Istanbul.

"If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital." Napoleon Bonaparte.

Stay.

If it’s your first time in Istanbul, I highly recommend staying in the Old City. Fatih was our area of choice and our hotel not only abutted the Hippodrome but was only a 7-minute walk to the main areas of Obelisques, Aya Sofia, and the Blue Mosque.

Bram Hotel was an excellent choice. It’s a restored hotel that offers an inclusive Turkish breakfast with spacious rooms and a relaxing rooftop area. It was one of our favourite hotels of all the places we stayed over the Summer, mostly due to the friendly owners. Contact Ali on WhatsApp +905434321819 for the best accommodation price.

If you’re looking to get away from tourists and want a lux stay, we have also stayed at the Mövenpick Marmara Sea. It’s super-new and we had a huge suite. My favourite thing about this hotel was chocolate hour though.

In a similar area, The Novotel Zeytinburnu is brilliant for families. The pool is great and the staff are excellent. It’s close to Fisekhane which is a funky, new area with awesome restaurants.

  • It’s difficult to find a bad place to eat in Turkiye but, if you want more value for money, walk a couple of blocks away from the mega-tourist areas.

    We ate at Şirvan Sofrasi Restaurant and Ziya Baba Türk Mutfağı Slow food in Fatih which were both excellent.

    In the Marmara Sea area, we ate at 3 wonderful places - The lux and delicious Levantine, Firin-Ci: huge and extensive menu without the price tag, and Bursa Kebap: delicious and affordable. Don’t leave Firin-Ci without tasting their turkish coffee - it’s beyond delicious!

  • There’s so much history in Istanbul. It can be hard for little ones to manage all of the sites.

    We didn’t do too much history this time. We went to Topkapi Palace (the former palace of the Sultans) for an afternoon which was fun and there’s a nearby park/playground which was a nice treat afterwards.

    On great advice, we went to Aya Sofia Mosque and Sultan Ahmed Mosque after dinner (for us, around 6.30pm). Because they are practicing mosques, you’ll need to wear long pants/skirt and, ladies, bring a pashmina or scarf to cover your shoulders and head. These attractions are both free of charge. Aya Sofia is both a working mosque and a museum so, for about $20 you can see the whole thing, it’s still breathtaking.

    On our latest trip we went to the Basilica Cistern at night. It’s very pricey but a cool experience.

  • Our hosts at Bram Hotel recommended a Bosphorus Cruise for 25€ each (half price for kids). The cruise collects and drops you to/from your hotel and the cruise goes for about 4 hours with commentary. Lunch is nearby Rumeli Fortress for an hour. We all thoroughly enjoyed seeing a different side to Istanbul.

    Gulhane Park is next to Topkapi Palace and has lovely places to sit and/or play.

  • Transfers to/from the airport are well worth it. Most hotels offer a service for a fee; check with your hotel first before booking a separate service.

    The tram that operates in Old Town is frequent and convenient but can be tricky to purchase. In the end, we purchased a 10-trip pass with cash (there are no card-payment facilities at the machines).

    In the main tourist areas, don’t be afraid to ask for help - there are specific people with T-shirts on that say “Ask Me”. You can also ask the Tourist Police.