Istanbul in 9 days ?

Definitely go up the Galata Tower, to see the view, best possible view is from there. 360 degrees view- not to high- not too low- optimum place to see Istanbul.

Discover Karakoy-Eminonu_Galata area. When old people say ' I'm going to Istanbul' , they mean this area. It was the financial and economical center. It- sort of- still is ( except for the skyscrapers in Levent area)

When you are in the Karakoy area, you can walk to Istanbul Modern, an exhibition center. Walking, look around to see history everywhere.You can see what is exhibited there or choose to sit at its cafe and eat. Wonderful view, nice place to relax and eat.

You will probably go to see Sultanahmet area, the mosques,the palace, this is a must. I'm not telling you what to do there, because every brochure will list those.

If you have 9 days, you have the time , cross the bridge and go to the ASian side. You can shop at Bagdat Street. You can discover Kadikoy. You can drink tea at the Haydarpasha train station. You can go to Kiz Kulesi ( the small tower in the middle of the sea). Instead of crossing the bridge, you can take the boat like the locals do from Besiktas to Kadikoy or from Eminonu or Karakoy to Kadikoy one of the days, and on that day, discover Kadikoy area. The boat itself is fun. Sit in one of the sides outside or at the top of the boat and look around.

Tourists that have 3 days discover the Bosphorus. You 'll probably do that. You should.

You have time, discover more. Discover the Golden Horn Area. Go to Piyer Loti, a place that has view to the Golden Horn from above. Here is a plan for that day= Piyer Loti, Miniaturk ( small sized famous Turkish buildings), and Koc Museum ( not traditional, not about Istanbul, but about how things work, old automobiles, old factories, old ships , old trains etc etc, very nice place at the old part of town)

Go to Ortakoy ( close to Besiktas) and discover a nice place. The view is good, plus you can shop and eat. It is nice and tourist friendly.

Go to Prince Islands. You can go to Buyukada- the biggest- take a horse carriage and make a tour ,or to Heybeli- a smaller one. These are the Summer Resorts of the residents of Istanbul. Don't make that day the weekend though, because then, the islands will be overcrowded.

When I'm abroad, I miss Karakoy/Eminonu/ Galata area, Ortakoy, and Kadikoy. These areas and the view from them are ' Istanbul' for me.

1. bosphorus. take a ferry all along

2. princess islands

3. topkapi palace

4. nearby there is an archelogical museum which contains the very first love letter in the world as well as the first international treaty

4. nearby yerebatan sarnici / cistern

5. nearby sultanahmet with gorgeous mosques also Hagia Sophia museum

6. ortakoy

7. belly dancing show - there is one company that really does it terrific

8. grand bazaar

9. modern shopping malls such as kanyon / istinye park

10. nisantasi neighborhood & shopping district

11. tophane-karakoy. Old Istanbul ! Try nargile - smoked pipe.

12. galata. old istanbul too.

13. beyazit kulesi

14. too many restaurants to count

15. reina if u like fashionable clubs (expensive)

and so on ...

Definitely see Bosporus, its a once in a lifetime chance. And visit topkapi palace, it's a very nice and different palace. Also go to sultanahmet, which is always full of other tourists.

My fave place in Istanbul is the islands. If I were you, I would give it a full day. Its so much fun to take a bycle tour around Buyukada. You might also want to visit Nisantasi, which is unique to Istanbul.

For the Anatolian part, Moda is my fave place. Its kind of similar to Nisantasi, but it doesn't have any fashion shops, just old buildings. And you might also want to go to a piano resital in Sureyya operasi in Moda. You can visit very old churches in Moda if you wish. Or you can drink Turkish coffee or tea facing Marmara sea.

Kanyon and Istinye park would be your place, if you like shopping (who doesn't???). And don't forget to eat gulluoglu baklava in eminonu. I hope you have fun in Istanbul!

Poguleati po istoricheskim mestam, shopping, otdih na more.

Hello!

While in Istanbul, you should visit all the historical places (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace..), go shopping, take a cruise..etc.

Have a great trip!

seeing the bosphorus

Yahoo doesn't allow us for more than 10 links.

So my answer is in here.

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?myhvi20ztnr