22 & 23 August 2011

I always find that taking the red tourist buses is a good way to see a city. They take you further than you can walk and provide commentary about interesting architecture and history. These hop on, hop off as much as you like in a day red buses are in most major cities around the world. Istanbul is no exception.

The bus was yesterday. I hadn’t realised how large the original walled city of Istanbul was.

On my return to Sultanahmet, I visited Topkapi Palace, the former primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans.

Today is my last full day in Istanbul before picking up the Family Truckster and continuing on my Turkey motorcycle tour.  I started the day with a visit to the Hagia Sofia Museum.  Wow!

The afternoon permitted me a 2 hour cruise up the Bosphorus and back. No commentary but plenty to see in this major shipping channel to the Black Sea.

It’s a bit lazy but sometimes you don’t want to work or think too hard.

The boat trip was excellent value for 5 euros but I thought the red bus a bit of a rip off for 20 euros. The bus is hampered by having to travel on major roads rather then the narrow, interesting streets of Sultanahmet. I’m glad I did them both as they each provided a different perspective of this wonderful city.

Update:  Istanbul is an absolute tourists paradise and there is so much on offer.  Even though I did my best to fit in as much as I could in my short stay, I didn’t manage to see these other great attractions:

Plus the food is great/excellent value, English is widely spoken and Efes Pilsen is a great beer.  Istanbul has it all and is probably my favourite city in the world.