1. Stroll through the cool area of Karakoy, in the little streets, between Necatibey and Mumhane, crowded with cafés, little shops of all kinds, and moreover, with graffiti

2. You must try and one of the two best hammams in Istanbul, Hagia Sophia Bath (in Sultanahmet) or Kilic Ali Pasa (in Karakoy)

3. Go to the Asian area, too and visit Beylerbeyi Palace (the summer residence of the sultans, on the Bosporus, so beautiful both on the outside and particularly on the inside)

but also in Kadikoy, at the picturesque fish market

And if you are still there have a meal at Cyia Sofrasi (the food is super duper) and for dessert, go to Baylan and enjoy the famous Kup Gryie dessert

4. Try the best Turkish delight ever – you can find it at Haci Bekir

and baklava at Karakoy Gulluoglu(the most famous in the city) but also at Hafiz Mustafa, a tourist-like one, but with all sorts of extremely delicious ranges.

5. Make a tour through Spice Bazaar and buy some spices, for you and the greedy ones at home

6. Shopping in the Grand Bazaar is very cool, you are going to find all kinds of hidden treasures

and it is still there that you are going to find the best doner in Istanbul (because they use fire wood, marinate the meat by their secret recipe and put lard, here and there, between the pieces of meat), at Gül-Ebru Kantin

but also Turkish coffee at a 100 year old coffee shop, Ethem Tezçakar where I served it along with some traditional sweets, sekerpare.

7. Go for a walk through the marvelous Cucurkuma crammed with all sorts of antiquity stores and small shops belonging to the ceramics designers or painters. And stop at the Innocence Museum (Orhan Pamuk`s museum)

8. Visit Pera Palace Hotel for an afternoon tea, but also for the place itself, which is very smart and where Agatha Christie used to stay

9. For a trendy rooftop bar, go to Le Fumoir in George Hotel, at Mikla or Nu Teras and for a glass of wine or a cocktail overlooking the Bosphorus, in a special place, go to Yali Mezze and Wine Bar (Four seasons Bosphorus)

10. In the evening have dinner at Mikla, from where you can see Istanbul from above,or for something more unpretentious , go to Lokanta Yeni, with all sorts of ultra tasty mezze

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