• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Karen Cheng

A Perth Fashion and Lifestyle Blog

  • About
    • About
    • Contact
    • Archives
  • Daily Life
    • Daily Life
    • Out and About
    • Books, Art & Movies
      • Finished Reading List For 2018
      • Finished Reading List for 2017
      • Finished Reading List for 2016
      • Finished Reading List for 2015
    • Home & Garden
    • Travel
      • Western Australia
      • Australia
      • Camping
      • London
      • Scotland
      • Turkey
      • Bali + Bangkok
      • Singapore
      • Malaysia
      • Copenhagen
    • The Little Things
    • Charity
      • Ride to Conquer Cancer
    • Sustainable Living
  • Fashion
    • Fashion & Shopping
    • Fashion Events
    • Outfits
    • Beauty
  • Family
    • Family Life
    • Parenting
    • Babies
    • Pregnancy
    • Personal
    • Coffee Catch Ups
  • Food & Health
    • Fitness
    • Recipes
    • Favourite Recipes
    • Eating Out
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Our 3 Days in Istanbul (With Kids)

July 28, 2018

Blue Mosque, Istanbul 2018
(View of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, or the Blue Mosque, from a rooftop cafe!)

I had quite a few emails and messages from people asking questions about travelling with 3 kids to Istanbul.

So I answered a few common questions and included our 3.5 day itinerary (what I planned vs. what we actually did!)

Did we feel safe?

Yes. Absolutely. The tourist areas are very tourist-friendly. The locals are very friendly and hospitable!

There were lots of police in the tourist areas, but they were dressed casually (shirt, jeans and a police vest), not full-blown army/military uniform.

Currency and Exchange Rate?

Turkish Lira. Exchange rate is AUD 1 = TL 3 or 4

Food and eating out was very cheap. One morning, we ate a hot breakfast at a touristy cafe and we fed a family of 5, including 2 Turkish breakfasts, 2 omelettes, a side of bread, 5 drinks… for about AUD $30 .

One evening, we had a delicious Turkish dinner for a family of 5, including pizzas, seafood, meat grills, salads, drinks and desserts… and the total was about AUD $48.

How was the AirBnb?

It was fantastic. We booked with a “Superhost” in a 5-Star rated apartment with 2 bedrooms, lounge room, kitchen (sleeps 5 people), situated about 5 minutes walk from the Blue Mosque (which is pretty much THE top rated thing to see in Istanbul) and it cost us around AUD $500 for 3 nights.

What’s to see there?

Lots of beautiful historical mosques, buildings, museums, great river views. Lots of cool streets and districts, affordable places to eat,

A wonderful combination of Eastern and Western culture.

When is the best time to go?

Turkish summer is July/August and apparently can get very (very!) hot. We aimed to go slightly before (in June) or slightly after (September).

What should I wear?

My husband and boys wore t-shirts, jeans or shorts. I wore t-shirt with comfy jeans, culottes, or a midi skirt most days.

If you visit a big/famous mosque, they have helpers who look you up and down to judge if you are dressed appropriately, then they provide scarves, elastic skirts (for women and men!), and little plastic bags so you can take off your shoes and carry them with you.

Istanbul Basilica Cistern
(Inside the Basilica Cistern, ancient underground water storage. Photo taken by my husband.)

Our 3.5 day itinerary for Istanbul

We focused our trip in ‘The Old City’ area, or Sultanahmet District, where the majority of all the historical sights were. We booked ZERO tours, because I already did lots of research, I wanted to see specific things, I already knew the history – and with kids, our plans were bound to change, so I didn’t want to be stuck on a 4 hour tour. Our kids were aged 15, 13 and 9 years old during this trip.

Day 1

– Arrived 8am in the morning (Sunday) after flying for 17 hours from Australia.
– Drop off luggage at the Airbnb. Breakfast at local cafe.
– Took a walk around the Sultanahmet Square and Sultanahmet Fountain and saw all the big sights from the outside eg. Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), Hagia Sophia, other museums and enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere. We ate food from street vendors and did a lot of people watching.
– We visited the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art and bought 5 Museum Passes (5 day pass) for TL 125 each – this was a tip I read from a few travel guides: to buy the pass a day before, in the evening, to skip the queues for the next morning.
– Our kids were very tired, so we had to head back for an early night.

