Visiting Istanbul "Solo" for the first time...?

NOTE: "I feel it was a bad idea to choose paid seats in advance while buying tickets. In January as tourism is low in Istanbul so you get many empty seats inside."

Since I booked my window seat already so I sat only on the allotted one. It was quite a comfortable journey for me as the seats next to me were empty and I could stretch my legs easily for the whole duration. The food was paid and there were no free drinks or snacks served as they do in other international flights but that didn't bother me as I got cheap tickets and I had no expectation for the same. But food service was available till the plane descended. Finally after a long journey of around 7 hours I landed at Istanbul Havalimanı International Airport at 15:40 local time, it's expected to be the largest passenger airport in the world soon.

Signs towards the immigration counter were clearly mentioned in Turkish and of course in English which took me directly in front of the immigration officer. It was the smoothest immigration I have ever encountered, else most of the times I have to pass through an additional layer of immigration check....may be due to my name. But I always cooperate with the officers and after 15-20 minutes of questioning I am released.....I am used to it.

DAY ONE:

CURRENCY EXCHANGE

I tried getting the exchanged currency while in India, but I couldn't find it with my exchange agent, therefore I withdrew 450 turkish lira from an ATM at the airport (please find charges with your bank, I didn't pay much attention to the exchange rate or charges levied) using my debit card.

FROM IST AIRPORT TO THE CITY

Well I already did some research like how to reach to my hostel from the airport and therefore I reached directly to the Havaist Bus Terminal , iST-20. As soon as I came out of the gate the severe cold gripped me....it was 6 °C, and without wasting a moment I put on my extra layer of clothing form the bag. I would always suggest to take care of your health first else it will ruin the whole trip.

Alright, so the first thing which I bought was the Istanbulkart from a PoS which cost me 6tl (for the card). If you are planning to stay for 4 or more days then you must buy this card, this is accepted in all public transportation. And also if you use this card you get good discount on the actual ticket price every time. One card can be used for a family, just swipe it multiple times...and its done. I saved a lot on my trip using the card.

It costs 18tl by the card to SULTANAHMET which is the last stop of the bus. The bus service is available every 30 minutes. It was a comfortable ride of around 45 minutes with a good view, we reached at the last stop at 18:26 hrs.

SIM CARD OR DATA PLAN:

NOTE: Don't buy sim card from the airport. You will get cheaper and better data plans in the city.

I didn't buy any SIM card as I already got an international plan (Airtel 3599 - for details of the plan check with the network provider) activated on my number.

NOTE: To save money find your stay near major tourist attractions. Also don't forget to download offline map of the city in your phone even before starting from your country.

The room was nice and clean and the bed was cozy...on arrival I was offered a Turkish Apple tea. Believe me one of the pleasures there is drinking apple tea. My heart filled with joy with it's first sip...the taste was amazing and relaxing. I wish I could brought some apple tea pack to India.........but i missed it.

Distance of major tourist attractions from the hostel (sultanahmet):

5 minutes walk to ( The Blue Mosque / Hagia Sophia aka Aya Sophia) / Topkapi Palace / Archaeology Museum / Carpet Museum / Basilica Cistern )

20 minutes walk to The Grand Bazaar & Spice Bazaar aka Egyptian Bazaar (both are in opposite direction though)

Sultanahmet is an overwhelmingly popular tourist destination, and a prime location for visitors to be wowed on a truly epic scale. This relatively small area of Istanbul somehow manages to retain an air of peace and calm. It offers visitors a significantly less celebrated but nonetheless pleasant network of quaint lanes and side streets, majestic panoramas of the Bosphorus, and an impressive assortment of accommodation options for all budgets and tastes.

I went for a walk soon after I checked in. I found a local restaurant ....people were enjoying shisha, infact it's quite common in Istanbul and there was live music and folk dance too.

I had my beer and tasted some kebabs in dinner. I wanted to explore more but I had to wake up early next morning to catch a ferry BURSA.

Though I got a seat no. A56, but there were so many empty seats, I grabbed this opportunity and sat on the front row enjoying the view. Well, my first ride of the famous black sea was good, it's 1 hour and 45 min journey to Mudanya - Bursa.

