Sure Travel Journey Vol 3.4 Spring 2017 | Page 36

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D E S T I N A T I O N
P I C K
Q GETTING THERE: Turkish
TRAVEL PLANNER
Airlines flies to Istanbul five-times
weekly from Cape Town, four-times
weekly from Durban and seven-
times weekly from Johannesburg.
GETTING AROUND: Taxis are not
always advisable if you don’t know
exactly where you’re going, as you
could take the long way around …
with the meter running. The Istanbul
Metro is easy to navigate and very
cost effective, otherwise book a
transfer/guide.
GUIDES: It’s great to explore the
streets of Istanbul solo and get a
bit lost, but for the landmarks like
Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome and
Blue Mosque, guides are worth their
weight in gold. Renk Travel is highly
recommended.
WHEN TO GO: Istanbul is a
year-round destination, but it can
get stiflingly hot in summer and
bitterly cold in winter. Aim to go in
Spring (April and May) and Autumn
(September to November). If you’re
looking for the best deals, plan your
trip for the Holy Month of Ramadan;
this is usually the quietest time of
year for the Turkish tourism industry
and prices can drop dramatically.
VISA : Free multiple-entry e-Visas
can be processed online in a matter
© ADOBESTOCK
36 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
of minutes. Visas are valid for stays
of up to 90 days within six months,
starting from the first entry date.
MONEY : Turkish Lira. TK1:ZAR3.80.
All major currencies – US dollar,
pound and Euro – are accepted, but
the Turkish Lira is preferred. ATMS are
widely available.
GO HERE WITH SURE: Sure Travel’s
trusted partner Inspirations Travel and
Tours offers several great packages
for Istanbul and other parts of Turkey.
Turkish Airlines offers free Istanbul
tours and complimentary hotel
stays to qualifying passengers on
long layovers. Ask your Sure Travel
consultant for details, or visit www.
suretravel.co.za / call 0861 47 48 49
A CITY MADE OF LAND AND SEA
I make the calf-crunching climb back uphill
to join the mainstream throng on Istiklal
Street that pushes me out onto Taksim
Square. Surrounded by hotels, restaurants
and shops, the historic square, with its
monument commemorating the fifth
anniversary of the Republic of Turkey, is
symbolic to modern Istanbul. It remains
the central meeting point for protests and
celebrations alike, and it’s where you’ll
find the central station of the easy-to-use
Istanbul Metro – the perfect launchpad to
many of the city’s highlights.
A river cruise on the Bosphorus – the
narrow strait that famously splits Istanbul
between two continents, Asia and Europe –
is the first essential stop. Joggers run along
the banks, past men fishing for anchovies
under the watchful eyes of stray dogs with
ear tags to show they’ve been picked up,
vaccinated, fixed and set free. I marvel at all
the riverside mansions, many of them from
the Empire Period of Ottoman architecture
(the Ottomans had a remarkable run from
the 13th century to shortly after World War I,
so their architectural styles went through
an equally impressive eight periods).
We cruise slowly past the Maiden’s Tower,
a tiny tower perched atop an islet in the
middle of the Bosphorus that dates back to
the Byzantine period. One of the tower’s
many legends is that an emperor built it
and exiled his beloved daughter there,
to protect her from a prophesy that she
would be bitten by a snake and die before
she turned 18. Thinking he’d outsmarted
the oracle, the emperor took his daughter
a basket of fruit on her 18th birthday to
celebrate. Of course a snake hiding in the
basket bit the daughter, who died in her
father’s arms.
From the cruise departure point it’s a
short walk to the Spice Bazaar, an indoor
market of 85 shops stacked wall-to-wall
with plump rolls of multi-coloured Turkish
delight, sticky baklava, barrels of spices,
nuts, dried fruit, tea, Turkish coffee,
jewellery and souvenirs. Locals will tell you
it’s a better bet than the Grand
Left: The Bosphorus, where the East flows
into the West. Right: The Blue Mosque.