9 hours in Turkey Istanbul...
- Alex Arvin
- Feb 11, 2017
- 4 min read
To be very honest THIS is the part of my exchange I have been looking forward the most...!!! In-fact I was searching for universities that were in partnership with NTU in Istanbul... there were; but sadly not related to my course. Nevertheless I AM HERE!!!
I am flying Turkish Airlines which layovers at Istanbul, Atatürk airport. I caught the train into central Istanbul, visited some AWESOME places, and arrived back at the airport for my flight to NYC!
Istanbul is a beautiful city rich in history. In the short span of time i managed to visit 4 main sites.. I had a layover from 0730 to 1515. Wondering how I did it in 6 hours? Be sure to check my tips on budget travel if you fly with Turkish Airlines, Europe's best airline.
Things to prepare for transit if you are leaving the airport
1) VISA
There are 2 options to get your visa for Turkey.
Option 1: Buy in advance online here
Option 2: Buy your visa at a kiosk in the airport but beware Atatürk airport is know to be overly crowded.
Well holding the SINGAPORE passports has to have some benefits. SO if you are SINGAPOREAN, you don't need visa.
2) Change your currencies in advance, this is to safe all the little time you have.
I changed S$200 and had S$100 left by the end of the trip.
Why I love Turkey
Istanbul is a beautiful city rich in history. The moment I was out of the metro, I was truly amazed with its beauty. It was cold and rainy yet something special and unique. The cobble stone, the shop houses and the street trains made it look very classy. In the span of 5 hours I managed to visit the blue mosque, Basilica Cistern, and the Grand Mosque. Everything was perfect. Turkey touched me and I need to make a visit there again. I had my favourite baklava, Turkish delight, kebab and Turkish tea. It was a splendid 5-hours stop over.
27 CENTURIES, 3 EMPIRES AND 1 HISTORIC PENINSULAR.
Turkey has a rich histroy like no other. Each layer of history barried deeper than the next. The city began as a small Greek fishing village called Byzantium. 200 years later it became part of the roman empire in 330 A.D. It was renamed Constantinople when emperor Constantine moved his capital east, thus the Earten roman empire was born. For thousands of years the Eastern Roman Empire flourished until Constantinople was concured by the Ottoman and that made Istanbul.
Hagai Sophia
Summer Schedule- 15 APRİL -25 OCTOBER Visiting Hours: 09.00 - 19.00
Last ticket sold at : 18:00
Winter Schedule- 25 OCTOBER- 15 APRİL Visiting Hours: 09:00- 17:00
Last ticket sold at : 16:00
Ticket Price: 40 TL
Blue Mosque
Visiting Hours : Avoid visiting a Mosque at pray times. Closed Days : Open Every Day
Entrance Fee : Free of Charge
Basilica Cistern A.K.S Sucken Palace
Visiting Hours : 0900 TO 1830 Closed Days : Open Every Day
Entrance Fee : 10 TL
This is a true mysterious wonder of artitecture. There is an entire world beneth our feet in istanbul. This is a treasure tucked under the streets of istanbul for centuries. The Bacilica Cistern was built by 7000 slaves in 532 A.D. This is the largest underground system built by the Romans in the city. This was built by the same emperor of Hagia Sophia. Fact: The Bacilica Cistern is one of the LARGEST roman structures left. It is 140m long, 70m wide and (this is the most amazing fact) the roof is supported by 336 marble pillars.
Even after 1500 years and 25 major earthquakes the colums still supports the system and the city.
There were resturants,shops, hotels and even police station just above this place and I was astonished by what i saw.
I truly did not believe my eyes. Truly amazing and massive.
2 stone sclupture of medusa from the Greek methology.
All the pillars were similar except for this unique one known as the collumn of tears. It is said to bring good fortune, but to only to those who pass a specific skill. If you put your thumb in the tear drop hole and complete a 360 degree turn; it is said that your wish is granted.
From Airport
The airport is at the end of the red M1A line. You need to take the metro to Aksaray and transfer from the metro to the tramway to get to Sultanahmet by the blue T1 line which is four stops away to Sultanahmet. Total metro and tram ride took me 1 Hr and 10 min.
Dolmabahçe Palace
DOLMABAHCE PALACE Entrance Fee : 30.00 Turkish Lira Visiting Hours : Summer / Winter Between 09:00 - 15:00 Hours Closed Days : Every Monday & Thursday (differs on Public Holidays)
Getting to there
From Sultanahmet to Dolmabahce Palace the nearest station will be Kabatas, which is 6 stops after Sultanahmet. When you reach the last stop, you will be in Kabatas district. From the stop it takes about 7-10 minutes to walk from Kabatas to palace.
I planned to visit here but realsed it was close on the day I went. I made my trip to the grand bazzar instead. It was 2 stops away from sultanahmet at beyazit station alone the blue line.
Grand Bazaar
Grand bazaar was indeed grand. I spent 1.5 hours in it and almost could not find me way out. They have fashion apparels, spices, art decorative and a lot more. I was mesmerized by many art products. The decorative plates in particular caught my attention. Definitely a must shop for me once I am back. I bought myself and for a friend in New York Turkish delight. They were definitely delightful.
Food
Kebab
I
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