A city where East meets West. A city which has an Asian side
and an European side. A city, full of history,
culture, street food and boat trips. With more than 15 million people,
this is the most populated city of Turkey. Welcome to Istanbul.
Or as they say in Turkish, İstanbul'a hoş geldiniz.
Let's start our tour from İstiklal Street. It's one of Istanbul's main and always
crowded shopping streets. It goes all the way from
Taksim Square to Tünel Square. It offers a wide variety of brands.
Here you can explore local shops. Or stick to international ones.
Don't skip the side streets and small arcades. There is so much to see and explore.
And, always watch out for the tram.
If you are a fan of street food, we've got good news for you!
Istanbul has no shortage of delicious street food.
Kebabs, roasted chestnuts, boiled or grilled corn,
ice cream and much more.
My personal favourite is grilled corn.
The corn's very tasty. It is very tasty.
Nearly 1500 years old, and once a church
and then a museum and now again a mosque:
the Hagia Sophia. It's pronounced as ‘ˈhɑːɡiə soʊˈfiːə
It’s not only an architectural masterpiece, but also a World Heritage Site.
Which recently, and quite controversially, became a mosque, again.
However, the doors of Hagia Sophia are still open to both locals and foreigners.
Muslims and non-Muslims. And we think, it's worth a visit.
Another beautiful mosque, the Blue Mosque,
is just opposite the Hagia Sophia. And it's easy to spot.
Galata Bridge with its fishermen is another landmark
with a spectacular view of the city and the New Mosque as a backdrop.
Many passerbys come to watch the fishermen at work.
As they stand shoulder to shoulder with their long fishing rods.
Trying to fill their buckets and showing off the catch of the day.
Below the bridge, there's a row of restaurants offering fresh seafood.
Just a short walk away is the Spice Bazaar.
Also called Egyptian Bazaar. Let's go in and check it out.
If you're in Istanbul, you have to visit one of its Bazaars.
In this covered shopping complex, you can find spices,
tea, Turkish delight, nuts, dried fruit and also some teacups and other things.
- How long is that tour? - One and a half hour, okay.
One of the things that you should not miss in Istanbul,
is the Bosphorus Tour in a ferry.
You get to sit in a boat like this and see attractions
of both the European side and the Asian side of Istanbul.
If you get tired of walking around, the cruise offers you a more
peaceful way of sightseeing. On a boat tour, you can enjoy
panoramic views from the water that you wouldn't see otherwise.
Like the Bosphorus Bridge, which lights up beautifully at night.
For a nice 360-degree-view from above the whole city, visit the Galata Tower.
The entrance fee is 100 Turkish Lira, which is currently about 6 Euros.
Inside the Tower, there's also a museum
already included in your ticket which is also worth a visit.
In this museum you'll find artifacts from Neolithic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman period.
So the observation deck was in the 8th floor and there's a very cool 3D map of
Istanbul city on the 7th floor and the museum is on the remaining floors.
If you like coffee, give Turkish coffee a try! Turkish coffee is specially prepared and brewed
with a layer of foam on top and an intense flavour.
It's typically served in small cups with a glass of water and
a piece of Turkish delight on the side. And the culture itself,
the Turkish coffee culture, dates back to the 16th century.
And it's a symbol of Turkish hospitality and friendship.
So much so, that Turkish coffee got added to the UNESCO's List of Intangible Heritage of Humanity,
making it the first beverage on the list. It's very intense.
And not that sweet, I would say.
Istanbul is such a vibrant, huge city.
That trying to see everything in just a few days is impossible.
The things we showed you in this video
were just a few of the hundred things to see and do.
If you like this video, do subscribe to the DW Travel channel
for more such videos! See you next time!