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.

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.

This is an Orthodox Church that convert to mosque. This may be happen during Ottoman era in 1453…read more This history site is classified as museum and it is classified as Ayasofya Cami. You need a ticket to visit for non Muslim visitors. You can buy the combo ticket with Hagia Sophia museum or building visit along. Price is not cheap. The interior can spot some mosaic tile with orthodox figures. The ticket only allows second floor visit. The wall is kind of cover up with huge platt. You won't see the wall painting. However you can see how big is the dome. Visit take you one hours.

You can't miss this passageway! There is a nice stained glass design above the entrance on…read moreIstaklal Street. Cool little arcade full of restaurants (a few shops too). I heard from a tour guide that Russian Emigres got permission to sell flowers in this arcade a hundred years ago or so. The word Çiçek means flower in Turkish. The restaurants are traditional meyhane, which is a Persian word which means something like 'wine house'. In short, there are pubs there. I found this on a tour with the fantastic guide by the name if Katerina. Check out the Culinary Backstreets Tour of Istanbul.

The Blue Mosque was one of our first stops on our tour that day…read more My best advice is to wear pants that are loose and long, so everything down to your ankles is covered and you're wearing mid length sleeves on your tee shirt, not having bare shoulders. Even though my sister in law and I were wearing full length leggings they handed us both the communal skirts they give out as cover to those (men and women alike) that need it. We had both planned ahead and brought headscarves with us but there are plenty of stores directly around the mosque where women can buy a pashmina or something similar to wear, just make sure you pick one up unless you would like the communal one the hand out at the gate. Right before you enter you remove your shoes and they can be left in the bookcase on the side of the room while you visit. The mosque is gorgeous and the tile work is breathtaking. The decorated ostrich eggs that hang from the chandeliers were once upon a time used to ward off insects in the decades previous to air conditioning. It's a gorgeous space and absolutely worth a visit if you're in Istanbul.

An absolutely stunning mosque in the heart of Istanbul. Decorated inside with over 20,000…read moreblue-toned iznik tiles, it's truly a masterpiece. Likely one of the most visited sites due to its location in Sultanahmet Square. It is an example of Ottoman commitment to Islam and a reflection of their immense wealth. Like most mosques in the city, it's completely free to enter. Women must wear a head scarf and be modestly dressed. Scarves are provided if you don't have one. The mosque is very crowded during peak hours. I've had better luck in the evening for a more peaceful experience. Worth a visit and worth the hype!

Our local tour guide (Safiye) took us down for a stroll on İstiklal Avenue, which is a well known…read moreshopping street in Istanbul. That included taking us inside St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church. In a City full of stunning mosques and sprinkling of Eastern Orthodox, visiting this Roman Catholic establishment kind of turned the tourist saying of "Oh Joy, another Church!" on its head. We found the interior to be very impressive and comforting. This is the largest church in Istanbul and has Italian pedigree, both in its founding and in its clergy today. Depending on the day of the week, one could attend Mass in either Turkish, English, or Italian. Pope John XXIII preached here for 10 years while he was the Vatican's ambassador to Turkey before being chosen as pope. He is known as "the Turkish Pope" because of his fluency in Turkish and his oft-expressed love for Turkey and Istanbul. Gayle and I were able to admire a statue of him installed within the church's courtyard. I also detected a bit of Byzantine/Eastern Orthodox influence within a few of the "Icons" inside the church. One was how the 3 fingers are put together to signify the Trinity, with the back 2 fingers following. And if we stuck around longer, my guess is that we might have seen people crossing themselves in either the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox mode.

Went here for Christmas Eve service - absolutely beautiful!! Decorated to the nines both inside…read moreand out. If you're around Taksim Square on Christmas Eve, stop by for a visit at least. If you want to stay for mass on Christmas Eve, come early. 45 minutes before the service and it was standing room only. Very diverse crowd!

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.

I got a chance to explore local hotels and cafes in the area and got pleasantly surprised! From…read moreMuseum of Cats in the Galata area to Turkish vegan breakfast at Dukkan cafe! Our hotel also had a Hammam inside of it!

Cool historical site. Nice view of city from top. Nice interpretive content explaining history of…read moretower. Price (30 euros) is too high (but Isanbul's tourist attractions in general are priced quite high) but Museum Turkey pass covers site. Definitely a site worth checking out.

I was a tad obsessed with the Maiden Tower before our Istanbul visit. I didn't think I'd have time…read moreto check it out, but I managed to do so and it didn't dissappoint. Just a ferry boat small trip on the Asian side of Istanbul in Uskudar. I am sure it looks nice during sunset, but I loved it on a cloudy windy day as well. Leander's Tower dates from the Byzantine period, it has a long history, it burnt, it was rebuild a few times. For the film geeks, you can see it in a Bond movie, "The World Is Not Enough" with Sophie Marceau. The legend says that a sultan built it for his daughter to avoid a prophecy of dying from a snake bite. It happened anyway. Off the beaten path, but worth checking it out if you have the time while visiting Istanbul!

As we took our tour of the Bosphorus, we passed by the Maiden's Tower, we had seen it before during…read moreour earlier trip and we had enjoyed its sights from the Asian side coast several times. It is an iconic landmark in Istanbul. All the way back in 408 BC the Athenian general Alcibiades probably built a custom station for ships coming from the Black Sea, that was the first document of what is the Maiden's tower today. In the early millenia after Christ, the tower was used as a watch tower for troops defending the city. It had also been used as a lighthouse, quarantine station and as a site for several modern movies and TV series seen worldwide. Today, the interior is now a café and restaurant, with private boats taking visitors from the mainland to this small rock formation.