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Home > Cruise Destination Guide > Istanbul

Time Zone: GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Currency: Turkish Lira (TL).

Language: English.

Nearest airport: Atatürk International Airport or Sabiha Gökçen International Airport.

Hotels: Hotels in Istanbul include the Best Western Hotel Berr, Hilton Istanbul, Holiday Inn, Sultanahmet Palace, Swissotel The Bosphorus, Hyatt Regency, Radisson SAS, Crystal Hotel and Lion Hotel.

Sightseeing: Istanbul contains the remnants of over 200 years of history and bears the legacy of several powerful empires. The main tourist sites are located in the Sultanahmet quarter on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait and include: Topkapi Sarayi (Topkapi Palace), the sumptuous former residence of the Ottoman sultans, complete with harem and beautiful gardens overlooking the Bosphorus; Aya Sofya (Haghia Sophia), consecrated as a church in AD 537 during the rule of Emperor Justinian and later turned into a mosque by Mehmet the Conqueror before becoming a museum at the founding of the secular Turkish Republic last century; the magnificent Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque) with its soaring minarets and exquisite interior lined with hundreds of blue Iznik tiles; and the Yerebatan Sarayi (Basilica Cistern), whose cavernous interior is supported by pre-Christian columns featuring medusa heads and was used in the James Bond film ‘From Russia With Love’.

Shopping: Istanbul has been a shopper’s paradise for more than 1500 years, famed as the trading point connecting the Silk Road from China with Europe. The 15th-century Grand Bazaar in Beyazit is a maze of covered alleyways where visitors and locals bargain for silks, spices, jewellery, clothes, ornaments and a variety of other goods. The Spice Bazaar in nearby Eminönü is another good place to buy interesting and exotic souvernirs. Kilims and carpets can be purchased from the many specialist shops that line the streets around Sultanahmet. On Sundays the restored harbour area at Ortaköy is taken over by a craft and antique market. Haggling, often over a glass of tea, is usual in carpet shops and bazaars.

Eating Out: Shish kebab (pieces of lamb or chicken threaded on a skewer and grilled) or doner kebab (pieces of lamb packed tightly round a revolving spit), fresh fish and shellfish, barbunya (red mullet), kiliç baligi (swordfish), dolma (vine leaves stuffed with nuts and currants) and karniyarik (aubergine stuffed with minced meat). Many restaurants have a vareity of dishes on display on a hot plate, from which diners can make their choice. Sweets include the famous Turkish Delight (originally made from dates, honey, roses and jasmine bound by Arabic gum and designed to sweeten the breath after coffee) and baklava (thinly-layered pastry soaked in honey and flavoured with pistachio). Turkish wine is reasonable and raki, an aniseed-based liqueur, is also popular. Ayran (a refreshing yoghurt drink), tea, and strong black Turkish coffee are widely available.