After reaching Mudanya, you will get bus to Uludag - Teleferik. Teleferik is an aerial lift line in Bursa Province connecting the city of Bursa with the nearby ski resort area and national park at mountain. The bus service to the Teleferik is every 1 and half hours and costs 12 tl. There are chances that you will reach to bursa right at the time of bus departure. Fortunately, a bus was already waiting for us.

NOTE: As per my experience if you have only one day for this place, book your teleferik tickets online and try to reach as early as possible so that you may get enough time to enjoy the beauty on the mountain. Also make sure you leave (go back down) for Bursa by 03:30 pm else you will have to stand in the queue for at least 2 hours for your turn to get into a cable car.

NOTE: You will find FAST TRACK counters at all tourist attractions, where will be given priority on basis on high ticket pricing. Also it is advisable to bring extra layer of clothing, thermals, a pair of waterproof/anti-skid shoes and thermal gloves.

Finally I was in a cable car with 6 more fellow passengers and mostly of them were carrying their skiing kit. This place has ski center and its a real paradise for ski lover, people come from all over the world to try it....but I was more concerned about my cloths as all of the tourists were in long coats and boots, and for myself it seems to be inadequate to deal with the weather I was about to face. Anyways...as soon as the cable car started my focus shifted from my inappropriate dressing to the view, I started feeling that it was worth waiting in the long queue.....the view was astonising!

After 10 minutes we reached at the first stop "Sarıalan". This is the station to change for the next ride. You'll find public amenities and lots of shops here. When I got out of this station to get into the next queue, I STEPPED ON THE SNOW FOR THE FIRST TIME. I cannot explain the feeling, I simply smiled and thank almighty for this long awaited moment in my life, I was SUPER HAPPY. But soon I realized that my sports shoes are not suitable and are slippery on snow. Since I had to go further up, I decided to buy a pair of boots and a thermal gloves. Bargaining is possible in turkish market, so I used my skills (though I am not so good at it) and bought the stuff in 120 tl.

Now I felt better and was ready for the next ride. There was another queue to get to the next ride but was excited so I didn't mind to join it. Finally after 15 minutes of the second ride i was at the last stop "Kurbağa Kaya".

You will find so many restaurants and coffee shops here. I was extremely happy to be here, the scenery is awesome...no words you need to see it to believe it. You can hire a sled and enjoy the cold weather. I decided to explore the place myself. I could see lots of snow.....snowmobile and ski riders.

This was a huge ferry, run by a different company "ido". I could see cars coming out of its ground floor and people coming out from its upper deck.

Well entry gate was open we were allowed to board. I had never seen a ferry bigger than this one. It has a capacity of 600 person and 112 vehicles.

That's why it took me 10 minutes to search my seat number. I took and nap and woke up at Yenikapi stop. It was 80 minutes ride.

But to my surprise the stop was new to me and I didn't how to reach my place from here. The problem was that no body could help me as they do not know english. But thank god I had offline google map of istanbul. So I walked to my place which took me 20 minutes to reach my place - the Sultanahmet.

It took me around 4 hours to visit this palace. There are various options inside to eat and refresh yourself.

After coming out of the palace, I was so exhausted that had to sit for 30 minutes to take rest...but this was a place worth visiting.

GRAND BAZAAR:

From Topkapi palace, I walked to the Grand Bazar. It took me hardly 15 minutes to reach. Before getting into the bazaar I took a sip of apple tea in a restaurant near the entrance of the grand bazaar. I started walking through the maze of small shops, taking in the overwhelming sites of Turkish rugs, ceramic dishes, brightly colored lanterns, Turkish flags, clothing, and antiques. Numerous shopkeepers tried to lure me to their shops but i just wanted to do window shopping.

I spent a good one to two hours in the Grand Bazaar, window shopping and wandering with breaks for apple tea. No doubt it's one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world, the Grand Bazaar dates from the 15th century. Having more than 4000 shops, the Grand Covered Bazaar is visited by the tourists and the citizens regularly. I didn't buy any souvenir as I wanted to buy it on the last day. But you can buy and bargaining works here. It was an awesome experience indeed.

