Istanbul has long been on our list of must-visit places and although I can say that I did actually go there in 1999, that was just for 24-hours and I regrettably didn't get a chance to visit any of the wonderful sites. So when I was tasked with planning our flights back to Hong Kong from London, I took the chance to get us all on Turkish Airlines with a three-night stopover in Istanbul. Needless to say, it's a wonderful place and here are the details.

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As I said, we flew on Turkish Airlines from Gatwick and as the flight was at 10am, we got the midnight coach from Birmingham Digbeth which got us into Gatwick at around 5am. Not ideal but I'm still quite certain that there is no possible way of getting from Birmingham to Gatwick without staying the night in London first, which we didn't want to do. I kicked myself a few times along the way though as Turkish Airlines also flies out of Birmingham - I should have gotten us on that flight. Anyhow, we arrived into Istanbul at around 5pm after a 4-hour flight and the fun  began!

I'd looked into the transport options from the new airport into the city proper and we were looking at a 50-minute taxi for around 20 Euros as the best option (vs. much longer and less convenient bus or train). However we were soon left with a bad first impression of Istanbul and the feeling that everyone was out to rip us off. With 4 people and 3 suitcases we were 'not allowed' to get a basic yellow cab but were pushed towards the more expensive turquoise and black options. We tried Uber but the guy wanted around 40 Euros cash. After a spontaneous 'Leonard family deliberation' we got back into the taxi line and were finally all able to fit into the aforementioned yellow cab which ended up costing us around 15 Euros. A good choice in the end.

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The taxi dropped us at the Shangri-La where the grown-ups were staying, while the girls were staying in a small apartment just 5-minutes away. That proved to be a bit of a nightmare, but more of that later. Eventually we were all checked in and ate dinner at a 'local but touristy' restaurant at around 9pm. For sure the food was good but as it was touristy it came with a lot of extra trimmings all of which ended up on the 40 Euro bill. Once again we felt a bit ripped off as we headed back to our respective digs with a plan to meet up for breakfast at the Shangri-La the following morning.

 

Day 1 proper started with the aforementioned breakfast - a lovely spread and we all enjoyed various local specialties. We then took a long walk - which ended up being about 6km - to the Old Town where we would cross off two of the biggest sights of the trip - The Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia mosque. The Blue Mosque came first and this proved to be an amazing experience for us all - to be a part of Friday Prayers in such a mystical place. We then had to queue for a while to get into Hagia Sophia, but given this mosque dates to around the year 530, it was also a privilege to be able to visit where so many others had gone before.

 

Day 2 also started with another great breakfast before we spent a good four hours inside the Grand Bazaar. I'm never one for shopping but the time flew by as it was a place with so much - dare I use the word again - mysticism. Although the shops took most of our attention, it was good to look up once in a while and see the ancient ceilings and archways which must have been party to a lot of haggling over the centuries. While many shops sold fairly traditional fare - carpets and jewelry, the majority seemed to veer towards rather more touristy offerings. All in all though, we all came away with a few purchases and despite a midday interruption from the apartment owner (more of that later), it was a lovely day out.

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Day 3 was also our travel day, although as we had a very late flight we weren't too pressed for time. After breakfast, we jumped in a taxi and made the short crossing from the European side to the Asian side of the city. We spent a lovely few hours, firstly in the gardens of Beylerbeyi Palace - once the summer palace of the Sultans - and then in the small, quaint town of Uskudar. This was a nice break from the ultra-touristy experiences of the previous two days. By late afternoon, it was time to get the boat across the Bosphorus back to Besiktas for us to pack up and enjoy one more lovely 'local-local' Turkish meal. At around 9pm, we made our way to the airport for our late-night/early-morning flight to Hong Kong. 

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All in all, a delightful and memorable stopover in Istanbul. Perhaps we could and should have ventured a little further and seen a little more, but as far as city breaks go, this was plenty for me and I'm happy to have finally and properly crossed this one off the list.

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As for our rather challenging apartment experience, without going into too much detail, it was a bit of a strange affair. Pretty soon after check-in, the owner/manager warned us not to open the door to anyone and if we were asked, to say we were her guests. Strange, but we went along with it. However, things took rather a dramatic and worrying turn on Day 2 when she warned us that as her neighbours didn't like foreigners, the police could bang on the door at anytime. Although we should be okay she said, they were a law unto themselves and pretty much anything could happen to us. She then strongly advised us to move to a new apartment around 10km away, which we declined but agreed to leave at 8am the following morning. At the appointed hour, the girls promptly got out of there and we all breathed a collected sigh of relief. A strange experience and my subsequent request to booking.com for an explanation fell on deaf ears. Needless to say, we would not stay there again, let alone use booking.com for Turkiye apartment rentals, if at all.

 

 

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