avoid the turks.

hahahaha, sevket, develop more pleaseeeeee

you even didnt recomend baklavas to me!!!!!

Wanessa,

seriously:

- avoid the Asian part - not of interest

- take one of the boats to cross the Bosphorus - worth any second

- just walk the city without too much planning - you will understand why this city is a rare perl

- read a book of Orhan Pamuk (Nobel prized Turkish author) to get into the mood

Enjoy

First of all I hope you enjoy your trip to Turkey..

About avoiding turks, dont worry because one way or another "handsom charming turkish gentlemen' will find you.. having said that now the good stuff..

I guess all depends on what you are looking for.. In terms of historical places must see are Most of the places are around sultanahmet square..1) topkapi palace ( very old palace used by ottoman sultans, in sultanahmet)..2) ayasofya ( very old roman church later turned in to mosque now museum (sultanahmet) ..3) blues mosque (famous for very beautiful colorful tiles. still in use by turks for praying. in sultanahmet)..4) yerebatan sarayi (old roman cistern, sultanahmet.)..

Eminonu has "misir carsisi" (old bazaar mostly used by locals..) kapalicarsi (covered bazaar mostly used by tourists..). Also eminonu has famous halic bridge where you can find cafes and bars on it.. nice view of the city..

Third famous neighborthood is istiklal caddesi (istiklal street, also known as taksim).. It is historical street closed to car traffic.. it has bars, cafes and restaurants.. probably you can find anything you want to buy or eat there.. at the end of the street there is galata tower (during daytime you may take an elevator all the way up the tower and enjoy magnificent view from there..).. there is a cezayir sokagi (algerian street) very near to istiklal street famous for restaurants.. and cicek pasaji is a must to visit there..at the end of istiklal street there is "mevlevihane" that occationaly whirling dervishes perform  relegious ceremonies for tourists.. sometimes they do that at "sirkeci gari" in eminonu..

Besiktas and ortakoy famous because of friendly envirounment and cafes and restaurants.. There is interesting street bazaar there as well..

Take a boat tour (or just a regular city ferries) along the bosphorus.. You may get a good view of the old palaces and historical houses along the channel.

There are so many more but i will stop here about historical places.. 

About eating.. I would suggest you to try

meat stuff: 1) doner (real turkish style) 2) lahmacun (real turkish style) 3) adana kebabi..4) sis kebap ..

home food 1) dolma (grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat) .. 2) karniyarik (eggplant with meat) and imam bayildi (no meat).. 3) kuru fasulye (it is beans, the turkish style.. turks love it)..

desserts 1) kafayif (the real turkish style).. 2) baklava (real turkish style) 3) gullac 4) sutlac (milk and rice).. 5) asure (very ancient dessert) 6) turkish lokum of course (try hacibekir lokumu if you can find).. you cannot imagine how many different varieties exist.

You should try turkish "simit" (round small bread) best i know are in "simit sarayi". same place has "boreks" as well.. again so many varieties..

Drink.. 1) if you like raki (very similar to greek uzo) try one there..my favorite brand is "kara efe". 2)

try non alcoholic "salep" sweet hot milky drink..

About gifts .. tourists usually like evil eye (nazarlik).. it is the first thing you will see when you get off the airport customs..

I think i get tired.. if you have any more questions.. i will try my best..

Who are you going with? ;)

Hey guys, amazing answers :o

My big big big thanks to you all. All suggestions are now on my to do list ;)

Cheers, Wanessa

If I were you, I would do the followings in Taksim:

1- go to Cukurcuma (Soho of istanbul)

2- see the Galata Tower

1- eat a dinner @ Haci Abdullah

2- have a profiterol @ Inci Pastanesi

3- get drunk at Litera Restaurant with a perfect view of Golden Horn

4- go to Kemanci (if you like Rockbar) or Neyzen Street (bar street)

5- have a meze (like tapas) in "Yakup Meyhane" (very nice, classic Turkish Tavern)

6- get a drink @ "Cicek Pasaji" (do not eat there)

Karaköy:

7- !! I would definitely go to MOMA Istanbul!! interesting exhibitions and a nice restaurant with an amazing view

8- Go to Güllüoglu Baklavalari in Karaköy. House of Turkish Desserts..yummy!

