eating it, but I don’t remember what it was haha. By this time, it was snowing hard so visibility was low outside of the boat. We docked somewhere back on the European side of town and got onto another bus.

This bus ride was interesting as we went through a few different historic neighborhoods before climbing another hill and stopping at the top of a huge cemetery. The views were supposed to be amazing from up but, again, the snow was blocking the view. I made a friend with an older woman named Funke. It was starting to get pretty slippery outside so I told her to hold on to me for safety.

The tour guide told us that this was the first time it snowed in Istanbul in a couple years, so people were excited about seeing the snow. From the top of this cemetery, we were able to take a cable car ride down to the bottom. I could see this being a very scenic ride on other days, but not that day.

Once the whole group was at the bottom, we got onto buses and were brought back to our hotels. Pretty fun day! Once I got back to my hotel, I rested and freshened up before heading out for dinner number two!

Zeugma Terrace (dinner two)

This meal was a real treat and I am so happy I decided to come here for dinner. I was looking for a place nearby my hotel with a good view of the city. Zeugma Terrace had nothing but 5 star reviews for recent weeks, so I gave it a whirl. My table had a great view of the city skyline across the bosporus strait.

I ordered a lentil soup to start off and was served a very nice sparkling mineral water. The soup and water were both delish!

For my main course, I ordered the Diana Steak, which is tenderloin steak with a mushroom sauce. The steak was perfectly cooked and delicious, but the best part was the presentation. The waiter lights the whole plate on fire, then seasons the steak with a “black spice” that was amazing. He told me what the spice was but I couldn’t understand him. Everything was really good!

For dessert, they gave me a complimentary piece of baklava, and yes… it was delicious! I think it had walnuts and pistachios, which is a winning combination in my book! After dinner, I felt very full and very satisfied with myself. It was very windy and freezing outside, so I was very happy to retire back at my warm hotel room.

Hagia Sofia

On my last morning in Istanbul, I woke up early, had a nice Turkish breakfast at the hotel, got all my stuff ready and went to visit the Hagia Sofia. I saved this mosque for last since it was so close to my hotel – I could literally hear the prayers going on at 5:30 in the morning. The entrance was a short walk from the hotel. Since I was so early, there was no line and hardly any people inside of the mosque.

This mosque is super impressive. It reminds me of the Grand Mosque, except the Hagia Sofia was built 2000 years ago and the Grand Mosque was built in 2019. The scale of this building is incredible. Visitors are only allowed to walk around the upper side of the mosque while the main part in the middle is open for people to pray.

One interesting fact about the Hagia Sofia is that it was not always a mosque. There was a time when it was converted into a church and also a museum. Originally built as a Catholic Cathedral for the Byzantine Empire in 536 AD, the Hagia Sofia was only recently reconverted back to a mosque in 2020 after spending many decades as a museum.

Istanbul Airport

After I checked out the Hagia Sofia, I did a little souvenir shopping then grabbed my bags at the hotel. I arranged a ride to the airport from the hotel since the airport is about 45-60 minutes away from the city center. Got to the airport with about 3 hours to spare and flew through security pretty quickly.

This airport is the nicest airport I have ever been in. There is a ton of luxury shopping on both sides of the airport. Then on the other side of the luxury brands, you have all the treats of Turkiye available for sale and also lots of food options as well. I bought some baklava and Dubai Chocolate for the family. Had myself a nice goodbye doner kebab.

Two things I would have done different are: buy more dubai chocolate and also give myself extra time to explore the airport more. There is a museum there that I didn’t get to see and also an entire food court area that I didn’t go to. But hey, there’s always next time 😊 The flight back to JFK was not too bad – I think I slept for most of it 😉

I thoroughly enjoyed my short but busy trip to Istanbul! I had a wonderful time exploring the old world and a bit of the new world too! Thank you for reading this far! I enjoyed telling this travel story ☺️ See you next time!!