Day 2

– Up early for breakfast at Sultanahmet Square.
– Morning walk to see Gülhane Park (next to Topkapi Palace), went to see Topkapi Palace. We already had the Museum Pass, so we skipped the enormous queues, it was so good.
– Lunch at Seven Hills Restaurant (roof top) with amazing views of the city!
– Went to see the Basilica Cistern (ancient underground water storage).
– Went to see the famous Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque).
– At 6pm, we walked from Sultanahmet Square to the Grand Bazaar for shopping and dinner. Took us about 20 minutes to walk there (we loved this so much, the small streets were so colourful and full of local shops and activity!)

*We did this whole day by walking!

Day 3

– Up early, first in line at 8:30am for the Hagia Sophia, or Aya Sofya (totally worth it to be early!)
– Walked to see the Istanbul Archeological Museum.
– Took a tram to north of the river, Karaköy tram stop
– Walked around Karaköy to Galata Tower.
– Had lunch at another rooftop cafe, Konak Restaurant in the Galata area.

(I planned to visit Taksim Square, walk around Taskim Gezi Park, or walked back over Galata Bridge in the evening, to the Suleymaniye Mosque, then to the Spice Bazaar — but our kids were too tired! Ambitious much?)

Day 4

– Breakfast at Sultanahmet District. The kids were tired and not feeling great.
– We checked out of Airbnb. Went back to the Hagia Sophia to take more photos.
– We ate and walked around to do some souvenir shopping near Sultanahmet Tram Stop / Basilica Cistern, where there were lots of shops and cafes.
– Then we left for the airport at 2pm for a 5pm – and we *just* made it to the plane because of the bad traffic!

On hindsight, we could have seen a LOT more sights and did more stuff.

I would have loved to have seen the Walls of Constantinople (saw it zoom by through a taxi window!), Suleymaniye Mosque, Hagia Irene, Taksim Square, Spice Bazaar, Dolmabahce Palace, or maybe a Bosphorus River Cruise… but we couldn’t fit it around the kids and their energy levels.

But that’s ok! It was still a fantastic trip, and we all rate it as one of our coolest trips ever!

Related Posts

  • What Cameras Do I Take While Travelling?
  • How Reading Enhanced My Travel Experience
  • Hi from Istanbul!
  • A Weekend in Sydney

Daily Life, Travel, Turkey

« What I Wore: Silk Wrap Blouse
Hair Styling »

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Hi I’m Karen!

I’ve been blogging since 1999, which pretty much makes me an internet dinosaur… who is a bit addicted to Instagram filters.

I strive to balance my blog with a nice mix of fashion, lifestyle, fitness, cooking, parenting, adventures with my 3 kids and nerdy talk about books and brain training.

Currently obsessed with:
Isabel Marant’s fashion aesthetic, trying out intermittent fasting (not going too well thanks for asking), reading about ancient Roman history and 19th century Russian literature.

