Getting around Istanbul
Having a stroll in Istanbul is like having a time machine. There are innumerable layers of history and culture that leave the most robust and most enduring impression on every tourist. Every area of the city has a staggering depth of historical significance. The Hippodrome is among the best locations to begin our stroll because it has served as a central gathering area for many centuries, dating back to the Byzantines and continuing through the Ottoman Sultans and modern Turks. Next, we'll find the Blue Mosque, Sultan Ahmet's answer to the Hagia Sophia, which was widely regarded as Istanbul's finest and most intriguing structure at the time it was built and still is today. Our next stop is the Basilica Cistern, a unique underground experience, built by Justinian in the 6th century AD. Across the street, we will find the entrance of the monumental structure of Hagia Sophia, which was once an Orthodox patriarchal basilica, then a mosque, and now, finally, a museum. Your next stop should of course be the Topkapi Palace, which typically ranks first on visitors' lists of attractions to see in Istanbul. This magnificent palace, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, served as the Ottoman Sultans' principal residence for 400 years. We suggest finishing your walk at The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, also known as the Kapalicarsi ("covered bazaar"), which is one of the oldest markets in the world.
Spots
Sultanahmet Square, or the Hippodrome of Constantinople is a square in Istanbul, Turkey. Previously, it was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. — Wikipedia
The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, also known by its official name, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. A functioning mosque, it also attracts large numbers of tourist visitors. It was constructed between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I. It sits next to the Hagia Sophia, the principal mosque of Istanbul until the Blue Mosque's construction and another popular tourist site. The Blue Mosque was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1985 under the name of "Historic Areas of Istanbul". — Wikipedia
The Basilica Cistern, or Cisterna Basilica, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The cistern, located 150 metres (490 ft) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Today it is kept with little water, for public access inside the space. — Wikipedia
Hagia Sophia, officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, is a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. Initially built by the eastern Roman emperor Justinian I as the Christian cathedral of Constantinople for the state church of the Roman Empire between 532 and 537, and designed by the Greek geometers Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, it was formally called the Church of the Holy Wisdom and was then the world's largest interior space and among the first to employ a full pendentive dome. It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture". — Wikipedia
The Topkapı Palace, or the Seraglio, is a large museum in the east of the Fatih district of Istanbul in Turkey. In the 15th and 16th centuries it served as the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans. — Wikipedia
The Spice Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey is one of the largest bazaars in the city. Located in the Eminönü quarter of the Fatih district, it is the most famous covered shopping complex after the Grand Bazaar. — Wikipedia
The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops on a total area of 30,700 m2, attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. In 2014, it was listed No.1 among the world's most-visited tourist attractions with 91,250,000 annual visitors. The Grand Bazaar at Istanbul is often regarded as one of the first shopping malls of the world. — Wikipedia
