Istanbul Off the Beaten Path Highlights 3 Nights/ 4 Days

This trip takes you to areas that most tourists never see - but really are must visit places.  You won't be the only one there - but many of these sites are overlooked by the easy to reach and compelling sites in Sultanahmet.  This tour especially will expose you to Istanbul's 2000 year old claim to multiple empires while outlining the cultural, religious, culinary and architectural diversity squeezed in such a small place.  

Dolmabahce Palace :

• The 19th Century diamond on the Bosphorous - this was built during the last hurrah of the Ottomans when they moved the Royal Palace away from their previous center at Topkapi.  
• The location on the Bosphorous is astoundingly beautiful.  
• The interior is lush beyond imagination and evidence of the power of exotic Ottomans.
   

Ihlamur Palace

• Well-known Linden Palace is a summer palace and one of the most cherished palaces of Ottoman. It was named after the linden trees that adorn the ornamental gardens it's located in.

Ortakoy Mosque

• Some claim it is the most beautiful mosque due to its seaside location and its wonderful design - this is a center point for all the hundreds of thousands of Turks that travel between Asia and Europe each day via the ferrys.  
• This area is wonderful for street food and people watching - 2 reasons you'll want to visit.  

Balat :

• Whether it's the Iron Church of Saint Stephens (yes made completely of Iron) and located on the Golden horn or the beauty of the Orthodox Churches or the numerous Synagogues located here-  a visit to Balat is a step back in time, but with a very current even progressive vibe.  

Tekfur Palace :

• Also called Palace of Porphyrogenitus- is the best preserved Byzantine palaces surviving in Istanbul.
• The location of the palace was crucial, because it was situated at the highest point of Constantinople (Byzantine Istanbul) on the northwest corner of the city, therefore controlling the Golden Horn, Pera (today’s Galata), and city itself.

Istanbul Archaeology Museum :

• With 4 separate buildings and covering 10,000 years of history - a few hours here will only be the start.  But be sure to visit the areas you find most interesting - Ottoman art?   Alexander the Great's tomb?  Ancient Egyptian artiacts?  The discovery of a city when digging the underground?  Lycian tombs?  
• This is one of the world's great collections.

Balikpazari :

• Too many people come to Istanbul and don't experience the fishing, fish and market life that all show up right on the shore... this location on the Eminonu bridge is a stop before you visit Kadikoy, one of the best locations to see real life up close in Istanbul.

Kadikoy :

• If on the European side Turk's try too hard to come to grips with it's European/Turkish integration, Kadikoy is where the true Istanbul Turkish flavor is found.  Life here is fully Turkish in all its lively splendor - a local place not to be missed.