The tour will include the visits of;
Bosphorus by Boat: This cruise along the waterway separating the two continents of Asia and Europe offers front-door views of marble palaces, ancient wooden Ottoman villas, green vistas, and modern residences and luxurious apartment buildings.
Spice Market: This large and old stone building that includes a large number of shops (and a second floor restaurant that has long held a venerable place in the life of the city) was built in 1664. This collection of shops was actually a part of the complex of the adjacent Yeni Cami (the `New Mosque` whose construction was started in 1597, but finished decades later).
Since its construction, the Egyptian Spice Market has specialized in the sale of exotic spices. Today, these lovely small shops continue to sell spices, but also now sell dried fruits, nuts and seeds, and other edibles.
Some of the shops are gradually being transformed into shops featuring jewelry and other high margin items. The meandering lanes behind the Spice Bazaar lead eventually to the larger Grand Bazaar. These narrow and often bustling streets are full of shops with fascinating items for sale.
Baghdad Avenue (Bagdat Caddesi): Located on the Asian (Anatolian) side of the city and running almost parallel to the Marmara Sea shore, this 14 km (8.7 mile) avenue ranks as Istanbul's trendiest street. Lined with chic cafes, restaurants and shops selling the world's best known brand names, Istanbul residents come here to see and to be seen, as much as they come to shop.
Young people promenade (often in attempts to attract the opposite sex) and in the nighttime hours some of the city's wilder youth keep the traffic police busy by using the broad avenue as a race track to show off the technical skills of Daddy's expensive car.
Camlica Hill: This is the hill to which visitors and Istanbullites alike flock to enjoy the breathtaking views of the city and its Bosphorus Strait.
Beylerbeyi Palace: The lavishly appointed 19th century summer palace of the last of the Ottoman sultans is located in a small Bosphorus shore village called Beylerbeyi. |