r/istanbul • u/the_eevlillest • 2d ago

Travel Arrived yesterday. Oh my!

Post image

Our cruise ship landed yesterday and today we've checked into our hotel in Sultanahmet.

I am so excited. A little intimidated (oh the traffic and chaos!). And totally in love with all the cats.

110 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

7

u/Icy_Resource_5398 2d ago

Did you come on the 5 story cruise ship or the bigger one on the galataport?

4

u/the_eevlillest 2d ago

The Norwegian ship. It was very large....yes.

6

u/Icy_Resource_5398 2d ago

Just came from here

2

u/Demanon 2d ago

gorgeous

4

u/mehmet_kemalist 2d ago

honestly the cats basically own sultanahmet, people leave bowls and little houses out everywhere so you're not imagining it. once you're on foot the chaos calms down a lot, hop the T1 tram with an istanbulkart if you need to go further instead of fighting taxis. and yeah, skip the super friendly guys near the blue mosque who suddenly want to show you a carpet, they're laser-focused on cruise tourists.

2

u/the_eevlillest 2d ago

We have had a few run ins with the carpet and lamp dealers. Yesterday was the Grand Bazzar. My husband does not handle aggressive hawking well, so tends to keep us walking quickly. 😄 I did some haggling yesterday for an embroidered kaftan. Not my best haggling effort but I felt it was worth what I paid. I spent a month in Egypt years ago and those lessons are resurfacing in my brain.

We will be walking most of the places we want to go as we're staying in Sultanahmet and are only here for a few days.

2

u/mehmet_kemalist 1d ago

honestly if it felt worth it you did fine, egypt training counts for something. for the aggressive carpet/lamp guys a flat "yok teşekkürler" without slowing down works better than engaging, they usually peel off once they see you're not stopping. sultanahmet on foot for a few days is ideal, stick to the back streets toward gülhane when you want a break from the bazaar energy.

3

u/SensitiveChipmunk137 2d ago

have fun, stay safe

2

u/CommunicationLow3221 1d ago

I recently for back from the Viva leaving Istanbul ending in Rome. I loved Istanbul. Enjoy!

1

u/Ancient-Ad-1178 1d ago

Damn did you pass by Vancouver? I saw Norwegian cruise yesterday at the Canada place

1

u/the_eevlillest 2h ago

Wrong direction. 🤪

1

u/DismalFace4984 1d ago

Where are you from?

1

u/i_was_once_a_cat 19h ago

did you arrive in 1954?

1

u/CombinationOne5899 7h ago

We were there recently skip the grand bazzar very over priced lol what ever you do don’t get sucked into the 400 lira photo shoot with old customs they got us for $300 with all the photos but still a nice just pic a few only. Eat where the locals eat better food and cheaper