Istanbul travel guide
The impressive covered bazaar with more than 4400 shops (we haven't counted) is one of the largest in the world. The first souq dates more than five hundred years back and has been extended and rebuild several times since then. The beautiful streets take their names from the goods that was made and sold here. Today it's less grouped but carpets, pottery and leather still have their own areas. Several hundred thousands people pass by here every day, and the prices of the nice goods have ascended with the massive flow of tourists on tours. Hard bargain is expected and some might find the buying pressure from the wily stallholder too intense. Keep in mind that this is the place, where they invented catch phrases like "looking for my shop" and "can I help spending you money".
A few minutes walk from the tourist area of Sultanahmet you will find small streets which still have old crumbling Ottoman houses. Pieces of wood are missing, paint is peeling and the houses lean in odd angles making the impression that they can fall apart at any time. Big is the surprise to see that people actually still live in them. You can only hope that they will be preserved instead being replaced with less charismatic architecture but taken their neglected state into account it is probably unlikely. If you fall in love with these wonderful Ottoman houses go to the neighbourhood behind the university west of Sultanahmetwith where the density of them is bigger.
About 20 km southeast of Istanbul lies nine islands (four main ones) known as Princes' Islands, or just Adalar (the islands). Though they only are a ferry ride away from bustling Istanbul, they are a very sedated places. The small-town vibe and the slow peace is the exact reason way people come here. Well-off city slickers have weekend houses here, while the rest settle for hotel room in the weekend or a day trip. There are no cars on the islands, so transport is either by foot, bicycle or pimped out horse carts. The Princes' Islands make a great escape from Istanbul, but don't expect white sandy beached - the few beaches are pebbled and mostly covered in deck chairs.