Frommer's Istanbul Day by Day
Chapter One
The Best Full-Day
Tours
The Best in One Day
Istanbul's history clusters around Sultanahmet, site of the
ancient capital, and centerpiece to the Ottoman Empire. Even
today, this area is considered the old part of Istanbul's European
side. Over the Halic (Golden Horn, an 'arm' of the Bosphorus) to
another, far different European side, is the thoroughly modern
Beyoglu area. This busy tour kicks off with the ethereal Haghia
Sophia, ending on Istiklal Caddesi - if you have enough energy left.
START: Tram to Sultanahmet.
(1) kids *** Haghia Sophia
(Aya Sofya). One of Istanbul's
most famous and popular attractions,
it's no wonder that there are
snaking queues to enter this huge
Byzantine church, with dusky red
exterior and huge domes. Although
an earlier church was built on this
spot, its present form dates back to
mid-6th-century when rebuilt by
Emperor Justinian I. I always start by
wandering its dimly lit first floor,
which gives more of a feeling of
peace and the sheer size of its magnificent
56m-high dome (although
the sc ... read full excerpt from Frommer's Istanbul Day by Day ebook