Archives

  • February 2019 (1)
  • January 2019 (7)
  • December 2018 (4)
  • November 2018 (5)
  • October 2018 (9)
  • September 2018 (8)
  • August 2018 (7)
  • July 2018 (5)
  • June 2018 (12)
  • May 2018 (7)
  • April 2018 (8)
  • March 2018 (9)
  • February 2018 (9)
  • January 2018 (9)
  • December 2017 (11)
  • November 2017 (12)
  • October 2017 (12)
  • September 2017 (10)
  • August 2017 (13)
  • July 2017 (11)
  • May 2017 (14)
  • April 2017 (16)
  • March 2017 (13)
  • February 2017 (12)
  • January 2017 (19)
  • September 2016 (17)
  • August 2016 (17)
  • July 2016 (13)
  • June 2016 (11)
  • May 2016 (12)
  • April 2016 (10)
  • March 2016 (13)
  • February 2016 (15)
  • January 2016 (11)
  • December 2015 (14)
  • November 2015 (16)
  • October 2015 (14)
  • September 2015 (21)
  • August 2015 (18)
  • July 2015 (15)
  • June 2015 (13)
  • May 2015 (12)
  • April 2015 (14)
  • March 2015 (15)
  • February 2015 (13)
  • January 2015 (15)
  • December 2014 (19)
  • November 2014 (19)
  • October 2014 (17)
  • September 2014 (12)
  • August 2014 (13)
  • July 2014 (16)
  • June 2014 (16)
  • May 2014 (12)
  • April 2014 (13)
  • March 2014 (13)
  • February 2014 (16)
  • January 2014 (16)
  • December 2013 (14)
  • November 2013 (14)
  • October 2013 (25)
  • September 2013 (20)
  • August 2013 (18)
  • July 2013 (21)
  • June 2013 (21)
  • May 2013 (21)
  • April 2013 (19)
  • March 2013 (19)
  • February 2013 (17)
  • January 2013 (19)
  • December 2012 (17)
  • November 2012 (20)
  • October 2012 (16)
  • September 2012 (16)
  • August 2012 (13)
  • July 2012 (13)
  • June 2012 (17)
  • May 2012 (14)
  • April 2012 (13)
  • March 2012 (11)
  • February 2012 (13)
  • January 2012 (16)
  • December 2011 (17)
  • November 2011 (12)
  • October 2011 (9)
  • September 2011 (9)
  • August 2011 (11)
  • July 2011 (13)
  • June 2011 (13)
  • May 2011 (18)
  • April 2011 (15)
  • March 2011 (16)
  • February 2011 (15)
  • January 2011 (14)
  • December 2010 (15)
  • November 2010 (14)
  • October 2010 (15)
  • September 2010 (16)
  • August 2010 (17)
  • July 2010 (15)
  • June 2010 (17)
  • May 2010 (13)
  • April 2010 (19)
  • March 2010 (22)
  • February 2010 (17)
  • January 2010 (18)
  • December 2009 (22)
  • November 2009 (21)
  • October 2009 (21)
  • September 2009 (20)
  • August 2009 (19)
  • July 2009 (23)
  • June 2009 (20)
  • May 2009 (22)
  • April 2009 (18)
  • March 2009 (22)
  • February 2009 (21)
  • January 2009 (26)
  • December 2008 (23)
  • November 2008 (22)
  • October 2008 (23)
  • September 2008 (24)
  • August 2008 (22)
  • July 2008 (24)
  • June 2008 (26)
  • May 2008 (30)
  • April 2008 (24)
  • March 2008 (24)
  • February 2008 (23)
  • January 2008 (21)
  • December 2007 (19)
  • November 2007 (27)
  • October 2007 (22)
  • September 2007 (24)
  • August 2007 (19)
  • July 2007 (19)
  • June 2007 (16)
  • May 2007 (18)
  • April 2007 (15)
  • March 2007 (18)
  • February 2007 (16)
  • January 2007 (12)
  • December 2006 (11)
  • November 2006 (14)
  • October 2006 (17)
  • September 2006 (18)
  • August 2006 (20)
  • July 2006 (13)
  • June 2006 (12)
  • May 2006 (15)
  • April 2006 (16)
  • March 2006 (17)
  • February 2006 (14)
  • January 2006 (15)
  • December 2005 (19)
  • November 2005 (17)
  • October 2005 (11)
  • September 2005 (16)
  • August 2005 (16)
  • July 2005 (19)
  • June 2005 (17)
  • May 2005 (14)
  • April 2005 (18)
  • March 2005 (13)
  • February 2005 (14)
  • January 2005 (14)
  • December 2004 (14)
  • November 2004 (8)
  • October 2004 (8)
  • September 2004 (4)
  • August 2004 (4)
  • July 2004 (4)
  • June 2004 (7)
  • May 2004 (6)
  • April 2004 (6)
  • March 2004 (5)
  • February 2004 (7)
  • January 2004 (9)
  • December 2003 (9)
  • November 2003 (10)
  • October 2003 (12)
  • September 2003 (10)
  • August 2003 (12)
  • July 2003 (12)
  • June 2003 (17)
  • May 2003 (11)
  • April 2003 (7)
Shopbop.com

Take 15% Off First Order with Shopbop App, Use Code APP15

  • JUST ARRIVED
  • SHOP DRESSES
  • SHOP EARRINGS

 

 

JUST ARRIVED

  • Rebecca Taylor

    heart Rebecca Taylor Alessandra Ruffle Top

  • Rag & Bone

    Shop Rag & Bone Large Elliot Fanny Pack

  • Zimmermann

    Zimmermann Fall

  • Zoe Chicco

    Get the Look

  • Zoe Chicco

    14k Gold Huggie Hoop Chain Link Ear Cuff by Z...

