About this ebook
Save time and energy, and find what's worthy in Istanbul!
Worthy Go itineraries are complete, step-by-step three-day itineraries to the very best places in Istanbul.
See Istanbul with an experienced travel writer by your side!
Whether this is your first time abroad or you've been traveling for years, Worthy Go itineraries have three goals:
Make the most of your time, money, and energy while traveling
Help you go your own way but still provide some guidance
Curate the very best places to enjoy in the city
The Istanbul itinerary has been completely updated for 2020, and includes:
No affiliate links, no ads, no fluff, and no BS.
A complete three-day itinerary combining Istanbul's well-known and off-the-beaten-path places.
Detailed, step-by-step directions from one place to the next.
Succinct descriptions, exact addresses, and GPS coordinates for every place.
First-hand knowledge and advice: where to stay, what to bring, safety and scam warnings, and more.
All the basics you'll need to know: do you tip? Can you drink the tap water? What SIM card should you get? What public transportation tickets do you need?
Advice on being a considerate, respectful, and sensitive traveler.
Itineraries are carefully formatted to display well on any device, and links take you to Google Maps (internet connection required).
About the author: Chris Backe (rhymes with hockey) has written about travel since 2008 and has been around the world a couple of times. He's written over 30 books, and has been seen in Atlas Obscura, io9, Mental Floss, Everything Everywhere, Perceptive Travel, Travel Wire Asia, and many other publications. When not traveling, he loves tabletop games and a glass of white wine.
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3 Days in Istanbul - Chris Backe
Other itineraries in the Worthy Go series
Cities: Amsterdam, Bangkok, Bogota, Bucharest, Budapest, Chiang Mai, Istanbul, Lima, Medellin, Quito, Seattle, Seoul, Tallinn, Toronto, Vientiane, Zagreb
Countries / regions: Laos, Central Thailand, Northern Thailand, South Korea
More info at worthygo.com.
Other guidebooks by Chris Backe
51 Daytrip Destinations From Seoul
Becoming a Digital Nomad
An Introduction to Thailand
Korean for Tourists
Korean Made Easy
Offbeat Korea
Offbeat Thailand
What the Florida
Warning / Disclaimer
Although the author has made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at publication time (© January 2020), the author does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.
Be aware that traveling in a foreign country has inherent risks, and seemingly anything can change overnight. Places may close, admission fees may rise, drivers will drive crazy, and public transportation routes can be altered. Stay aware of your surroundings, employ street smarts and common sense, and in general be suspicious of locals that approach you speaking English.
Unless otherwise noted, all material in this book is the legal property of the author and may not be reprinted or republished without the author's express written consent, with the exception of short quotes for academic or review purposes.
Introduction
Istanbul is full of chaos, history, and life.
Home to over 15 million Istanbulites, Istanbul may not be Turkey's capital (that honor belongs to Ankara), but it remains the country's largest city by quite some margin. Formerly known as Byzantium and Constantinople, the area has long been a major area of trading and commerce thanks to its location and the Bosphorus, the river separating the European side and Anatolia (the Asian side). The border is invisible, of course, and millions of people take an 'intercontinental' ferry for pocket change every day.
Founded as Byzantium around 660 BCE, the city was one of the most important cities in the pre-Christ era for centuries. When it became Constantinople in 330 CE, it served as the capital for four different empires (the Romans, the Latin, the Palaiologos Byzantine, and the Ottomans). The Hagia Sophia was built during the 6th century, and was the world's largest cathedral for almost a thousand years. The conquering Ottomans transformed the Christian city into a seat of power for Islam, and was the seat of the Ottoman Caliphate. Most of what's thought of as Turkey's history today is traced back to the Ottomans, though a few parts still show Roman influences.
The Ottoman Empire began to decline in the 19th century, thanks in part to wars, rebellions, and a failure to modernize as quickly as the rest of the European powers. During World War I, the Ottoman Empire joined Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria in what history now calls the Central Powers. Following their loss, the Ottoman Empire was dissolved and a new capital, Ankara, was chosen to distance the officially-secular Turkish Republic from its past. Constantinople was left behind as a tainted name, and the