You must stay enough time to...
by Gezgin_Perci
You must stay enough time to apreciate the city. The tourists guides will only take you to the touristic places in the city which are not always the best ! Besides the history there is much more to discover. I miss the bosphorus a lot. Just to sit and look at the ships passing through, it is great.
Haydarpasa Train Station..
by Erkmen
The main train station on the Asian side of Istanbul.. All trains do leave from here to the anatolian part of Turkey.. Trains to Ankara, Konya, Pamukkale, Van, Tehran and some other locations are leaving from this old historical building..
In order to reach the Train Station you shall walk from eminonu to Karakoy side and take a ferry from Karakoy to Haydarpasa..
Efes Beer
by H-TownJourneyman
If you are a beer drinker, you will love Efes beer! You will find it everywhere in Turkey, thankfully so! :) Efes is a light pilsener beer, with a very smooth taste to it. Since the late 1960's, this has been THE beer of Turkey. It was nice to walk around the streets of Istanbul, and after finishing a hard-working session of sightseeing, being able to stop at a cafe and relax while sipping on a pint of Efes. Make sure you get your fix of them while here, because from my personal experiences, they just don't taste the same as imported beer here in the U.S.!
Hammam!!
by mardaska
Visit a turkish bath (hammam). I recommend to take the treatment which includes a full- body massage. You won't believe how good it feels afterwards!
I visited the 'Gagaloglu Baths' in Sultanahmet area.
Shoppers paradise
by viddra about Grand Bazaar
This famous Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar (Kapali Çarsi), a covered market, is always crowded.
Here you can find more than 4,000 shops, banks, restaurants, and mosques.
During Ottoman rule, the bazaar was an important centre for the trade in jewelry and gold. sometimes even things you don't really need depends on how much you're willing to spend, but don't forget to bargain