  • SUNDRY

    Shopbop SUNDRY

< >

SHOP DRESSES

  • Velvet

    Shop Velvet Zendaya Dress

  • Parker

    Buy Kacey Dress from Parker

  • Velvet

    Buy Now at Shopbop

< >

SHOP EARRINGS

  • Marc by Marc Jacobs

    Domed Logo Heart Stud Earrings

  • Marc by Marc Jacobs

    Marc by Marc Jacobs Daisy Stud Earrings

  • Marc by Marc Jacobs

    Buy Love Edge Love Stud Earrings from Marc by...

< >

Shop Ripped Skinny Jeans, Embellished Sandals, Black Long Sleeve Mini Dresses, Black Heeled Booties and more. Get this widget.

Footer

  • 💕 Don’t think I could find a cuter cotton linen dress to wear! This beauty is by Australian designer @binnywear, ft. lovely details and unique prints✨ Can’t believe the weekend is over already! 🙈 #binnywear #partner
  • Happy Friday! 🍊 Absolutely loving my @danielwellington Classic Petite watch in the 32mm size (which suits my small wrist better than the regular 36mm or 40mm size)⌚️💕 You can enjoy 15% off discount on ALL #danielwellington products with code "karencheng" ~ Featuring Lunar New Year limited edition Suffolk Watch (Dark Red Strap) #lunarnewyear #cny2019 #sp
  • Happy Lunar New Year everyone! 🏮✨ Spent the last few days feasting to show in the year of the pig! 🐷🎊 It’s not a public holiday here in Australia, but I still managed to take some time off and visit my parents and family! 🍊🍊💕
  • Finished my first book of the year - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley! One reason I read it was because… my oldest son starts Year 11 this year and I was very sad he didn’t choose to do English Literature. 😐 I also discovered that the first novel that was being studied in English Lit was Frankenstein. So I felt that someone in this house had to read it!
.
💕 I have a few new blog posts up on my blog, including weird and wonderful discoveries about the Frankenstein novel, a full health and blood test I did recently and our new baby plants that my kids have named after rappers 🤷🏻‍♀️ Please pop over to have a peek! 😬✨
  • How amazing are balmy summer nights?! ☀️🌴🍹 I enjoyed myself SO much at the @fringeworldperth last night. I haven’t laughed so much in ages! 💕 On the flip side, I’m looking forward to Chinese New Year and the kids going back to school next week!👌🏼✨
  • Date night details from the weekend! ♥️
Always so fun to wear a pop of red 💋 By the way, you can get 15% off discount on ALL @danielwellington products with code "karencheng" ~ Featuring Lunar New Year limited edition Suffolk Watch (Dark Red Strap) #danielwellington #lunarnewyear #cny2019 #sp
  • Lately, I’ve been a lot more mindful about the fabrics and clothes I buy; trying to select better quality pieces that will last me longer, feel amazing and hopefully good for the earth too! Do you have a favourite sustainable fashion brand? I’d love some more ideas! Xx
  • Morning details with @chloe and @kitsense ✨ Lots of exciting things happening here! Can’t wait to share soon! Look out for updates on my blog 💕✨
  • ✨ New on the blog: Wearing this gorgeous @ganni dress but needed to modify it because I’m short! I always have to modify my clothes! 🙈💕I picked this dress on sale (approximately A$105) and it’s still on sale! 😍 Link in my bio 👌🏼
  • 📚 I've finally put together my Finished Reading List for 2018 - head over to my blog to take a peek! Link in bio.
.
👌🏼 I managed to smash my record and read 21 books last year - mixing it up with some classics, new and old sci-fi, new releases and lots of books about Ancient Roman history! Swipe left to see a few titles I've read. 👉🏼
.
💬 What are you reading to start off your new year? .
(I'm reading more about the history of Rome - Livy to be precise! 😜)
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

© 2019 · Karen Cheng · Design By Bloom