Istanbul
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Day 1. Istanbul city break
In readiness for our morning flight from London Gatwick Airport we had stayed overnight at a Travelodge in Crawley. This proved convenient as buses depart from near the hotel (Bus 10) to the south terminal taking only 20 minutes with tickets from the driver costing just £2.50. We arrived at the airport at 7.25 a.m.…
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Day 2. The Grand Bazaar, Istanbul
After a good night’s sleep, we tucked into a hearty breakfast in the elegant dining room of the Holiday Inn Istanbul Old City. As well as the usual offerings I was tempted into sampling some local cheese and olives. I did, however, give the local Turkish coffee a miss as I’d tried it before and…
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Day 3. Taksim and Karaköy, Istanbul
After another enjoyable buffet breakfast in the hotel’s elegant restaurant we wandered along to the nearest tram stop and took a Line 1 tram service all the way to Kabatas from where we transferred to an underground funicular train to Taksim Square. The Kabatas – Taksim funicular is a modern, air-conditioned underground train transporting passengers…
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Day 4. Istanbul – exploring Kadikoy
We allowed ourselves a little lie-in before enjoying a leisurely breakfast in the Holiday Inn’s restaurant. Feeling suitably energised we were then ready to set off by 9.45 a.m. starting the day by strolling along to the nearest tram stop, about ten minutes walk away. It was the hottest day so far with the sun…
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Day 5. Istanbul – Besiktas district
As we drew back the curtains we were dismayed to discover a dull and gloomy start to the day with rain beating against the window panes. Sadly, it wasn’t any better by the time we had finished our breakfast so with our umbrellas unfurled for the first time since setting foot on Turkish soil, we…
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Day 6. Istanbul – city centre to the airport
It was back to clear blue skies on our final morning in Istanbul and after a leisurely breakfast we completed our packing and checked out of the Holiday Inn Istanbul Old City which had been an ideal place to stay during our city break. We trundled our luggage the short distance to the nearest tram…
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