We came here a lot this summer for drinking on the grass with colleagues/friends. I want to like it…read moresince it features the awesome botellón culture (borrowed from Spain). People are having fun on blankets and chairs, drinking, eating, laughing, etc. It's not so friendly that you meet new people though, and I always find it just a tad too dirty to be fun. I'm not opposed to peeing in a bush or two but with so many people choosing the same four or five places to do it, the smell gets bad. There's also apparently some kind of sewer drain because it actually smells like shit around midnight, without fail. It's quite disgusting actually. For that reason, I would prefer Moda Park (for a late-night drinking spot) any day. There are also huge muddy puddles everywhere (who knows what liquid that is, actually), that I have stepped in more than once, unfortunately. Never again! The toilets close at 11 and there's no public transport (dolmus or taxi is available 24hrs but I'm a bus/metro kinda girl) after 12. That also kinda kills the vibe, in my opinion. Overall though if you want to experience drinking culture among local Turks this is the spot to be in. Not as glamorous after the first three or four times though.

Very suitable for breakfast. intertwined with nature. There are stream and lots of activities…read morenext to it. ideal for weekends.

I like the history blended in the nature with a fabolous view here. You can enjoy three course meal…read moreor a dessert break. I didd all during the last 18 months. Pretty enjoyable and affordable.

It was just terrific. They explained everything. You have to be comfortable with nudity, your own,…read moreand the scantily dressed woman who is scrubbing and helping you (if you are a woman). But I would do it again in a heartbeat, so relaxing.

The Suleymaniye Hamam was a cultural experience, that's for sure…read more I wanted to try a genuine Turkish bath, and the Sulimaniye Hamam is not only one of the oldest ones in Istanbul, it's also one of the few that allows co-ed bathing. In fact, it requires you come with a partner to partake. So I coerced my husband into coming along and made reservations for a Turkish bath. We arrived early but they took us right away. You are given a changing room (shared with your partner) and asked to dress in a bikini for women (they give you shorts and a top if you don't bring your own) and a towel for men. You're also given some very uncomfortable wooden sandals. A side note here: They made my husband leave his glasses in the changing room, which left him functionally blind. The glasses WOULD have steamed up in the bathing room, but I think that would have been preferable to him not being able to see at all, AND we saw another person wearing glasses in there. (OK, I saw another person wearing glasses in there--husband saw nothing.) So if you wear glasses and want them on your face for the bath, do it. After changing, you're brought into a large steam room for about 30 minutes to wait for your bath. There's a large heated marble square in the center of the room to sit on, and sinks around the perimeter of the room for you to fill bowls with water to splash yourself. Each of the four corners of the room is a treatment area, with two benches and two sinks. When it's your turn, the bathers will call you in to a corner and begin the treatment. The treatment consists of exfoliation with a loofah, followed by laying down on the table to be scrubbed all over with bubbles. They work on your back first, then your front. The scrubbing includes a little bit of massage, which was nice. Then, you are splashed with clean water to rinse the soap, and moved back to the area next to the sink where they shampoo your hair. Finally, you are splashed with progressively colder water until you're completely rinsed and soap-free. The last part of the experience is getting dry. The bathers bring you into a side room and wrap you in Turkish bath towels. They do not like it if you try to wrap yourself, I learned. Finally, you're brought into a room with benches and tables where you can order coffee, tea, water, or other refreshments. After our sweaty bath experience, all we wanted was water and more water. When you're done, you go back to your changing room, get back into your clothes, and that's it. You can pay for your refreshments on the way out (you pre-paid for the treatment) as well as leave any tips in a designated box. Pro tips: Bring something to hold back your hair if it's long. Bring makeup wipes since any makeup you're wearing will smear. Bring deodorant to reapply, as well as any hair products or makeup you might need, unless you plan on going straight back to your hotel. They do have blow dryers available for use at the hamam. As I said at the beginning, this was a cultural experience. I didn't find it relaxing exactly, especially since I wasn't sure what was going to happen at any given time. I'm glad I went, but I probably won't seek out a Turkish bath experience here at home.

One of the most amazing places I've ever seen, let me start with the negatives so you're prepared…read more Even in the off season, it's crowded. Part of the crowd are guided tours, quite the nuisance and do not fall prey to the multitude of charlatans aggressively touting their personal guide services. What you need instead is a little personal research using Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, or National Geographic tour guides. Be prepared for the steep admission charge, and remember this is a must see, and an expensive place to maintain, it's in constant restoration. That may interfere with good PICs that show the majesty of the place, but certainly doesn't subtract from the historic experience. This was the third church built in the same location, it is the archetype of Byzantine Architecture, built by famed mathematicians Anthemios and Isidoros as ordered by Emperor Justinianos in 532 to 537. That was very fast in those days, and impossible today, renovations will take twice as long. It survived sacking and looting by the Fourth Crusade and being converted to a mosque by the Ottomans. In fact, ruing the reign of Murad III, architect Sinan added buttresses and Islamic artistic touches that reinforced the structure to endure earthquakes. It's one of the many UNESCO World Heritage sites in Turkey, it is a museum and a mosque. The breathtaking and dizzying dome reads: "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. His light is like a niche in which there is a lamp, the lamp is in a crystal, the crystal is like a shining star, lit from (the oil of) a blessed olive tree, (located) neither to the east nor the west, whose oil would almost glow, even without being touched by fire." (Nur, 24/35) The work of Kazasker Mustafa Izzet Efendi,calligrapher during the reign of Sultan Abdulmejid. Dress appropriately and respectfully, it's still a mosque.

Ok, the story is a bit surprising since it was a catholic church during the Roman Empire and now…read moreconverted into a mosque and museum. I was a bit put out off from the high ticket price of $25 per person to go inside. Yes, we paid our fee and did a prearranged guided tour but did not feel like it was not a fair deal. The inside had scaffolding due to the interior renovation that is in the works. I've been to churches all over the world and only the Vatican is worth that kind of ticket price, In my opinion. There are a few remaining frescoes that you can see be seen but overall it was underrated and more of a cash grab to fund reconstruction.

If you take the Bosporus cruise, you will see the Rumeli Hisarı Fortress on the European side…read more Don't miss visiting this fortress because there are great views and there is so much history in this place! In 1453, after a thousand years, the Byzantine Empire came to an end with the Fall of Constantinople. For the next 500 years the Ottoman Empire ruled the area. Rumeli Hisarı means 'Fortress in the land of the Romans.' It was built in 1452 by the order of the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II. You can take Bus 25E (Kabataş--Sarıyer) to reach the fortress. Get out at the Rumeli Hisarı stop.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchy in Fener neighborhood is one of the sights that one should visit in…read morethe old part of the city. It's the core of the Orthodox world thus many Greeks come to visit the church. Each weekend they conduct mass and if you're lucky you may meet the Patriach himself as well. Don't forget to visit Fener and Balat neighborhood after/before your visit and get lost in the "old Istanbul".

With chandeliers and all interior design, the patriarchate has a very illuminating feel. Sacred…read morerelics and reliefs are kept here. The stone which was used to tie Jesus was brought there from Jerusalem. Since the 6th century the Phanar Greek Patriarchate has been the center of Orthodoxy. It was first founded by Constantine the Great in 330 AD. By the time Fatih Sultan Mehmed legalized the the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate after the conquest of Istanbul, Gennadios II was assigned as patriarch and he operated the patriarchate from the Apostles Church. The building was moved from one place to another several times.