Turkey Travel Recommendations

Moda

eat

Semolina - Best Italian in probably all of Turkey. They’re open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, though they don’t stay open too late. Don’t miss this place. Ressam Şeref Akdik Sokak No: 7. Take Moda Caddesi south, turn left onto Ressam Şeref. It's on the left, slightly lower than street level.

Şiras - Aegean restaurant specializing in mese. Just off of Moda Caddesı on Sarraf Alı Sokak. See our post for more info.

Samsun Pide - Great pide here. Moda Caddesi. 

Borsam Taşfırın - Our favorite lahmacun, plus awesome people-watching. This location is on one of the pedestrian-only streets near the ferries, the one with all the fish and produce market stalls (Güneşli Bahçe Sokak).

Çiya - Traditional Anatolian food, also on Güneşli Bahçe Sokak, but farther south than Borsam. Recommended by Turks, so you know it's the good stuff.

Sini Mantı - Close to the nightlife of Kadıfe Sokak  (Arayıcıbaşı Sokak No:12)and the REXX movie theater, this modernly furnished dining room offers some of the biggest portions and best handmade mantı plates in town. Ask for mantı, agree with everything, and you'll be happy.  (Arayıcıbaşı Sokak No:12)

drink

Zeplin - Great imitation Irish pub with decent beers, a wide selection of whiskeys, and reportedly good drinks. They play a lot of good jazz here in the early evenings, and the walls are decorated with lots of interesting things. They also offer food--they have prosciutto here, and a bacon cheeseburger (real pork, too, not some imitation-pork beef product). On Moda Caddesi.

Ayı - New bar just opened on Moda Caddesi, up the street from Zeplin. Cool furnishings, and they poured the best Guinness I’ve had in Turkey (maybe it was just a fresh keg). Taps included Hoegarden, Guinness, Tuborg, and Carlsberg, plus rather a large selection of bottles and drinks. The music was decent.

Arka Oda - Great garden space in the back. No drinks menu. Live music, though we’ve never been for that yet. Apparently it can get quite rowdy late at night. Most important thing: there’s no sign for this place. It’s No. 18 on Kadife Sokak, and usually there is a guy sitting on a stool right by the door, almost like a bouncer.

Hera - Good music, good ambience. Just down the street from Arka Oda.

do

Mango Outlet - On Bahariye Caddesi. Outlet shoppers must check out at the registers on the top floor, NOT the basement--that's only for new, full price merchandise. 

Wandering around other various crazy shopping districts--there are streets of shoe stores, computer repair, appliance stores, etc.

Street art murals - There are some amazing murals in the area on and south of Misaki Milli Sokak. Be careful at night--it's kind of a sleazy street and a woman walking alone might get some catcalls. 

Walking along the pier at night you can see Sultanahmet lit up in the distance

Food markets - Great fish, produce, and food shops on Güneşli Bahçe Sokak.

Catching a ferry - Go anywhere. The ride alone is worth it and the Şehir Hatları ferries are cheap.
Get a (mens) haircut - Ahmet and his brother run a two-chair shop around No. 35 on Nüzhet Efendi Sokak just north of the Çarşı bus stop. Haircut, shampoo, scalp massage, and blowdry take a satisfying hour and only 15TL. Barber understands a little English, usually offers tea, and pleasant company.

Princes Islands

Heyamola on Heybeliada - Best Turkish breakfast we've had. Fantastic cheeses, the honey and butter was transcendental, the tomatoes and cucumber perfectly ripe, and the menemen excellent. As you get off the Şehir Hatları ferry, turn right and walk along the pier. Look for Heyamola’s awning among the other various restaurants. It’s about halfway down and borders one of the few streets cutting through to the shore.

Karaköy

do

Istanbul Modern - Their collection of modern Turkish art, arranged in roughly chronological order, is a great exhibit. Enjoy a turkish coffee or cappuccino in their cafe overlooking the water. The price point is a bit high, but the drinks are well made and the view wonderful. Check out the gift shop, too. You might find a little treasure to remember your trip by.

eat

Komodor - A tiny thin crust pizza shop near the art museum. We had the mushroom (with the amusing name of Admiral Fungus...), and it was wonderful. Great atmosphere in a little neighborhood of other appealing cafes and automotive repair shops. Kılıç Ali Paşa Mescidi Sokak 11/A.

Karaköy Güllüoğlu - Best baklava in the city, according to many people (and us, because we’ve had mainly just-okay baklava). Ask for a sampler if you don’t know what you want. A one portion sampler is 6 pieces, and costs 8-10 TL (we were quoted 10 but then charged only 8 at the register, so yay for us).

