Istanbul, Turkey planning
I have never been to Istanbul. One of the many things that appeal to me about this cruise, is that I can fly into Istanbul a couple days early. Also, there is an extensive section in Rick Steves Mediterranean Cruise Ports 2014 guidebook. Unfortunately, the info is a bit out of date as it is 2019 pre-Covid info. The 2019 edition doesn't include Istanbul or Ephesus! I will need to get the latest Istanbul guide for this trip. It will more than pay for itself with self-guided tours. I used the 2021 Rick Steves Istanbul with Ephesus and Cappadocia Eighth Edition guidebook.
I discovered that I need to prebuy a Turkish e-visa from a discussion on Cruise Critic and have acquired them.
Top sights for me to see are the Hagia Sofia ***, the Underground Cistern **, the Blue Mosque ***, the Istanbul Archaeological Museum ** and the Topkapi Palace *** which are all located in the Old Town. I used points to book at the Doubletree in Sirkeci so I can walk to the sights. I love that we still get free breakfast in Europe but in US only get a small credit.
Topkapi Palace is closed Tuesday.
Hagia Sophia and the Archaeological Museum are closed Monday.
Tentative plan Tuesday is to use the Rick Steves guidebook and focus on the Sultanahmet district in the Old Town. Take the self- guided Historic Core Walk (3 hours) in the guide book, taking the self-guided tours of the Hagia Sophia (90 minutes), the Basilica Cistern, and the Blue Mosque . Then possibly follow the self-guided tour of the nearby Istanbul Archaeological Museum (2 hours).
Tentative plan Wednesday is to use the Rick Steves guidebook and take the self-guided tours of the Topkapı Palace (3 hours) at 9AM. Then grab a taxi or shuttle from the hotel to board the cruise in the afternoon. I usually ask at the hotel desk when checking in.
Tuesday and Wednesday will no doubt be exhausting but worthwhile.
Do you have any other suggestions? Was this helpful to you?
Happy Cruising!
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