December 19, 2022, & January 2-3, 2023 (Long layover or 2D1N): Did you know that if you fly with Turkish Air and have a long layover in Istanbul, you can take advantage of the Layover Tour? And that’s precisely what we did for the RT flights from JFK to Varna. During the first leg of our trip, we had about 12 hours of layover in IST, where we took advantage of the Afternoon City Tour. We had an overnight stay on our return flight, but we didn’t think hotels would be included, so we ended up booking one on our own (and we were wrong). We also took the ferry and crossed over to the Asian side of Istanbul during our short visit.

*Highly recommended food & hotel

Day 1 (December 19)

• AM arrival from JFK

• Touristanbul Desk to register for the layover tour of your choice (Arrival terminal after exiting Baggage Claim)

• Priority Pass Lounge (iGA Lounge; need to go through security checkpoint)

• 12-6 pm: Afternoon Tour

  • Lunch @ Semazen Etli Ekmek*

  • Eyup Sultan Mosque

  • Walk up the hill through the cemetery (Look out for the adorable street cats)

  • Viewpoint @ Pierre Loti Tepesi

  • The Walls of Constantinople

  • Sveti Stefan Bulgaria Orthodox Church

  • Balat neighborhood:

    • Fener Greek High School

    • Virgin Mary (Bloody Church)

    • Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople

    • Tea @ Cafe Obscura* / Istanbul Kamera Muzesi (A cafe tucked inside a camera museum)

• Evening flight to Varna

January 2

• Midnight arrival from Varna

• Uber to Sentire Hotels & Residences*

• Sehit Muhtar:

  • Taksim Square

  • Snacks @ City Doner

Day 2 (January 3)

• 10:30 am-1 pm Secrets of Grand Bazaar and Suleymaniye walking tour:

  • Column of Constantine

  • Grand Bazaar:

    • Klizia

    • Sisko Osman/Samet (Old Camel Stable)

    • Afternoon Tea on a secret rooftop with a beautiful view of Hagia Sophia

    • Egin Textile

  • Ali Pasa Camii

  • Istanbul Universitesi Rektorlugu Yemekhaneler Mudurlugu/Beyazit Kulesi (Used as the weather forecast today)

  • Nuruosmaniye Mosque

  • Suleymaniye Mosque

• Lunch @ Doneristan

• Rustem Pasha Mosque (Stunning interior)

• Lunch/pizza @ Tarihi Eminonu

• Sufi Baharat (Spice Market):

  • Shop tea @ Merve Ceyiz

• Sirkeci PPT Merkezi (Beautiful post office to buy some stamps as souvenirs)

• Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (An iconic mosque)

• Sultan Ahmet/The Blue Mosque

• Arasta Bazaar

• The Obelisk of Theodosius

• Don’t forget to try some Ottoman Ice Cream (Trust me on this!)

• Soguk Cesme Sokagi (A notable street with beautiful houses)

• Ferry to Asia (Eminonu - Uskudar; 22.42 Turkish lira; latest price list):

  • Walk around Üsküdar Seaside

  • Uber to the hotel via the Bosphorus Bridge

• IST:

  • Priority Pass Lounge (iGA Lounge)

  • Evening flight to JFK

Other points of interest & food:

• Cocktail w/ a view @ Alexandra Cocktail Bar

• Dolmabahçe Palace

• Galata Tower

• Grand Mecidiye Mosque (Ortaköy Mosque)

• Kebab @ Meşhur Dönerci Hacı Osman'ın Yeri, Basta! Street Food Bar

• Dinner @ Çiya Sofrası, The Must Turkish Restaurant

Tips:

• Enjoy Turkish Airlines’ hotel perk for those with international connecting flights departing from IST.

• As of January 9, 2024, US citizens no longer need visas to visit Turkey!

• For ladies - bring a scarf to wear when entering mosques.

• You will need an Istanbul Kart (the transport ticket in Istanbul) to board the ferry. Get it from the yellow vending machines located in metro, Metrobus, and tram stations.