This is the second part of my early summer holiday in June. My sister and I went to Istanbul on 11-15 June, 2019, thus it was 3 full-day trip. I really love Istanbul! The city is so charming with lots of activities to do and places to visit, the people are so friendly, and it is so affordable (in comparison with European countries)! We spent our time almost entirely on the Europe side but we did go to the Asia side once.
Visa
For Indonesian, applying Turkish visa is really easy and is done online. Go to https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/ to apply for the visa and after doing the payment, voila! the visa is approved and sent to email. It is really recommended to apply the visa via that website since it is the official visa service from Turkish government and therefore there is no service fee added.
Getting to and from Istanbul to the airport
You are lucky if you are going to use Sabiha Gokçen Airport (SAW) and Istanbul Airport (IST), because we used both airports therefore I can give you some tips to reach and to leave Istanbul. But, I am going to be very specific, means that I can only give the information to reach Taksim and by using the express bus.
We started at Sabiha Gokçen. After completing immigration stuff and collecting baggage, go out through the exit door and hopefully if you go right, you find bus station. Now, the bus that we took called Havabus and it costs 18 TL per person. we paid the ticket to the driver inside. Look for the bus directing to Taksim. The bus trip lasts for, well, roughly 1.5 hours and it stops finally at Taksim area. Yes, not exactly by the Taksim Square, but next to Point Hotel Taksim. This is also the point where the bus departs to both airports.
When you finally ready to leave Istanbul, you go to the same location to catch the bus. The fare is exactly the same, but we used my IstanbulKart to pay for the fee inside the bus. We used Havaist which is the express bus to Istanbul Airport. So, my prediction is that passengers pay by the card with Havaist and cash with Havabus. What if you do not have IstanbulKart? No worries, you can buy it at the yellow machine or from the kiosk nearby the stop.
I have read several articles that there are more options to go and leave Istanbul to the airports, but I think using the express bus is the best option. It is affordable, direct, and surely you get a seat.
11 June/Day 1: Airport, Taksim Square and Istiklal Avenue
Our day started in the afternoon in Istanbul. After checking in at Almond Hills Apartment near Taksim (Literally at the edge of a hill! phew.. But the room is nice), we rested a little bit and then explored Taksim Square and Istiklal Avenue. The area is full of people walking everywhere on the street! There are many shops along Istiklal Avenue: fashion, souvenirs, dessert shops full of Turkish delicacies, and more.
L-R: Taksim square, yummy desserts sold in a shop along Istiklal Avenue
12 June/Day 2: Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, Asia Side
Topkapi Palace for me is the highlight for this Istanbul trip. It is so beautiful with many rooms to explore. My favorite is the Imperial Hall at Harem. DO buy the ticket to visit Harem! That is the most treasured site in the whole palace, as it was used as the living place of Sultan and his family. To visit the palace, and other sites during this trip, we bought the ticket in every site. We didn't use Museum Pass since we didn't want to see every sites it offers. Thus, buying separate tickets was cheaper. Bear in mind, you need to be smart when to visit the sites because the line might get long, really long!
Admission tickets for Topkapi Palace
We still have time to explore more places, so we went to Grand Bazaar. This is the place where people buy and sell things, and the history can be traced way back from the days of Ottoman Empire. They have it all: local sweets, souvenirs, jewelry, fashion items!
Time was spent very little at the Grand Bazaar since we didn't plan any shopping and it was quite overwhelming to go to that labyrinth full of shops actually, so we went somewhere else easy. We still had time, yes, and we thought going to Asia side made a beautiful end for the day. So we took a tram trip to Kabatas Station and from there, we went to the Asia Side by ferry. It was really nice to pass through Bosphorus strait by ferry, although I got a little bit sea sick lol. Along the Asia Side, people can do relaxing activities, from walking, sitting around, or fishing.
The view of Bosphorus strait during the ferry ride
13 June/Day 3: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern
Our plan was to explore the famous landmarks around Sultanahmet, which are mentioned above. Finally, the day I enter Hagia Sophia!! Don't get me wrong, Hagia Sophia is wonderful, but after the trip to Topkapi Palace, I must say that I expected to much from Hagia Sophia. Nevertheless, there are so many things to see in this museum: the ornaments, the structure, many more. You can easily spend one or two hours exploring the building, and surely it's a lot of walking.
Nearby Hagia Sophia, we visited Blue Mosque, then we went to Basilica Cistern.
Medusa's head at Basilica Cistern
14 June/Day 4: Büyükada Island
If you have one extra day in Istanbul, it is recommended to visit one of the Princes' Islands, with Büyükada Island being the biggest and the popular one. I went there alone since my sister wanted to stay at the hotel. My trip there started from Kabataş ferry pier. From there I bought a one way ticket of 10 TL. The waiting line was better than I expected, though. It was really smooth and quick. I guess it is because I went on Friday (not during the weekend) and it was not really the holiday season, but it could be that I was really lucky!
The trip to Büyükada took almost 1.5 hours including one stop at one of other Princes' Islands (I forgot the name). Not so bad.. First look of the island: it doesn't look like an island. It isbig enough, lots of building, and many people. Here, everyone can rent a bike or hop on a horse carriage, or walk around. I am not sure about the horse carriage, but I can not rent a bike because I don't have my hotel key with me. How unfortunate! Therefore I opted 'walking around'. I followed the route of where the carriages were heading and little did I know, I spent 2 hours walking around half of the island. An exshausting yet nice experience; well, except with the smell of horse poo.
Ah, food. Yes. There are lots of options here. When I arrived at the island, I chose to eat sea bass with rice as lunch. So refreshing! Haven't got to eat seafood quite a long time.. After walking around, I felt like eating desserts, so I went to Mado Cafe for some baklava with sorbet and oreo milkshake.
After filling up my tummy with sweet things, I went back to the pier to go to the city. I used my Istanbulkart to pay the fare and it was 5.20 TL, cheap one. The ferry brought me to Eminönü, where later on I can enjoy the sea view from the Galata bridge nearby. This ferry stops at all islands and pier in Kadiköy. No wonder it is cheaper, although I don't really mind that. With those many stops, the trip took 2 hours.
15 June/Day 5: Istanbul-Amsterdam
It was the day of our departure. We flew back to Amsterdam via New Istanbul Airport (so excited!!) by KLM and, as I explained earlier, we took Havaist bus to reach the airport. Since the airport is new, we went there a little bit earlier so that we can explore the airport. It is so huge!!! If you hate walking, it might be not an airport for you..:( Even so, this airport is really modern and interesting to explore.
Yes. That is it for this Istanbul trip. I definitely will be glad to revisit this city and perhaps, if I am lucky enough, I get to visit other cities in Turkey as well. Until then, Istanbul!