A WEEKEND IN
Istanbul, Turkey
Our Istanbul trip was a reunion with one of my partner’s friends, who currently lives in Serbia, and what a whirlwind it turned out to be. We landed at 4am, groggy but excited, and managed to sleep off the flight before heading out for a much-needed coffee and our first taste of Turkish food.
I’d never been to Istanbul before, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I’d seen photographs of the mosques, markets and palaces, but actually being there felt completely different. The city is enormous, busy and full of contrasts, with centuries of history sitting alongside rooftop bars, busy cafés and streets full of cats.
One of the first things I did — and one of the most memorable parts of the trip — was try a traditional Turkish hammam. The experience included an oil massage, time in the sauna and steam room, and a full-body soap scrub with a muslin cloth. I hadn’t realised beforehand that part of the scrub is done without a wrap, which caught me off guard at first, but the staff were very professional and I’d chosen a women-only hammam, so I quickly relaxed into the experience.
It was incredibly relaxing after travelling, and definitely something I’d recommend trying if you visit Istanbul. A hammam had been on my list of things I wanted to experience in Turkey, so I’m glad I managed to fit one in almost immediately after arriving.
Meanwhile, the boys went off exploring and found a rooftop bar with sweeping views across the city, where we spent the remainder of the night.
The next morning, we made our way towards the Grand Bazaar. Unfortunately, the indoor part was closed during Eid, so we didn’t get to experience it properly, but it was still interesting to wander around the surrounding streets. The timing also meant we got to hear the call to prayer echoing through the city, which was something I’d never experienced before.
Unfortunately, our next stop — coffee at a seaside café called Louisiana Coffee — took a turn for the worse. We suspect it gave us food poisoning, and I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in bed, completely wiped out.
We’d also planned a river cruise with bottomless food and drinks that evening, but sadly had to cancel when my partner started feeling ill too. It wasn’t exactly how we’d planned to spend our weekend in Istanbul, but sometimes that’s just how travelling goes.
Thankfully, we were all well enough the following day to continue exploring.
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace ended up being the highlight of the entire trip.
We joined a guided tour, and I was fascinated by how much Ottoman history I was learning. I’d studied plenty of European history at school, particularly ancient history, but the Ottoman Empire was never something I’d really been taught about.
The palace was the main residence and administrative centre of the Ottoman sultans for centuries, and walking through it gave us a glimpse into a completely different part of history.
We explored the lavish rooms, saw centuries-old clothing and religious relics, and visited the Harem, which was the private section of the palace where the Sultan’s family and household lived.
The history of the Harem was particularly fascinating. Women and girls from different parts of the Ottoman Empire were brought into the imperial household, where they could receive education and training. Some women eventually rose to positions of considerable influence within the palace and imperial court.
We also learned about the Ottoman practice of dynastic succession and the brutal measures sometimes taken to prevent rival claims to the throne. For centuries, Ottoman sultans could have their brothers killed after succeeding to the throne, a practice that was later replaced by confinement of potential rivals.
It was a lot to take in, but I loved how much there was to learn. I left Topkapi Palace feeling like I’d barely scratched the surface of Ottoman history.
And, of course, there were cats.
Palace cats wandered through the gardens, and we even found out that some of them have their own Instagram accounts, which felt very appropriate for Istanbul.
The Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia
We ended the day with dinner at another rooftop bar, this time overlooking the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, both glowing in the evening light.
After dinner, we wandered through the historic centre one last time and visited the Blue Mosque.
The mosque, officially known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, was built in the early seventeenth century during the reign of Sultan Ahmed I. Its six minarets and enormous domes make it one of Istanbul’s most recognisable landmarks.
Nearby is Hagia Sophia, which has one of the most complicated histories of any building we visited. Originally built as a Byzantine cathedral in the sixth century, it later became a mosque following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. It was then opened as a museum in the twentieth century before becoming a mosque again in 2020.
Seeing these two enormous buildings standing so close together was one of my favourite things about Istanbul. They represent completely different periods of the city’s history, but are now part of the same skyline.
Afterwards, we continued through the historic centre and stopped at the Arasta Bazaar, where I picked up the most beautiful white pashmina to remember the trip by.
A moment to talk about the cats. They are EVERYWHERE! I loved it.
The Cats of Istanbul
A moment to talk about the cats.
They are EVERYWHERE! I loved it.
Istanbul’s street cats are one of the first things I noticed about the city. They were sitting outside shops, wandering through gardens, sleeping on pavements and casually making themselves at home wherever they pleased.
Cats have a long history in Istanbul, and you’ll find food and water left out for them throughout the city. Some residents even build small shelters for them, and it isn’t unusual to see cats being looked after by entire neighbourhoods rather than belonging to one particular person.
The Turkish word for cat is kedi, and these cats have become such a recognisable part of Istanbul that they almost feel like another feature of the city.
I particularly loved seeing them around historic sites. Finding a cat sitting among the gardens of Topkapi Palace or wandering around ancient ruins somehow felt completely normal by the end of the trip.
Despite the bout of illness, Istanbul was a beautiful place to visit.
It was a city I’d been curious about for a long time, and I loved how different it felt from anywhere else I’d travelled. There was history everywhere we went, but it never felt like the city existed only for tourists. People were going about their everyday lives around ancient mosques, palaces and markets, while rooftop bars and cafés filled the spaces between them.
Our weekend didn’t go completely to plan, thanks to the food poisoning and the cancelled river cruise, but some of my favourite travel memories come from trips that aren’t perfectly planned.
Between the hammam, Topkapi Palace, rooftop dinners, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and, of course, the endless cats, Istanbul left a pretty strong impression on me.
I’d love to go back one day with more time to explore the parts of the city we missed.