Rick Steves' Istanbul

• Author: Tankut Aran
• Publisher: Avalon Travel Publishing
• Publication Date: March 16, 2010
• Condition: New

• Price: $8.21

Features

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Product Description

• Product Description

  You can count on Rick Steves to tell you what you really need to know when traveling in Istanbul. Following Rick's self-guided tours, you'll experience the wonders of East and West in this fascinating city — the capital of two great empires. Explore one of the world's largest domed churches, haggle with merchants in the exotic Grand Bazaar, and discover the secrets of the sultan's harem in Topkapı Palace. Wander through monumental mosques, shop along sophisticated avenues, and watch whirling dervishes in action. Cruise the Bosphorus for a quick trip to Asia, and end the day relaxing in a Turkish bath. Rick's candid, humorous advice will guide you to good-value hotels and restaurants in delightful neighborhoods. You'll learn how to get around on the city's trams and ferries, and which sights are worth your time and money. More than just reviews and directions, a Rick Steves guidebook is a tour guide in your pocket.

Customer Reviews

• July 24, 2010So many typos!

  I'm really enjoying this book, but the Kindle edition desperately needed a proofreader. I finally have the rhythm -- firee is free, Firench is French, Hop-Of is Hop-Off, etc. Some have made me laugh out loud, much to the curiosity of my fellow bus passengers.
  
  That aside, it is really making me wish my trip to Turkey was next week, not next year!

• July 20, 2010outdated edition

  Great guide, but as so often happens, the Kindle edition is an outdated edition. It is the third edition, while the book version being sold by Amazon is the fourth edition. I have noticed this trend with several nonfiction books. Amazon does not disclose this either, e.g., when you look at the 4th edition book version and click on the buy kindle link, it does not tell you that you are buying the old edition. This is the second time this has happened to me in the last week. It is a great book though, and I am sure it is still useful, but things do change (hours and rates, restaurants open and close), and up to date guide books are desirable.

• May 31, 2010Rick Steves Istanbul

  Easy to read. Full of practical information. Gets you into areas you normally don't read about in traditional guide books. The best thing is that the accommodation has been checked out personally and one can rely on an acurate report. Let's face it, bring up any accommodation on the Internet and it looks good. I would like to see some information on the rest of Turkey included. Keith Mole

• May 19, 2010Lifesaver for a First Time Visitor to Istanbul

  This book was so timely & up to date. Istanbul has few bi-lingual signs so the maps & translations here made it possible to see Istanbul as it should be seen. Recommendations for must-see sights, transportation, and food options were spot on. I would have given 5 stars if there had been more info in the shopping chapter. This is definitely the best guide out there if you are going to own just one.

• April 24, 2010Like traveling with a best friend

  I bought the Feb. 2010 edition of Rick Steves Istanbul guide for a week-long vacation there in April 2010 (volcano month). This has to be the best travel guide that I have ever used, and the best in his series.
  
  It begins with basic travel tips, followed by almost 200 pages of self-guided walking and museum tours, followed by hotel and restaurant recommendations. I took every tour in his book and would have missed half of Istanbul's beauty and history without it.
  
  I have been in Istanbul before, but always with a group herded by local guides. Traveling solo with the RS guidebook in hand was infinitely more enjoyable. I pitied the multitudes of tour groups who hurried past the sights as I read about and savored them.
  
  If this guide has any weakness, it would be timeliness. Prices in Turkey are rising so fast that many of the published prices for hotels and entry fees are already outdated (Istanbul hotels are now almost as expensive as their western European counterparts). Also, some listed sights are closed or modified for renovations, but nothing major.
  
  I usually buy a copy of the corresponding Lonely Planet guide to accompany my RS guides when traveling. LP guides have more detailed maps and more extensive background information, and they cover more areas than RS guides. The RS guides are narrower in scope, but are wonderfully subjective and accurate in their recommendations of what to see and what to skip.
  
  I only wish that RS guides were not limited to Europe. We have been there dozens of times, and wish that he also had guides for our travels in Asia, South America, and Africa (an impossible feat considering how personal his guides are).