Sorry, didn't review the whole thread, but thought to share my friend's guide to Istanbul:


Below are some multi-day plans and restaurant ideas I've suggested to other friends visiting Turkey - hopefully it helps you plan your trip. Also reference www.turkeytravelplanner.com if you haven't done that already.


Day 1
* Blue Mosque ('Sultan Ahmet'), Hagia
* Sophia, Turkish & Islamic Arts Museum
* Basilica Underground Cistern.
* Eat Kofta and ‘Sultan Ahmet Koftacisi”

Day 2
* Grand Bazar <<Maybe plan ahead to not spend too much time your first day in Grand Bazar, look around this day and come back to shop maybe on one of your 'off' days>>
* Suleymania Mosque,
* Spice Market,"New Mosque" ('Yeni Cami') which is right next door to Spice Market and i think is the most beautiful mosque in Istanbul, and Roustem Pasha mosque which is in same area.
* This is a great day to have lunch at “Hamdi” kabab restaturant.

Day 3
* Dolmabace palace, Taksim Sq / Istiklal St (best to save for eveneing/night when it gets interesting..)
* Whirling dervishes at Galata
* Great day to have dinner at “Haci Abdullah” historical/ottoman cuisine restaturant in Taksim

Day 4
* Topkapi Palace, (Topkapi is enough Museum for one whole day)
* Then add here your second trip to Grand Bazaar, but if not you could add the Turkish & Islamic arts museum I mentioned for Day 1

Day 5
* If you have any whole day free and the weather forecast seems nice , visit the Princes' Islands (specifically ‘Buyukada’ = "the big island"), rent bikes & enjoy ice cream in main square
* if you want you can visit Asian side on this day on your way to Princes’ Islands (i.e. catch boat to one of the Asian side ports, hang out there for a bit, and then catch boat to Buyukada/Princes’ Islands)
* otherwise, on this or any other day catch a 'Bosphorus Cruise' from the Eminonou/Sirkeci port (next to spice bazar & Yeni Jami'/'New Mosque')
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Potential RESTAURANT Suggestions:

* HAMDI ($$)– renowned kabab, in Eminonou/Sirkeci (next to spice bazar) ...Kababs with nice view (reservation recommend)
* POSEIDON ($$$)- in Bebek (on Bosphorus) ...seafood with view (on water, reservation probably needed for dinner)
* HACI (‘haji’) ABDULLAH ($$) - Taksim, 100 year old restaurant famous for great traditional Ottoman cuisine, esp beyond just kababs, many lamb and vegetable specialities
* FEREA... ($$) Mixed cuisine, very good food, seating right on Bosphorus, in Ortakoy
* KOSABASI ($-$$)- in Nisantasi & in Etiler (latter has nicer ambience ...(pronounced "koshabash") reasonably priced, outstanding mixed grill
* BORSA ($$$)- near Taksim Hilton ... Variety of traditional, some Bosphorus-view outdoor seating (ask for it specifically). Must order 'kunafe' for dessert with 'kaymak' (sweet cream) - better to per-order it because it takes 15-20 minutes to make fresh.
* SADE ($-$$)- in Rumeli (next to the fort) on Bosphorus ...pronounced "saa-dey", lovely place to have traditonal Turkish breakfast ('kahvalti') , at any time of day, great to see the fort of Rumeli then too. Next to the 2nd bridge (the more northern one). Several other restaurants next door to it offer similar breakfast setups.