This is basically a bus on the sea, especially how everything is set up in terms of seating and you…read morehave some people electing to stand up in the aisle-way. You can also be outside of the seated area and take in the good air and view of the other boats on the water and city. At night time though, I will tell your not seeing anything especially when in the middle of sea. I want to say the trip might have been shorter than 7 minutes, it's definitely the quickest way across the sea without any traffic and it's so cheap with a good number of boats going back and forward. Skip the "Infamous Istanbul Traffic" for this short boat ride!

Led by our intrepid tour guide, Gayle and I spent several stretches Day 2 in Instanbul on Public…read moreTransit. All we needed to do was scan our credit card at the entrance turnstyles and for 88 cents US, we were on our way. We found Istanbul public transit to be a safe, clean, and efficient experience, of which people watching the locals was fun and interesting. Our adventure included lots of light rail choices, plus 2 funiculars, of which the Taksim Karaköy Tünel was the most interesting. This historical line, which opened on 17 January 1875, covers the 573-metre route (uphill for us) between Karaköy and Beyoğlu in approximately 102 seconds. And before I could pull my camera out and frame a shot, our ride was over!

Another cool little ferry terminal on the Istanbul system. This one again is a gorgeous old…read morebuilding that's well-maintained, prime waterfront real estate duh. Search three main lines that are well marked and as always they have several Istanbul Kart station, which are essential if you want to use a public transportation system here.

a great and economical way to see the bosphorousread more