Beyoğlu/Galata

do

Galata Tower - Try to go on a clear-ish day, as the views of the city are truly unparalleled here (NB: there are so many beautiful views of this city, but there’s none quite like this). Also, going at sunset is beautiful. I can’t remember how much it costs, but it’s not too bad (10-15 TL). You take an elevator up the tower, then climb one or two sets of stairs. There is a restaurant up there, and I’m sure it’s very expensive AND, because the restaurants’ windows look onto the viewing platform the tourists walk on, you’ll probably only see peoples’ butts. This is also not for those very afraid of heights, as the walkway is not very wide, people walk both ways instead of just one, and it seems easy to just jump off if you wanted to.

eat/drink

Aponia - Small coffee shop/store/music venue. Great coffee and cool design stuff here. They're located near the Galata Tower, and apparently across the street from the British Consulate. (Asmalımescit Mah. Hacco Pulo Pasajı. No: 108/4 E)

Sokak Kahvesi - good Turkish coffee and tunes and we had sahlep here. It is a cold weather drink, kind of like eggnog, but not really. It is made out of a powder made from orchid tubers (yes, as in the flower), and flavored with nutmeg, and lots of other stuff. It’s kept warm in a kettle on their wood burning stove in the middle of the cafe. The orchid tuber powder makes it very thick, much like eggnog or thick hot chocolate can be. It’s very seasonal here, but definitely don’t pass up the experience of trying it.

İmroz - Meze restaurant. (Nevizade Sokak No. 16; krependekiimroz.com)

shop

Lomography - If you're a camera person, you MUST go to Lomography. They had very cool specialty cameras for sale. And it's on a street with other interesting shops and restaurants.

Mazura - Tiny men’s shop on the way from Galata to Istiklal Caddesi. They have shirts, ties and cufflinks. Ties are much cheaper here than in the States, and Joe found a great one here for just 40 TL. (Şahkulu Bostan Sokak, No. 13A, Galata, Beyoğlu; www.mazurastore.com)

Insan Kitap - A decent selection of English language books, though we didn’t have much time to browse. They had quite a few Turkish authors translated into English, e.g. Ahmet Ümit, Orhan Pamuk. (İstiklal Cd No. 96, across from Galatasaray High School)

There are many, many shops all along Istiklal, foreign and Turkish.

Sultanahmet

eat

Maya’s Corner Cafe - Bright little cafe with Turkish/Western food and friendly service, near tourist destinations but doesn’t feel touristy. Definitely get a pomegranate orange juice. It's on Yerebatan Caddesi. The Basilica Cistern is also on this street. Go past the Cistern entrance and the cafe is down the street on your left.

Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşı) - I was surprised (probably shouldn't have been...) at how touristy the Spice Bazaar was. There is one shop, however, that I really recommend. It's at the corner of the L-shaped building, and it's called Malatya Pazarı (#44). Their dried apricots are absolutely amazing. They have a wide selection of dried fruits, nuts, spices, and sweets. Spend all your money here and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Also, ask for a sample before buying! That's how everyone decides what they want. Also, they vacuum pack the spices, but I'm sure you can ask for that for the dried fruit as well, since they usually just put it in a little paper bag. NB: I recommend picking up at least 200 g of sumac as well. It's an amazing spice we don't use enough in the US. Joe and I like to put it on pizza. 

do

Hippodrome - (Parts of) Three different columns remain along what was the spina, or spine, of the racetrack. The top third of an ancient Egyptian obelisk imported in 390 CE by Theodosius (it broke in transit), the remains of a bronze column of intertwining serpents, dedicated in 480 BCE by Greeks grateful for victory over invading Persians and imported by Constantine in 324 CE, and the Walled Obelisk, a brickwork column once covered in bronze but now a sad stack of bricks. The Hippodrome is directly abuts the Blue Mosque complex on the west.

Archaeological Museum - An absolute must. Take the tram to the Gülhane Parkı stop. Walk along the walls and pass through the archway on the left. Walk up the hill (the entrance to the park is on the left--a nice place for post-museum walking/musing) and you'll easily find the museum entrance. Enjoy all the leftover columns, capitals, and stone miscellany along the way.

Ataşehir

eat
Afyon Kahvaltı - Turkish breakfast near our apartment. LOTS of cheese and very spicy çiğ kofte. 

Cappadocia
stay
Emily's Cave House - Mehmed and Esen offer true Turkish hospitality at their hotel. They were wonderfully welcoming and helpful. And our cave room was fantastic.

do
Çavuşin - My favorite activity was climbing the heights of old Çavuşin. It offers the fun of exploring cave houses as well as fantastic views at the summit.

Göreme Open Air Museum - The vibrant frescoes in the rock cut chapels of this 10th century monasterial site are worth the visit. Just a short 15-20 minute walk from Göreme.

Rose Valley - We didn't really get to visit Rose Valley due to snow, but we passed it on the way to the Open Air Museum. I think the best way to see Cappadocia would be to hike through the parks. They're free and less crowded than the typical tourist sites. And you can do your own thing instead of follow a set path. You can find maps with hiking trails in town.

Sunset Point - Wander the streets of Göreme until you find your way up to Sunset Point. There are some excellent vantage points, and the farther you go, the more trails you find.

Visit an underground city - Derin Kuyu & Kaymaklı are the most famous, but there are apparently 30 more open to the public!

Monk's Valley - Stunning fairy chimneys and a monastery dedicated to St. Simon the Stylite who lived there for 30 years. There are a ton of Sim(e)on Stylites, however, and I don't really know which it's supposed to be. And a cell cut into a rock isn't a pillar, it's a hermitage. So. But it was a cool place!