THE SPICE MARKET (Misir Carsisi) aka EGYPTIAN MARKET

NOTE: It's closed on Monday and on other days it closes at 19:30.

From the Grand Bazzar I took tram to Sirkeci stop which is a 10 minutes ride and from there it's just 5 minutes walk.

You can’t really got to Istanbul and not visit the spice market. The smells, colors and atmosphere are intoxicating . Prices may appear high, but don’t hesitate to barter. There are some wonderful and legendary products on offer and if spice is your thing, then you will find almost everything under the sun. You shouldn’t miss it. It is also much smaller than the Grand Bazaar, so very easy to find what you are looking for. Great experience. Though I got only 15 minutes to explore it but I enjoyed it.

However to my surprise there was another market just adjacent to the spice market which is used by locals. I walked in it for 10 - 20 minutes and also tasted a new Turkish sweet

One the way back to Sirkeci stop, I tasted another turkish sweet Kunefe at SAFA restaurant.

It was followed by the CARPET AND KILIM MUSEUM. Entrance fee is 10tl per person. The museum is installed in the Blue Mosque's imperial pavilion. The museum contains a fine collection of Usak, Bergama and Konya carpets dating from the 16th to the 19th century. The best examples of 13th-20th century Turkish carpets are exhibited along the ramp, which is the entrance to the pavilion. They were also exhibited in the rooms where the Sultans used to rest. The carpets and kilims on display have been restored and are displayed in a contemporary fashion.

Gorgeus outside, gorgeus inside. So peaceful and huge. If you visit it the best time is early in the morning. After that it is crowded with People.

GALATA TOWER

After doing lunch at Sultanahment, I took tram from Sultanahmet to Karaköy stop. From here its just 10 minutes walk to the tower. I reached around 4:00 pm, and no surprise - there was a long queue as usual. Well it took 40 minutes to reach to the entrance and there is a lift to the top.

I went all the way to the top, had a coffee and admired the view till the sunset.

The viewing platform all around the top of the tower is very narrow and crowded and if you are nervous of heights then it might be a problem but it’s well worth the effort.

You will love it. But it will be worth a visit if you are with your partner.

It is a large irregular shaped area, in the Beyoglu district. The only thing I found of interest here is a monument to heroes of the movement that created modern Turkey. Lots of open space, little greenery. There is a metro station directly under it, so it is easily accessible by public transport. Some nice restaurants around the square, where you can get a bite. It is ok for people watching at Istiklal Street, not much else. It is also a good place to meet locals and chat with them.

On the way back to by hostel, I experienced the Funicular (Cable Metro). This one stop Funicular takes you from Taxim Square to Kabatas and back. It was something unfamiliar to me. I had never seen a metro being pulled by cables.

BASILICA CISTERN

It just 5 minutes from my hostel. So before going back to hostel to check-out I stopped to this last place in my list. This place is totally worth visiting! When you see all this enormous columns it is very hard to realize when and how people did built it. It is totally amazing! And good thing to see and think about the history and human being. Don't forget to walk right to the end to see the two Medusa heads as part of the columns. No water on my visit.

I reached hostel, Mel and Methiu helped to pack my stuff. It was time say goodbye to them and the beautiful Istanbul.

I went to the sultanahmet, the same bus service was ready to go to the Istanbul airport. It took 18tl from sultanahmet to the airport.

SUMMARY:

Istanbul, a fascinating city built on two Continents has impressed me a lot....I explored true meaning of being Solo. I lived my dream of touching and experiencing snow....which I will never forget. You don't need much money, you don't need everyone to join you, Just listen you your heart, it will tell you the path....and provide you the courage to experience the world Solo.....The magical city of Istanbul connects the east and the west straight to your heart......

With a hope to return back soon I headed to the airport..........

I hope my post will help you to prepare your mind for a solo trip to this beautiful city, please don't forget to like my blog. For any queries please write to me in comments, I shall reply as soon as possible....