Expat Travel Mom

Visiting Istanbul surpassed my expectations with flying colors. I'd never really thought of traveling to Turkey before, mostly because I knew almost nothing about the country. But like always, my family and I were up for adventure. I could go on and on about how much we loved this country, its people, and its history, but here's a glimpse of our favorites, and I'll let you discover the rest yourself.

A quick honesty note: the cruise was generously hosted by Zoe Cruises, and Vialand was hosted as well. As always, everything I've written here reflects our actual experience, the good and the not-so-good.

Stay in the Heart of Sultanahmet

Even if it's just for one night before checking into a hotel for the rest of the trip, try staying somewhere local. We found an apartment on Airbnb where the owner rents out every unit in the building and is available for whatever you need, booking tours, transportation, ideas for the day. Free Wi-Fi too. One tip if you stay in this area: turn right out of the building, walk up to Dim's Market on the corner, turn right again, and one block down you'll find Erciyes Kebap, tiny, fantastic, and cheap. Try the Pide, it's essentially Turkish pizza.

The Original Walls of Constantinople

Depending on how you arrive into old Istanbul, you might be lucky enough to pass the old city walls while driving along the corniche. Seeing them makes the whole scale of the city's history feel suddenly real.

An Ice Cream Show

My kids begged for another one the entire rest of the trip. Take an evening stroll and let the kids ooh and ahh at the street-side ice cream vendors putting on a show, before long you'll notice a whole crowd has gathered around you, all enjoying the same performance.

Turkish Delight on a Moonlit Night

Nearly everywhere you go, you'll find shops overflowing with sweets, nuts, dried fruit, and tea. Stopping for Turkish delight is basically mandatory while you're here, grab extra for the trip home, you'll miss it the moment you're gone.

Sultanahmet Meatballs and an Iskender

The meatballs weren't my personal favorite, but everyone in Sultanahmet will tell you to try them anyway, so you kind of have to. The Iskender is the real must-try, thinly cut grilled lamb basted in hot tomato sauce over pita, generously topped with melted sheep butter and yogurt. My husband ordered it twice. I mean, there's food everywhere...try it all!

The "Ask Me" Students

All over old Istanbul, you'll spot high school and college students in blue shirts, part of a free summer municipal program specifically to help tourists. Genuinely useful, and a nice window into local life.

Hagia Sophia

I didn't expect young kids to hold much interest here, but mine proved me wrong. They were fascinated by the layered history, a Greek Orthodox cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral, a mosque, all in one Byzantine structure. For kids, take the trek up to the second level through the old brick stairwell, it's genuinely amazing.

The Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome

You'll need to cover up, appropriate covering is provided at the entrance if you didn't plan ahead, and please be mindful, many people travel a long way specifically to pray here. Observe the designated areas and allow quiet for worship. It wasn't quite our Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, but sitting inside, the scale of it is obvious, the last grand mosque of the classical period. Our kids, likely used to the call to prayer from our own time in the UAE, seemed completely at ease taking it all in. Next door, the Hippodrome, once the social heart of the Byzantine Empire, now home to an obelisk brought from Egypt and a great spot for stumbling into local festivals, we caught a food and art fair there ourselves.

The Grand Bazaar

One of the largest, oldest covered markets on earth, with more than 3,000 shops. We got happily lost in the rows, chatted with shop owners about the market's history, and picked up souvenirs from a genuinely kind vendor named Ozy at shop 29 on Kapalıçarşı, and ceramics from Hayri at shop 17/20. Say hi if you find either of them. Haggling is expected, but keep in mind rent inside the Bazaar isn't cheap for these vendors either.

The Basilica Cistern

Right next to Hagia Sophia, this is the largest of the hundreds of ancient cisterns beneath Istanbul, originally built to supply water to the Great Palace of Constantinople and, later, Topkapi Palace. Keep an eye out for the two carved Medusa heads tucked into the columns.

Ortaköy, Kumpir, and Waffles

On Sundays, this adorable old fishing village comes alive with an outdoor craft fair. Wander the narrow cobblestone streets, then head to stall number 7 for a traditional kumpir, Ortaköy's own loaded baked potato, chili, corn, couscous, tapenade, mayo, sausage, butter, sour cream, somehow it all works together. Follow it with a loaded waffle from stall 14, half the fun is just watching them make it. Grab a spot along the waterfront and enjoy the view while you eat.

A Bosphorus Cruise

Boats up and down the coast offer trips along the Bosphorus or the Golden Horn. I'd recommend the Bosphorus, and specifically a private cruise if you can swing it, one flat price split among your group rather than the crowded double-decker tourist boats. We booked through Zoe Yacht Bosphorus Cruises, a lovely two-hour excursion at our own pace, with hotel pickup included since our hotel had its own private pier. Just sit back and take in the architecture, the waterfront mansions, and the Asian coastline.

Simit

A cross between a pretzel and a bagel, round, covered in sesame seeds, and dangerously easy to get hooked on. Most people eat it with Turkish tea, tearing it apart and topping it with honeycomb and clotted cream. That was my first time trying real honeycomb, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

VIALAND

Turkey's version of Disneyland, Vialand is still a work in progress when we visited, only two months open at the time. The landscaping was new, staff were still finding their footing, and several rides were closed. What we did ride, a scaled-down version of It's a Small World, the Family Coaster, and a 5D cinema, was genuinely fun. A word of caution: height requirements run higher than what US parks typically use, so don't expect a Splash Mountain regular to breeze through everything here. The Horror Dark Ride also scared my kids to tears, despite being told it would be fine. Attached to the park is a massive shopping center with what might be the biggest toy store I've ever walked into.

There's so much more to see and do than three days allowed us. We're hoping to go back for even more.

Coming back to update: quite a bit has genuinely changed here. Hagia Sophia was reconverted from a museum back into an active mosque in 2020, it's still open to visitors of all faiths, but the experience and rules around visiting have shifted, worth reading up on current entry requirements before you go. The Blue Mosque underwent a major six-year renovation and fully reopened in April 2023, and the Basilica Cistern went through its own restoration, reopening in July 2022, both are back to normal operation now. VIALAND was renamed İsfanbul after a change in ownership around 2016, same park, same location, new name, and it's grown into a much more established attraction since our visit.