Ted Eckman

I really enjoyed this. It’s a bit expensive (over $25), but the views from the top made the cost less painful. There is an elevator to the floor below the very top. If you can’t go up stairs, you will miss the top floor and the walkway outside. The view of all sides of Istanbul are really cool and there are good photo opportunities. It was crowded with a lot of people when we came. If you’re not afraid of heights, don’t miss this.

Come at night. It’s much cooler and impressive to see at night. Also, sometimes they don’t run it during the day. It starts at 6:00 p.m.

A medium sized aquarium. Still nice to walk around and get out of the heat. They have penguins too (4 that we could see) and a tunnel to walk under the water. It cost about $15 to get in. Takes about 30 minutes to an hour to walk through. The sign says no shorts or flip flops, but we had both and they said it was fine to go inside.

If you like malls, this one is large and has a lot of stores. There are two floors with shops and restaurants. There is even a grocery store.

A nice satellite branch of a cute and cozy coffee shop on the main road. They have a good selection of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. There are freshly baked pastries and small breakfast items. A good place to come for a quick breakfast bite, or to get a snack and relax while exploring the city.