4 wonderful days
They decided to go to Istanbul a long time ago, but there was no right moment and then he was found. We travel the world on our own and this time, especially without a visa country, was no exception for us.
We booked the hotel through the hotel website. This is more profitable, because when ordering through the site for more than 3 days of accommodation - a one-way transfer is free.
Since we had 4 days in total, and we planned to see a lot, there were many sights per day. I can say enough time.
I'll start with the hotel (Albinas Hotel), the hotel was chosen for a long time, I read a lot of reviews and they were all quite good and realistic.
• The location is good, 7 minutes to Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and other attractions. Nearby there are cafes where you can eat, but there is a little expensive;
• We arrived at the hotel and we are told that you will live in another hotel one day, since all the rooms are occupied.
Very cunning, they decided to take money from us even from that time, although we paid for those half a day that we were not at the hotel in the end.
Not a pleasant situation at night where else to go. It's good that they delivered our luggage to the hotel on their own;
• The hotel is very small;
• Reception and "restaurant", the place where the breakfasts are held is located together in the same room;
• We were given a room with a balcony on the 4th floor due to a night jamb with a view of another hotel opposite;
• Soundproofing is poor, you can hear everything especially late in the evening when everyone is walking around banging on doors, and you can hear how the neighbors are talking, respectively;
the room is small, the bathroom, respectively, too, she broke her knee in the shower, although she herself is thin;
• The furniture is already a little shabby, everything is very close, uncomfortable, the bed for two is quite small, but you can live;
• Cleaning every day, accessories were reported in the bathroom, but there was no glass for toothbrushes and no toothpaste at all, so take it with you or buy it there;
• There is no iron in the hotel at all, which surprised me, it's good that they passed by the laundry and stroked there for 3 lira 1 thing, go left through the Katelya Hotel, then there will be a sign, in the same direction there is a bank with a good exchange rate, the bank cooperates with Sberbank;
• The staff always smiled, greeted, answered questions, apologized if something was wrong. Communication took place in Russian-English;
• Breakfasts are very modest indeed, I myself am not a fan of eating a lot, but it’s even difficult to choose here, a whole table with different sauces I don’t understand why, it would be better if they made more pastries or vegetables;
• The restaurant on the roof did not work unfortunately, but we went up to see, from there a beautiful view of the Bosphorus and the Blue Mosque;
• Take guidebooks and maps at the airport there for free, at the hotel everything is paid;
• We asked to order a taxi to the hotel to go to the airport, we did it and for that we thank them very much. If you go from the hotel, the cost will be 25 euros (78 lira), and we arrived for only 40 lira, but the taxi driver took 45 for some reason, he was cunning and arrogant. So do the same, otherwise there are companies on both sides of the hotel whose individual transfer costs the same amount of 25 euros.
In general, for the price of the hotel, of course, you should not expect more. Clean, convenient location, helpful staff. But there are disadvantages that I just voiced, maybe for many they will seem unimportant, just know what it can be.
What we visited in Istanbul:
1. Shopping center, prices are not low, the same as in Russia. The only thing is that Turkish brands are a little bit cheaper and the quality is good.
2. Basilica Cistern, it is better to go in the morning, there are fewer queues. It costs 10 liras per person.
Inside it is cool, wet, sometimes even very damp. It's nice to look around, especially impressed by the fish of this size and in such a dark place.
Everyone walked around, as you think that before all this was up to the top in the water.
3. Archaeological Museum, consists of 3 museums and includes more than a million exhibits from different eras. Bypass everything very carefully having studied, hard. In the museum you can see ancient Greek statues, artifacts discovered during the excavations of Troy, busts of Zeus and Alexander the Great, fragments of the temple of Athena and much more. Be sure to visit as the ticket costs only 10 lire per person.
4. Blue Mosque. Beauty, power, history. The mosque is the main attraction of Istanbul. It is better to go there in the morning, as there will be very long queues in the afternoon. The visit is free, you must take off your shoes, there are bags where to put them, they give out closed clothes (special capes).
There are a lot of people inside, but it is possible to go and see everything where they are allowed. In the evenings, the minarets are illuminated and you plunge into a fairy tale. Be sure to visit, just do not forget that on Mondays cathedrals, mosques, etc. are closed.
5. Grand Bazaar, a lot of people, walked around, looked, they sell clothes, gold, jewelry, carpets, etc.
6. Egyptian Bazaar (Spice Market). Excellent oriental market. I definitely advise you to visit and buy for yourself spices, sweets, dried fruits and other goods you need. They can be perfectly presented to friends, relatives and colleagues. I really liked the service and prices in pavilion 37 (Harem saray) seller Ali, the best in his business. The cost of spices is from 50 liras, sweets from 40 liras per kg. . He also gave us a good discount, and he told and showed everything and gave it a try. And then everything was packed in sealed packaging, which we calmly brought everything to the house and handed it over as gifts to relatives.
Spices are just great, sweets are also gorgeous.
7. Galata tower, entrance costs 9 euros per person. It seems to me that it is expensive as for the observation deck.
8. Bosphorus trains cost 10 liras per person. and lasts 2 hours. You will pass the Dolmabahce Palace, the Galata Bridge, etc. The wind blows very strongly upstairs, so if you sit downstairs, it’s not so interesting, and even more so for 2 hours, it’s very tiring.
Where to eat:
1. Buhara 93 Restaurant. Was from our hotel 5 minutes walk, found immediately. Dinner cost us 44 lira, we ordered fish, kebab and pomegranate juice. Delicious, didn't have to wait long. Only everything is already shabby, as if sitting in the canteen has such a feeling. The second time we didn't decide to go there.
2. Sultan Kosesi. The restaurant was very close to our hotel, in the evening I wanted pizza, we went around a couple of restaurants, but unfortunately no one gave us one. And here we are our Sultan Kosesi, the staff is kind, helpful, they were the only ones who were ready to cook pizza for us and pack it to go.
The pizza was made in the oven, small but very satisfying. It cost 15 lire. The next day we decided to visit them for lunch. We ordered soup and kebab, everything was delicious, cooked quickly, all requests for additional ingredients were responded to immediately. Lunch cost us 32 lire. The interior is in a true Turkish style, a huge tree in the center of the hall looks especially funny. There are always many visitors.
3. Fuego Restaurant. We read the reviews and decided to visit this restaurant, searched for a long time and finally found it. The restaurant is divided into a cafe with tables on the street and a restaurant on 2 floors. The staff is polite, they speak English well. The menu is interesting, we chose pasta and shrimp in a very tasty sauce and of course we decided to try the Turkish beer Efes Pilsener. Everything came out for 80 lire. The portions were big and everything was delicious. The service is excellent. I advise you to end a busy evening with a visit to this restaurant.
4. Omar Cafe & Restaurant.
Nice restaurant with a great view of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. I wanted to have dinner on the last day with just such a view, high and not like on other days.
The restaurant itself is nothing very sophisticated, we went up to the 4th floor of the restaurant. It's nice inside, but everything is already old, shabby in places. We ordered fish (26 lira), kebab (24 lira) and beer (0.5 l = 12 lira, 0.7 l = 15 lira), the check was 77 lira. Everything was delicious. The boy who served us was very nice and fulfilled all our requests. We had a great evening, especially when it got dark, the view became so fabulous and we remembered this day for a long time. He was not like everyone else, thanks to this restaurant. Treat yourself, come to Omar.
If you don’t know where to go, you’re tired of just lying around and doing nothing, or you don’t want to bother with a visa, but want to travel, then feel free to go to Istanbul, it’s very beautiful, comfortable, there is a lot of history and calm.