Old Town of istanbul:

9- Spice Bazaar (if you like cooking, get a "Persian Saffron" and "Sumak" there)

10 - Grand Bazaar (have a Turkish coffee @ Kahvehane)

11- !!Underground Cistern!! -> must see. there are two heads of "Medusa" which are put upside down

12- Million Stone -> marking the starting point of the Byzantine Empire

13- !!Istanbul Archeology Museum!! -> must see

14- for sure !!Hagia Sophia!! -> must see

Islands (if you have time)

15- go to Buyukada (Prinkipo) with a boat ; then walking up to the hill and enjoy the view with a Turkish Uzo 

so, these are some of the things I do / want to do whenever I go to Istanbul, my homeland...

Enjoy your staying...

I am not sure how a woman would go about it but am sure it is possible.  In order to 'avoid the (Sevket's) Turks' by this I mean the ones that hassle you (and it is not that bad) in Sultanahmet where I prefer to stay  I wear a jacket and display prominantly a Turkish language newspaper in the pocket.  The difference is incredible. An hour later I can do the same route without the paper and i am invited into every shop just to have a look - 'no obligation to buy'.  Of course this only works if you are one your own or with one other person with whom you do not speak (unless in Turkish).  Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but there is no danger for women so long as you dress sensibly.  My daughter was 'touched' in Kapile Carsi and swore at the guy and several store holders chased him off

Also if you want a cheap fast food snack - buy grilled fish straight from the boats near Sirkeci railway station.  (I presume they are still there).  Fantasitc city - relaxing full of contrasts, has everything. Great to visit but I think stressful to live there 

lol my comment was rather meaningless but just pointing at Wanessa´s question about what to avoid. 

Wanessa.. you got loads of hints and recommendations about locations and landmarks. but i dont think you should have to avoid anything in order to fully experience the city. if you walk around paranoidly you´re not going to enjoy your trip anyway. so noone is going to hassle you! lol-  just discover the nightlife! there is so much precious music out there! have fun following the sounds and the smells of the city! :)) by the way if i ma not wrong istanbul is the european cultural capital together with Essen in germany i believe. check out the programme.

Cheers

a movie i can recommend: "crossing the bridge"

well.. the movie is in german and turkish. but it gives an idea of the city. 

Lucky you! Great city just bursting with atmosphere. 2 places that made a big impression on me are: Aya Sofia and the Basilica Cistern - they really give you an incredible sense of the history of where you are standing.

i`ll come back 10 kilos heavier from this trip :D

Thx A LOTTTT again to you all!!!!!

Wa

Nihan,

iam from Izmir and gonig to Istanbul for a weekend trip on 10/10

 i will steal some ideas from your post :)

Wanessa, 

I was there 8 years ago, and have great memories from it. Loved the city, the food, the sea.

Sadly I don't have any specific tips for you, but I can tell you it's highly likely you'll have a great time. 

Nir

Hi Vannesa, 

I think Murat mentioned a lot of useful things to do/see/eat..etc.

I just want to add some more:

SEE: you should definitelly go to Ortakoy square and enjoy the view..also try "kumpir" from the kiosks there.. or turkish tea by the Bosphorus..  http://bit.ly/af2yAo

DO: if you wanna go to a hamam, below one is one of the best in the istanbul: http://www.cemberlitashamami.com.tr/  ..this is in between the Blue mosque and Grand Bazaar..

and yes, EFES is the best bier there:)

Cheers

Bilal

I guess enough is said, still I can only add one more thing: Bring the lonely planet istanbul guide with you. Even if I'm from Istanbul, I learned a lot from that book when I had to show my friends around. Enjoy:)

from all other things written above about aya sofia, topkapi, bosphorus etc, as an outsider i would testify to pt. 8 mentioned by nihan i.e. Güllüoglu Baklavalari. they have great baclava.

Nir, maybe you can give her the number of the guy you were dating went you were there ;)

Wanessa:

Catalin asked me to tell you the name of the guy I dated in Istanbul, and I'm happy to do it. It was a local guy called Rasputin. He was bald and handsom, and had the sweetest little mouth ever!

Nir