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Excursions For a Half Day Eyüp: The much-touted Pierre Loti Café (tel: (212) 581 2926), Gümüsuyu Balmumcu Sokak 1, in the very religious district of Eyüp, located about eight kilometres (five miles) from Sultanahmet. The café is the former home of the Orientalist romantic writer and French naval officer, Pierre Loti, although the stunning view over the Golden Horn is its most attractive feature. The walk down through the old Ottoman cemetery to the village is also delightful. The village was founded by the Conqueror for new Muslim settlers in the city and the highly revered Eyüp Mosque houses the casket of one of Mohammed’s favourite standard bearers. The area and its people are very devout – alcohol will certainly not be served at the café and visitors should be extremely discreet in the mosque and cemetery. A good time for tourists to make the trip is at the weekend, when religious newlyweds arrive from their civil weddings to be blessed by the Imam. There are infrequent buses, including bus 39, 55T or 99A, from Sultanahmet. A taxi is recommended. For a Whole Day Prince’s Islands: These nine small islands in the Sea of Marmara, 12km (seven miles) southeast of Istanbul, were once used to keep unwanted heirs to the Ottoman throne in isolated luxury. Today, however, they have a special attraction as a taste of the past, made more authentic by horse-drawn carriage tours and a ban on cars. Commuter ferries run to four of the islands and the rest are privately owned, uninhabited or military bases. Büyükada is the largest and has a number of beautiful wooden mansions and hotels, as well as a cool pine forest for picnics. The island has always been a haven for royalty as well as exiles, such as Leon Trotsky, who lived here after being expelled from the Soviet Union in 1929. A cobblestone path from Karacabey Bay leads to the ancient Ayios Nikolaos monastery, which offers fabulous views over the sea and islands. Heybeliada, however, was the centre of an old Greek community, with six churches and monasteries, one dating to 1431, while Bürgazada has a Greek monastery on a cliff overlooking the sea. Ferries run to the islands from Sirkeci and Bostanci, taking about 50 minutes to reach the first island and 15 minutes between the other three. Faster sea-buses, operated by IDO (tel: (212) 249 1558 or (216) 410 6633; website: www.ido.com.tr), also run about three times a day from Kabatas, not far from Dolmabahçe Palace. Polonezköy: This forested Polish village, 25km (16 miles) northeast of Istanbul, was originally called Adampol, after Prince Adam Czatoryski, as a reward for having fought for Abdül Mecit I during the Crimean War. Prince Adam Czatoryski settled this area for emigrants in the mid-19th century. Today, however, it is a choice summer residence and excursion spot for upper-class Istanbullites and is primarily famous for its restaurants and health spas. The easiest way for visitors to get there is by car, along the coast road on the Asian side to Çubuklu, then following the signs to Sile. Termal: Located 38km (24 miles) southeast of Istanbul, Termal is a natural hot (thermal) spring, famous as a spa since Roman times. After a 20-minute sea-bus journey from Kabatas to Yalova, operated by IDO (tel: (216) 410 6633; website: www.ido.com.tr) and running five times per day, it is a short bus (Tasköprü–Termal no 4), dolmus or taxi ride to the main complex, which has a historic Turkish bath (hamam), an outdoor swimming pool, private rooms and several hotels and restaurants. The cost of one day of combined bathing and hamam (a historic Turkish bath) is approximately US$5. The spa is open daily 0900-1700. The Yalova Provincial Department of Tourism, Yali Caddesi 33 (tel: (226) 813 8507; fax: (226) 813 8508) provides further information. |
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