Istanbul Travel Forum

Am making a trip to istanbul and was wondering if there are anyother countries i should try to get to for 3 days or so ...or should i stay my entire time in istanbul. Any must sees off the beaten track that are not so touristy?

thanks. so many questions...

In a nutshell you can do IST in 2 days. However, you will not get anywhere near the Eastern relaxed magic on such a speed. I had 4 days just to get the taste of it.
End of Sept is very good timing

I spent a week in Istanbul and I still hadn't seen everything.

I was so happy waking up there every morning!

Hi,
First of all, September is a nice month to visit Istanbul :)
On the other hand i dont think 2-3 days enough to visit Istanbul's must-see's. But if you enjoy your trip as a marathon, why not, go for it :) Anyway if i were you, firstly i'd make list of must see's and must do's. Esp. historical peninsula have so many attractions.When you make a little research about Istanbul, you'll understand what im talking about. So many things to see and do... have fun in Istanbul

I had to laugh when I read your question. Istanbul is such a huge and varied and fascinating place that three days is barely scratching the surface. You can spend three days in one NEIGHBORHOOD in Istanbul and not get tired of it. I've been there probably ten times, staying in six different locations, and I've seen maybe 10% of the whole place.

The tourists are mainly concentrated in Sultanahmet. If you leave that neighborhood and go basically anywhere else, you are off the beaten path as far as tourists are concerned.

Dear Istanbul
From Another Hill
A poem by famous Turkish Poet and Statesman Yahya Kemal Beyatli
(1884-1958) Mevlut Ceylan translation

I looked at you from another hill, dear Istanbul!
I know you like back of my hand, and love you dearly.
Come, come and sit on my heart's throne as long as I live
Just to love a district of yours is worth a whole life.

There are many flourishing cities in the world.
But you're the only one who creates enchanting beauty.
I say, he who has lived happily, in the longest dream,
Is he who spent his life in you, died in you, and was buried in you.

I was there in September, and as the others have written, this is perfect weather-wise. Also, the place is less crammed with tourists in September. If you have only 2-3 days, you need to plan carefully because many of the sites are closed on different days of the week (I have a tip about this on my Istanbul page). Also, since you have such a short time, I would say forget the "non-touristy" things and concentrate on the sites that have made Istanbul justifiably facsinating and famous, and leave wandering for a longer visit.

Does the question means - you'll be on a trip Istanbul, then, you were asking for suggestion for any other countries to visit?

A bit tricky. But if you mean, other places (instead of country) in Turkey aside from Istanbul, then there would be lots of interesting places, but for only 3 days? maybe not. Bursa is the nearest one from istanbul. Like everyone said already, Istanbul is a big city, housing so much sights, sounds and tastes, that could fill-in your 3 days.

Search all the "Things To Do" here in VT and you'll come up with tons of them. When your done with all the historical sights in Sultranahmet and Taksim or Beyoglu, take a Bosphorous tour, or go to the asian side for a different beat of the city, then ferry your way to the Princes' Island, still in Istanbul, a series of small islands packed with sights that could fill in your whole day.

Here's a list of what I already did in Istanbul:

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/a4c2f/bf0/

Enjoy your trip!

Just stay in Istanbul.For non touristy info visit this website
http://www.visitmyistanbul.com/ info from a local people's eyes
also you can check my tips for non touristy info