How To Use This E-Book
Getting Around the e-Book
This Berlitz Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Istanbul, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.
The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Istanbul, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.
In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.
Maps
All key attractions and sights in Istanbul are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.
Images
Youll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Istanbul. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.
About Berlitz Pocket Guides
The Berlitz story began in 1877 when Maximilian Berlitz devised his revolutionary method of language learning. More than 130 years later, Berlitz is a household name, famed not only for language schools but also as a provider of best-selling language and travel guides.
Our wide-ranging travel products printed travel guides and phrase books, as well as apps and ebooks offer all the information you need for a perfect trip, and are regularly updated by our team of expert local authors. Their practical emphasis means they are perfect for use on the ground. Wherever youre going whether its on a short break, the trip of a lifetime, a cruise or a business trip we offer the ideal guide for your needs.
Our Berlitz Pocket Guides are the perfect choice if you need reliable, concise information in a handy format. We provide amazing value for money these guides may be small, but they are packed with information. No wonder they have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide.
2012 Apa Publications (UK) Ltd
Table of Contents
Istanbul's Top 10 Attractions
Top Attraction #1
Frank Noon/APA
Bosphorus by ferry A trip along the famous strait, with lots to see on the way (For more information, )
Top Attraction #2
Rebecca Erol/APA
Kariye Museum One of the world's greatest monuments to Byzantine art (For more information, )
Top Attraction #3
Rebecca Erol/APA
Sleymaniye Mosque The finest Ottoman building in Istanbul (For more information, )
Top Attraction #4
Rebecca Erol/APA
Grand Bazaar The largest covered market in the world, with 4,000 shops (For more information, )
Top Attraction #5
Rebecca Erol/APA
Ephesus One of the best-preserved ancient sites in Turkey and the top historical attraction along the Aegean coast (For more information, )
Top Attraction #6
Tony Halliday / Apa
Janissary Band concert Reviving days of Ottoman glory in spectacular fashion (For more information, )
Top Attraction #7
Rebecca Erol/APA
Topkap Palace Richly adorned home of the sultans and their harem (For more information, )
Top Attraction #8
Rebecca Erol/APA
Hagia Sophia Completed in AD537 and still one of the world's greatest architectural wonders (For more information, )
Top Attraction #9
Phil Wood / Apa
Basilica Cistern Part of the city's Byzantine-era system of underground reservoirs (For more information, )
Top Attraction #10
Rebecca Erol/APA
stiklal Caddesi At the heart of the lively, European-style New City (For more information, )
A Perfect Day in Istanbul
9.00am
Breakfast
Enjoy a Turkish breakfast in your hotel or a local caf lots of fresh bread, white cheese, honey, and gallons of black tea.
10.00am
Hagia Sophia
Walk up the steps to the gallery of this architectural wonder for a closer look at the 13th-century mosaic of Christ Pantocrator, flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist.
11.30am
Archaeology
Stroll to the Archaeology Museum and marvel at the Babylonian-era frescoes, the mammoth marble statues and the interior of Mehmet II's tiled Pavilion.
1.00pm
Sleymaniye Mosque
Walk up historic Divan Yolu, following the tram line to this immense mosque. After you've gazed inside Sinan's masterpiece, visit the tombs of Sleyman and his wife Roxelana, in the peaceful rose-strewn graveyard, then eat tasty faslye beans for lunch in the outdoor caf.
2.30pm
Grand Bazaar
Enter the bustling 500-year-old bazaar, the world's largest covered market, to explore narrow alleyways crammed with treasures. If you need a break from shopping, head to the Old Bedesten, its historic heart, for a cappuccino in a choice of smart little cafs.