Istanbul is one of the highlights of a cruise of the eastern Mediterranean and Aegean Sea. Many cruise ships use Istanbul as an embarkation or disembarkation point for cruises of the Greek Isles and Turkey. My first visit to Istanbul came at the end of our cruise on the Silversea Silver Shadow, and I got a second chance to explore Istanbul for a day from Princess Cruises' Emerald Princess. Seeing the magnificent Blue Mosque, Haggia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace and watching the bustling channel from the deck of the ship in the early morning are sights I will remember forever.
Istanbul is spread over two continents, divided by the Bosphorus. Most of the more famous sites are on the European side of the channel. Cruise ships dock on the European side of Istanbul between the Dolmabahçe Palace and the Golden Horn, which serves as Istanbul's harbor. It is actually a flooded river valley that flows southwest into the Bosphorus. Turkish legend says that the Golden Horn got its name from all the valuables the Byzantines threw into it during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. Supposedly, the waters of the harbor took on a golden color. Several of the "must see" sites in Istanbul lie on the south side of the Golden Horn, and are a short distance from the cruise ship port. Many passengers on our Silversea cruise disembarked in Istanbul and flew home the same day. Others spent an extra day or two in the city or took a side trip to Cappadocia, and a few lucky ones stayed on the Silver Shadow as she took on more passengers and sailed on through the Bosphorus to the Black Sea.
After disembarking the Silver Shadow, we spent a night in Istanbul at the beautiful Swissôtel near the Dolmabahçe Palace. This high-rise hotel with 600 rooms has a wonderful hilltop setting that gives guests an amazing view of the city. The Swissôtel has modern, nicely-decorated rooms and several highly-rated restaurants of various cuisines. It also has a delightful open-air rooftop bar and restaurant where we enjoyed counting the minarets all over the city and watching the sunset over the channel. Dinner at the rooftop restaurant also gave us an excellent view of the Silver Shadow at the dock below. We couldn't help but wish we could sneak back on board for another voyage and jealously wondered who was enjoying "our" suite!
Extending our cruise vacation an extra day in Istanbul was a great idea, but we came away from Istanbul wishing we had stayed longer in this fascinating city. We had an exceptional guide, Ebru Ilker (her email is ebruilker@superonline.com) who met us at the ship and escorted us to as many of the sites she could squeeze into a day. Her English was excellent, and her knowledge of the history of Istanbul and the places we visited was impressive. She now works with SunRisers Turkey. Unfortunately, our one day in Istanbul was a Sunday, and the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market were both closed. Needless to say, as dedicated "super shoppers", we were disappointed! Fortunately, several of the "must sees" are in the central city of Istanbul, and within easy walking distance of one another. We disembarked the Silver Shadow in mid-morning and had plenty of time to visit some of the highlights of the city before checking into the Swissôtel in the late afternoon. We also had a delightful, leisurely lunch at the Istanbul Four Seasons Hotel, which was once a prison and is now a luxury boutique hotel. Let's take at these popular sites located south of the Golden Horn in Sultanahmet or Seraglio Point.
When in Istanbul from the Emerald Princess, we only had a day in the city, but managed to visit all the main attractions, including lunch at the famous Ciragan Palace.
Istanbul is spread over two continents, divided by the Bosphorus. Most of the more famous sites are on the European side of the channel. Cruise ships dock on the European side of Istanbul between the Dolmabahçe Palace and the Golden Horn, which serves as Istanbul's harbor. It is actually a flooded river valley that flows southwest into the Bosphorus. Turkish legend says that the Golden Horn got its name from all the valuables the Byzantines threw into it during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. Supposedly, the waters of the harbor took on a golden color. Several of the "must see" sites in Istanbul lie on the south side of the Golden Horn, and are a short distance from the cruise ship port. Many passengers on our Silversea cruise disembarked in Istanbul and flew home the same day. Others spent an extra day or two in the city or took a side trip to Cappadocia, and a few lucky ones stayed on the Silver Shadow as she took on more passengers and sailed on through the Bosphorus to the Black Sea.
After disembarking the Silver Shadow, we spent a night in Istanbul at the beautiful Swissôtel near the Dolmabahçe Palace. This high-rise hotel with 600 rooms has a wonderful hilltop setting that gives guests an amazing view of the city. The Swissôtel has modern, nicely-decorated rooms and several highly-rated restaurants of various cuisines. It also has a delightful open-air rooftop bar and restaurant where we enjoyed counting the minarets all over the city and watching the sunset over the channel. Dinner at the rooftop restaurant also gave us an excellent view of the Silver Shadow at the dock below. We couldn't help but wish we could sneak back on board for another voyage and jealously wondered who was enjoying "our" suite!
Extending our cruise vacation an extra day in Istanbul was a great idea, but we came away from Istanbul wishing we had stayed longer in this fascinating city. We had an exceptional guide, Ebru Ilker (her email is ebruilker@superonline.com) who met us at the ship and escorted us to as many of the sites she could squeeze into a day. Her English was excellent, and her knowledge of the history of Istanbul and the places we visited was impressive. She now works with SunRisers Turkey. Unfortunately, our one day in Istanbul was a Sunday, and the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market were both closed. Needless to say, as dedicated "super shoppers", we were disappointed! Fortunately, several of the "must sees" are in the central city of Istanbul, and within easy walking distance of one another. We disembarked the Silver Shadow in mid-morning and had plenty of time to visit some of the highlights of the city before checking into the Swissôtel in the late afternoon. We also had a delightful, leisurely lunch at the Istanbul Four Seasons Hotel, which was once a prison and is now a luxury boutique hotel. Let's take at these popular sites located south of the Golden Horn in Sultanahmet or Seraglio Point.
When in Istanbul from the Emerald Princess, we only had a day in the city, but managed to visit all the main attractions, including lunch at the famous Ciragan Palace.
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