Rick Steves' Istanbul

This useful guidebook is compact in size, concise in descriptions, and colorful in discoveries. Husband-and-wife authors Lale and Tankut Aran love Istanbul with such passion, enthusiastically guiding readers through the back doors, back streets, and back stories of their beloved city. They single out Turks you can track down for a chat; don't miss their picks of several Grand Bazaar shopkeepers who happily share their stories and, of course, their wares.

I especially like the self-guided walking tours; museum must-sees; and money-saving transportation tips. Although I've been to Turkey six times, this little guidebook helped me rediscover Istanbul with fresh eyes and a renewed sense of appreciation for this complex, appealing country.

I've bought the Rick Steves phrase books (which are the best, by the way) but this was my first of his guide books and, I have to say, I'm hooked. I absolutely love his list of the top sights. Not only does he rank order them from the must-see to the could-probably-miss, but he includes a very brief description of the site, the days and hours it's open (great for planning!), and the page number you can go to for more in-depth information. I put a post-it note on this page and was constantly referring back to it. There's really great information on each site you visit and my friends started out our first day in Istanbul making fun of me for always referring back to the book for the fun facts he includes. By the end of the first day there they were coming up to me asking what Rick Steves had to say about where we were at :) I love that he includes lots of budget and mid-range options. Europe isn't cheap and Rick Steves helped me stay within my budget. After using this book, I've now...Read more

This Istanbul follows Rick Steve's usual formula of focusing on the main sights, providing practical information, good walking tours and useful travel tips. I have used Rick Steves guidebooks for over 7 years livng and vacationing in Europe. My only disappointment with this book was with the eating recommendations. The restaurant descriptions were not as honest as they could have been - especially for the Sultanahmet touristy area. If I am going to eat in a tourist trap I prefer to be forwarned. At one recommended $$$ fish restaurant, the Balikci Sabahattin our group of 3 adults and 3 children was subjected to snobby service and were outright scammed into ordering multiple servings of first course dishes (dishes were the same size but contained different numbers of portions) - NOT the treatment I expect from a Rick Steve's recommendation. Buy this guide for the sightseeing and the Lonely Planet Turkey guide for complementary information and restaurant recommendations.