Istanbul’s Historic Landmarks Captivate Even on Repeat Visits

Days 40-41, 2026 Fall Atlantic Sampler

Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 4-5, 2026; Istanbul, Turkey.

As we traveled by tram between the cruise port in the Galata area and the Fatih district with Istanbul’s major tourist sites, we passed many domed mosques with their tall minarets, seemingly one every block. There are more than 3,000 mosques in Istanbul – a large number, but according to some online sites, about the same as the number of churches in Atlanta.

Sisters Deb and Jerri joined my sisters Eloise and Elaine and me for a small group tour and introduction to Istanbul. On my first of two Istanbul overnights last fall, I took a similar tour. I’ve found I enjoy sharing experiences – even those I’ve done before — with my sisters and friends.

Istanbul has a relatively new cruise port, designed for ships that start and end cruises here. As a ship just making a stop, we get the spot on the pier farthest from the port terminal. It’s at least two ship lengths to pass through, down and then back up escalators to finally emerge into an open-air mall. That’s where we met our guide, who led us back another couple of ship lengths (how we measure walking distances) to the closest tram stop.

I specifically chose a tour that would take the tram, as it’s the fastest and easiest way to get around. And last year I hadn’t paid close attention to the ticket process. It turns out it’s easy to just tap on with a credit card. Fare $1.81 at today’s exchange rate.

We emerged into a huge plaza connecting some of Istanbul’s most notable sites — the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the nearby Basilica Cistern – and that’s where we spent the day.

Rather than repeat descriptions of each site, I’ll just link to my first visit here. Not much has changed in a year, except scaffolding is erected inside the Hagia Sophia, which lessens the impact of such a huge space. It must have been amazing when it was completed in 537 AD, as it remained the largest church in the world for more than 500 years.

We also visited parts of Topkapi Palace I hadn’t seen before. Once the home of Ottoman Empire sultans and government, today it is a huge museum and library that would take days to visit in its entirety.

Among the treasury highlights we visited were the Topkapi Dagger with three large emeralds and encrusted with diamonds. In the Privy Chamber we saw what are said to be the Staff of Moses and the Sword of David, as well as one of a rotating group of Muslims who have recited the Quran around the clock for more than 500 years.

Another new highlight for me was lunch at Lale Restaurant, better known as the Pudding Shop, a hangout in the Sixties for those on the “hippie trail” between Europe and India. At the time, it offered a wide selection of puddings, and more famously a bulletin board for messages between travelers. We opted for the buffet and grilled meats.

For perhaps only the second port of this 45-day cruise, intermittent rain kept umbrellas at hand. I left my sketchpad on the ship, knowing that even the humidity in the air would affect my watercolor paper. I keep falling further behind in sketching and painting on this cruise, but hold out hope that I can at least partially catch up on the six sea days back across the Atlantic.

We had considered taking a ferry the next day across the Bosporus to Asia, as that part of Istanbul is called (it’s one of just five cities that straddle two continents). But after walking almost six miles the day before, we stayed closer to home, walking the winding pedestrian streets to the foot of the Galata Bridge.

There we saw dozens of fishermen wielding long poles over the water. On the lower level of the bridge and in nearby neighborhoods you can eat the fresh fish caught here. We were a little too early for lunch, but enjoyed Turkish coffee and pastries.

Istanbul represents the turnaround point of our cruise, as we return through the Dardanelles into the Aegean Sea, heading west.