|
There's no better way to see and get
to know a city than on foot.
This applies especially to Istanbul, with
its half-land, half-water topography
and its crazy traffic patterns.
Before you go out walking, it's not
a bad idea to familiarize yourself
with Istanbul's
public transport system, especially
the trams,
buses and ferries.
If you'd like a guided tour, Backpackers
Travel's value-for-money Old
Istanbul Guided Walking Tour is
among the best. More...
If you'd rather walk on your own,
here are some suggestions:
Divan
Yolu Walking Tour
Once
the road to Rome, Divan
Yolu is now the main thoroughfare
through historic Old Istanbul (Sultanahmet).
You can walk from the Milion,
the Byzantine mile-marker
for the center of Constantinople,
past mosques, the tombs of the sultans, Ottoman theological
schools, Turkish
baths,
the Column
of Constantine, and
other sights to Beyazit
Square and the Grand
Bazaar in less than
an hour. More...
Istanbul
Bazaars Walking Tour
From
the mammoth Grand
Bazaar along narrow, untouristy Uzunçarsi
Caddesi through the heart
of the Tahtakale market
district to the Golden
Horn and Egyptian
(Spice) Bazaar, all in less
than an hour, including a stop
at the exquisite Rüstem
Pasha Mosque, one
of Istanbul's most beautiful, but
rarely visited by tourists.
You might want to pick up a copy of
this
excellent guide before beginning
your bazaar walk. More...
Beyoglu's Istiklal Caddesi
Formerly the Grande Rue de Péra, Istiklal
Caddesi (Independence Avenue) is
the heart of Beyoglu,
the more European part of Istanbul.
Today it's a pedestrian
zone running from Taksim
Square to Galatasaray
Square and Tünel
Square, and lined
with boutiques, cafes, restaurants,
fine
old buildings,
and the grand 19th-century
imperial embassies built
for European diplomatic missions to
the Ottoman sultan's Sublime
Porte. More...
|
