Turkey Short Lay-over | ExpatWoman.com
 

Turkey Short Lay-over

145
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 January 2011 - 11:03

We are thinking of doing a 2-day stop over in Turkey on our way to Europe. We have a 21 month old with us.
Wanted to find out if any of you have suggestions of where to stay (not expecting 5 or 4 star hotels - we will be there just to sleep) and which part of town - old, new?

How far is the International Airport located from the main tourist area?

Am excited at the prospect of visiting Istanbul - but this is all a last minute thinking... so have not done much research :(

Please help ....

Cheers

145
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 January 2011 - 11:59
thank you for the suggestions so far - will research more now. Anyone else been to Istanbul? An average of EURO 50-60 per night seems to be reasonable ... suggestions?
25
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 January 2011 - 11:17
http://www.booking.com/hotel/tr/hippodrome.html?aid=311088;label=postbooking_confemail (family room that had separate lounge and 2 bathrooms, we had 3 adults and 2 kids, aged 2 and 3) We stayed at this place Nov 2009 and it was great, def stay in the old part of town, tram is very good especially for pushchairs (comes up flush with curb) and very regular, no need to have timetable, always one going by. All the big attractions are walking distance from sultanhamet (sp) area and then tram down wharf for Bosporus (sp) cruise or tram across bridge to Galatea Tower and shopping district. Was fab, we stayed 4 nights. HTH P.s the hotel picked us up at airport for free <em>edited by Jammiemonster on 18/01/2011</em>
5400
Posts
EW MASTER
Latest post on 18 January 2011 - 11:17
Depending on the taxi driver, time of day and where you stay, Istanbul airport is between 30mins and an hour from the centre of Istanbul, if memory serves me correctly. There is a special taxi place at the airport where you can purchase a return taxi journey from the airport to your hotel at a better price than an ordinary taxi. There is also a metro, but maybe not when you have a baby and luggage with you.. Also, apparently, not safe after 9 at night. I would stay in the area round Agya Sophia because you can find nice little hotels all within walking distance of a lot of the main sights, like the Saint Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cisterns, and near buses to take you elsewhere. We stay here when we go to Istanbul, it's not great value for money, I don't think, but is beautifully situated. I don't know how the standard compares to elsewhere, but I think it's one of the cheaper places. http://www.dersaadethotel.com/ If you do go there by cab, make sure you spell the name out as we got taken to the wrong place last time and it was only because we recognized the area we told him he was wrong! Enjoy, Istanbul is a beautiful place!
 
 

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