It was exciting to be in Turkey for the first time! I was eager to visit this fascinating and (to me) exotic country where East meets West.
A quick note on the country’s name: In the Turkish language, the country’s official name has been Türkiye Cumhuriyeti since the Ottoman Empire ended in 1923. To the rest of the world, it was known in the English language as Republic of Turkey. In 2022, the Turkish government asked the United Nations and other international organizations to change the official name in English to be Republic of Türkiye. The U.S. State Department uses Türkiye in formal diplomatic contexts and Turkey elsewhere. So for my humble purposes, the name Turkey works just fine.
The catalyst for our trip to Turkey was the wedding of Steve’s nephew, which would take place in Istanbul, his fiancée’s home town. It was the perfect excuse to move Turkey to the top of our list. We had three weeks to explore the country, which for slow-traveling nomads like us, was not nearly enough time! Our high-level itinerary looked like this:
Istanbul’s Old City (3 days)
Cappadocia (3 days)
Izmir, with day trips to Ephesus and Aphrodisias (4 days)
Istanbul’s New District (7 days, with the wedding on day 2)
To make the most of our time, I booked guided tours for Old City Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus, and Aphrodisias. After the wedding, we’d explore Istanbul on our own.
Istanbul is a megacity in both population (15.8 million people) and area (more than 2,000 square miles.) It literally spans two continents, split by the Bosphorus Strait into the European side to the west and the Asian side to the east. During its long, layered history it has had different names: Byzantium (founded by the ancient Greeks), Constantinople (capital of the Byzantine Empire), Konstantiniyye (capital of the Ottoman Empire) and finally Istanbul. While it is not the capital city of the modern-day Republic of Turkey, Istanbul is still a Great City.
Our first stay in Istanbul was on the European side in the Old City, also known as the Historic Peninsula. Tourists flock here to see Istanbul’s most important historical sites. Our hotel, the Orientbank, was formerly the Deutsche Bank building, and appears in the film Skyfall at the start of James Bond’s epic chase through the Grand Bazaar. It was fun staying in such a distinctive, historic building. It even had an observation tower with great views of the city.
Day 1
Turkish Breakfast
We had heard that Turkish breakfasts were large, but we didn’t expect it to be this lavish! It was tasty and fun, but Orientbank’s version was way too much food for us.
Topkapı Palace
Topkapı was a walled complex with a harem, crown jewels, and holy relics. Even the private rooms were beautifully decorated. It was fun to imagine the lush life of a sultan. Read more HERE.
Nomad Meetup
That evening, we met up with Tom and Georganna, whom I met via Facebook. They have been nomads for five years now, and have visited 71 countries! We had a delicious Ottoman dinner at Deraliye and swapped stories of our travels.
Day 2
This was the day for visiting important historic sites in the Sultanahmet area of the Old City. We enlisted the services of a seasoned guide named Erdinç (ehr-dinch). Everything was within a compact, walkable area, but it was still a lot to take in.
Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia
These iconic mosques were very grand and steeped in history. They were also very crowded. Read more HERE.
Basilica Cistern
This was a strange and wonderful place deep below the city, and we loved it! Read more HERE.
Grand Bazaar
We saw one glittering corner of the world’s oldest and largest shopping mall (and that was more than enough for us). We also learned how carpets are made (but didn’t buy one). Read more HERE.
Galata Bridge
We walked across the bridge to the other side of the Golden Horn and watched the sunset from a rooftop restaurant. Dinner was excellent! Read more HERE.
Day 3
We ventured beyond the Old City and explored more of Istanbul’s historic peninsula
Spice Bazaar
This was our kind of shopping - food stalls! We tasted some nuts and sweets, and did a lot more feasting with our eyes. Read more HERE.
Rustem Pasha Mosque
Near the Spice Bazaar was a mosque designed by imperial architect Mimar Sinan and decorated with beautiful tiles from Iznik (formerly Nicea). It was out-of-the-way and peacefully empty.
Eyüpsultan
Erdinç took us on the tram to the end of the Golden Horn. We rode a funicular to the top of the hill and admired the view. Eyüp is famous for its sacred mosque and cemetery. Read more HERE.
St. George’s Church
We rode the tram to Fener and visited the Patriarchate of Constantinople, which is like the Vatican of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was interesting to see two very sacred sites - one Islamic, one Christian - on the same day.
Balat
This picturesque cafe-lined neighborhood was once the Jewish quarter of Istanbul. Agora Tavern was sandwiched between two historic walls.
We said goodbye to Erdinç and stayed at Agora Tavern for a meal of fresh local fish. Then we rode the tram back to the Old City and walked back to our hotel, already feeling like locals.
