What do you think?
Rate this book
Rick Steves' Istanbul
Rick Steves' Istanbul Paperback LaleSurmenAran AvalonTravelPublishing
468 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
67 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 11, 2012
[2009.05] Bought and brought with us on the Istanbul portion of our Spring-Summer 2009 Europe trip. We liked the book for its walking tours of various parts of the city and of some of the attractions. Our standard use of guidebooks that we bring with us involves cutting them up into chucks, so we have less to carry in the daypack, and sometimes we leave the bits we've finished with other travelers who might find them useful. And our standard bit regarding RS books: The book has good info (e.g. how to beat the lines, etc.), but exact prices for attractions can be outdated. Traveling the RS way is by no means cheap, so to get the best of both worlds (good info + less money), read his book for the information, but take his accommodation suggestions with a grain of salt (Hostelworld and Lonely Planet were decent for figuring out accommodations in Turkey). And the eating suggestions? Just walk around and explore to find where the locals are at, which might not have English menus but do have good food.
October 19, 2024
Excellent!! We traveled to both Istanbul and Ephesus. We found this book to be very helpful. We always read Rick Steves before we travel!!!
October 20, 2010
I have never watched Rick Steves's show, but his "Through the Back Door" philosophy annoys me because (1) well, it sounds perverted, and (2) in the age of the internet, there really are no "secrets" or "undiscovered gems" in Europe (where Steves travels). There is certainly still a place for travel books, but more as information organizers than as secret revealers.
Anyway, I checked out pretty much the entire collection of Turkey and Istanbul travel books from the library and after looking through them this one made the cut to actually come with me. It was not written by Steves, but by a Turkish tourguiding couple, if that helps.
The book did a good job of picking a manageable number of the highlights/major sites of Istanbul and giving in-depth historical, artistic, religious, etc. information on them. Rather than just listing individual sites, it is organized as several walking tours, with in-depth tours of specific sites along the walking tours. Although my boyfriend would not consent to do any of the walking tours (I would have done them on my own), we did use the tours for Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and several museums and I found them interesting and useful.
My only criticism is that I would have liked it if it had included a few more minor sites--because of bad weather we didn't do a boat cruise and sort of ran out of things to do after 4 days.
Anyway, I checked out pretty much the entire collection of Turkey and Istanbul travel books from the library and after looking through them this one made the cut to actually come with me. It was not written by Steves, but by a Turkish tourguiding couple, if that helps.
The book did a good job of picking a manageable number of the highlights/major sites of Istanbul and giving in-depth historical, artistic, religious, etc. information on them. Rather than just listing individual sites, it is organized as several walking tours, with in-depth tours of specific sites along the walking tours. Although my boyfriend would not consent to do any of the walking tours (I would have done them on my own), we did use the tours for Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and several museums and I found them interesting and useful.
My only criticism is that I would have liked it if it had included a few more minor sites--because of bad weather we didn't do a boat cruise and sort of ran out of things to do after 4 days.
April 21, 2009
This book was excellent! If you are going on vacation to Istanbul I highly recommend it!
I am a big fan of Rick Steve's guidebooks. I have to admit I wasn't sure what to expect from his first guidebook not written by him but by an Istanbul couple he does tours with. This book pretty much lived up to the standard I have come to expect from his guidebooks.
The little maps were enormously helpful. The maps in this book were the primary ones my husband and I used navigating around the city. We used this guide to find a hotel and many restaurants. We were pleased with both our accomodations at the Stone Hotel and dining experiences.
The self-guided tours around the city and various sites were enormously helpful and saved us the cost of tour guides. We also saved money by taking the public ferry for a Bosphorus Cruise rather than a private tour company. The book made it easy to figure out and provided interesting facts about the sites we were seeing on the cruise.
I would have liked more information on daytrips near the Istanbul area. That is the one feature from previous city guides that I didn't see much of in this book.
I am a big fan of Rick Steve's guidebooks. I have to admit I wasn't sure what to expect from his first guidebook not written by him but by an Istanbul couple he does tours with. This book pretty much lived up to the standard I have come to expect from his guidebooks.
The little maps were enormously helpful. The maps in this book were the primary ones my husband and I used navigating around the city. We used this guide to find a hotel and many restaurants. We were pleased with both our accomodations at the Stone Hotel and dining experiences.
The self-guided tours around the city and various sites were enormously helpful and saved us the cost of tour guides. We also saved money by taking the public ferry for a Bosphorus Cruise rather than a private tour company. The book made it easy to figure out and provided interesting facts about the sites we were seeing on the cruise.
I would have liked more information on daytrips near the Istanbul area. That is the one feature from previous city guides that I didn't see much of in this book.
August 27, 2020
This book left out MANY VERY IMPORTANT elements that we fortunately discovered ahead of time by having a Lonely Planet book as well. Examples include bringing a scarf to the Blue Mosque, tipping protocol at a Turkish Bath, level of harassment towards women while walking the streets, etc. Though I'm a fan of other Rick Steves guides, I would not recommend using this particular book as a guide for Istanbul.
December 9, 2011
Rick Steve’s book was everything it advertises, and I’m sure it will be handy when (and if) I make it to Istanbul. However, I can’t help but feel disappointed. Everything in the book could have been found on the internet. I was hoping for something with more descriptions of places off the beaten path.
July 23, 2014
Great resource. On the trip down the Bosporous, we were able to follow the markers all along the way. The book was invaluable in helping us figure out how to take the trams, buses, and other transportation, where to change money, how to locate the ferry, ticket booths, and many attractions. It did not let us down.
October 10, 2012
Rick Steves guides are consistently good travel resources. This one is no exception. He keeps them up to date every year. Historical and descriptive information is very useful. Maps and walking tours easy to follow. Excellent.
Read
April 16, 2014Enjoyed reading this in anticipation of my next trip. Really needed to brush up on the Ottoman Empire and this had just enough history for me. Will reserve judgment on the rest of the book until after the trip.
February 23, 2016
The BEST travel guides out there. In addition to the basic info about sites, Rick Steves et al give you interesting tid bits that make the trip memorable.
Only trouble is that the prices raised at the big attractions right after he published. So keep that in mind.
Only trouble is that the prices raised at the big attractions right after he published. So keep that in mind.
Want to read
February 17, 2016The cover is very well done. This is the Blue Mosque as westerners call though because of the blue dominant tiles on the walls inside and the floor on the cover photo of this book is all blue color because of Photoshop? But it was well done.. I have not read the book but will add my comment
May 26, 2008
great reading, in anticipation of our trip to Turkey in October '08
October 8, 2010
Rick Steves Guidebooks are generally well written and allow you to find out what you want to know about a place so you can explore on your own. This one lived up to the usual reputation.
May 18, 2011
Didn't use it like I had intended to - never had the opportunity to do the suggested walks. Mainly used for the shopping tips.
July 29, 2011
Rickie Steve is always a good bet
October 5, 2011
Looking forward to using this book when we travel to Istanbul next month.
September 8, 2012
Informative as always, especially helpful in finding and understanding Turkish baths in Istanbul.
February 17, 2014
I cannot fathom traveling all the way to Istanbul and then not having this book. Having a Rick guide with you is like having an all day expert guide.... for $15!!!
December 28, 2014
made our trip much easier
August 3, 2016
The walking tours were a nice feature, but Lonely Planet is still the way to go when in the market for travel books.
February 5, 2016
Excellent reading for preparation to Istanbul trip.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews