Hagia Irene

Join me on a tour of Istanbul's European side. Would you rather see this city with the help of a knowledgeable local guide, or would you rather stumble your way around this city with yer man?

I think we know the answer to that, so let's go for a wee explore.

I started off in my Airbnb apartment in the Beyoğlu area and took a stroll through the backstreets where there are ancient hamamis (Turkish baths), antique shops, hip cafes and stunning classic architecture.

I followed those streets up to Taksim Square which is a major landmark in Istanbul and has many nice hotels, kebab shops and tricky ice cream sellers.

From Taksim Square I took the vintage local tram. Most of the trams in Istanbul are the new, fancy modern ones but they've kept one line in operation for the classic trams. It's a bit slow but you must take a ride on it at least once when visiting Istanbul.

The tram took me to near Galata Tower, which was Constantinople's tallest tower when it was erected in 1348. The view from the top is amazing and you can walk around and get a full 360 degrees panoramic look at this huge city from above.

I had a further wander around the backstreets and a lovely cup of fresh fruit juice from one of the local street vendors before making my way to the bridge to cross the Golden Horn.

Just before the bridge I saw a vendor selling Simit, a traditional Turkish bread. I kept seeing those vendors everywhere and had been meaning to try it for so long. I finally did and had mine with Nutella spread all over it, which I'm sure is the traditional way it was eaten hundreds of years ago by the Ottoman people.

After crossing the bridge I went on a Turkish Delight hunt. I wanted to visit the original turkish delight shop, Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir, which was established in 1777. I bought some of their sweet treats on a short stopover in Istanbul 6 years earlier and they were indeed Turkish delightful. 

Unfortunately it seems that Haci Bekir, like many independent shops in Istanbul, are closed on Sundays. Instead I went for Plan B and visited Koska, which has a bunch of branches all around Istanbul and seems to be popular.

I took a selection of their premium lokum and found a place to sit down outside and give them the taste test for you guys.

After so much sugar I was full of energy to go on a bargaining spree in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. Unfortunately it too is closed on Sunday's, so I had to come up with a plan B to keep the vlog going. One hour isn't enough.

I walked all the way from the Grand Bazaar to the Blue Mosque, which was also closed. Well, it was closed to anyone who wasn't there to pray.

Somehow I came up with a plan C, which was to visit the Topkapi Palace. It was the home to the sultans of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years and is incredibly beautiful. Unfortunately they don't allow cameras in many of the interesting rooms, which is annoying. If they are opening the place up to mass tourism they should expect that people will want to take photos and videos there.

After spending at least an hour in the palace I re-visited the Blue Mosque, which was open to the general public again after prayer time finished. Unfortunately it was a waste of time because it was under renovations and the entire ceiling was covered, so there was nothing to see there.

Timestamps:

00:00 Beyoglu Backstreets
05:56 Taksim Square
08:04 Vintage Tram
22:00 History of Istanbul
24:20 Galata Tower
35:09 Backstreets
40:45 Fruit Juice Vendor
44:44 Nutella Simit
55:59 Luxury Turkish Delight
1:08:57 Grand Bazaar
1:13:13 Blue Mosque (Outside)
1:17:50 Topkapi Palace
1:32:05 Pomegranate Slushy
1:33:47 Blue Mosque (Inside)

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Tour of Istanbul (Europe Side) 🇹🇷

Sizler için İstanbul’un önemli rotalarını derledim ve dev bir liste haline getirdim 👌 İstanbul’da gezmek isteyenler bu listeye mutlaka göz atmalı ✨ 1. Ayasofya Camii 2. Sultanahmet Camii  3. Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi 4. Sultanahmet Meydanı  5. Gülhane Parkı 6. Yerebatan Sarnıcı  7. Binbirdirek Sarnıcı 8. Şerefiye Sarnıcı 9. Aya İrini Müzesi 10. Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi 11. İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzesi  12. Çinili Köşk 13. Süleymaniye Camii ve Külliyesi 14. Dolmabahçe Sarayı 15. Galata Kulesi 16. Kız Kulesi 17. Kapalı Çarşı 18. Mısır Çarşısı  19. Taksim Meydanı 20. İstiklal Caddesi 21. İstanbul Boğazı 22. Ortaköy Camii 23. Fatih Camii 24. Yeni Camii 25. Yıldız Sarayı 26. Yıldız Parkı 27. Eyüp Sultan Camii 28. Pierre Loti Tepesi 29. Miniatürk 30. Pera Müzesi 31. Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi 32. Pera Palace Hotel  33. Rahmi M. Koç Müzesi 34. Beylerbeyi Sarayı 35. Rumeli Hisarı 36. Çinili Camii 37. Çemberlitaş Hamamı 38. Cağaloğlu Hamamı 39. Yedikule Zindanları 40. Panorama 1453 41. Deniz Müzesi 42. Haydarpaşa Garı 43. Çamlıca Kulesi 44. Florya Atatürk Deniz Köşkü 45. Selimiye Kışlası 46. Mihrimah Sultan Cami 47. Galatasaray Hamamı 48. İstanbul Modern Sanat müzesi 49. Mihrabat Korusu 50. Küçüksu Kasrı 51. Çamlıca Tepesi 52. Adile Sultan Sarayı 53. Emirgan Korusu 54. Atatürk Arboretumu 55. Belgrad Ormanı 56. Maçka Demokrasi Parkı 57. Elmasburnu Tabiat Parkı 58. Fenerbahçe Parkı 59. Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi 60. Nişantaşı 61. Bebek 62. Balat 63. Kanlıca 64. Anadolu Kavağı 65. Anadolu Hisarı 66. Büyükada 67. Heybeliada  68. Kınalıada 69. Burgazada 70. Caddebostan Sahili 71. Moda Sahili 72. Kadıköy 73. Bağdat Caddesi 74. Kuzguncuk 75. Kumkapı 76. Eminönü 77. Arnavutköy 78. Üsküdar 79. Yeşilköy 80. Çubuklu Korusu 81. Otağtepe Parkı 82. Göztepe 60. Yıl Parkı 83. Dragos Tepesi 84. Fişekhane  85. Galataport  86. Gözdağı Korusu 87. Ağva 88. Şile  89. Garipçe 90. Turkcell Platinum Park 91. Gazhaneler  92. Silivri 93. Polonezköy 94. Kilyos 95. Beykoz Korusu 96. İnceğiz Mağaraları 97. İstanbul Akvaryum 98. Vialand Tema Parkı  99. Madame Tussauds Müzesi 100. Yoros Kalesi #istanbuldagezilecekyerler #istanbul #istanbul🇹🇷 #istanbuldayasam #istanbulda1yer #gezi #gezilecekyerler 

Dibekli Ailesi 👩‍❤️‍👨

Mentioned as an option on the combined ticket with Topkapi Palace. Identified as a historic church nearby.

A former church and current museum in Istanbul.