Istanbul Orientation

We returned our rental car at the Izmir airport in plenty of time and met our plane for a one-hour flight to Istanbul. We had reserved a room connected to a hostel in Istanbul. From the Istanbul airport, we took the metro, then a streetcar, and then a funicular to the hostel - finding it within the maze of streets and alleyways without too much trouble or backtracking.

The best aspect of our accommodation choice was its location. It is in an area called Galata, which features the Galata Tower, a medieval stone tower built by the Genoese. For a quick orientation to Istanbul, here are some basic facts:

There are two separated halves - European Istanbul and Asian Istanbul. The Borphorus Strait runs basically north to south separating the two parts. We stayed on the European side, which is the older, original part of Istanbul and its two predecessors. 

The European half is again separated into Old Town and New Town. These two sections are separated by a body of water called the Golden Horn. 

Old Town Istanbul is the location of the main tourist sights as well as many other important places. 

Old Town was first called Byzantium by its Greek founders in about 650 BC. 

In 330 AD, Byzantium became Constantinople when Emperor Constantine, whose mother, Helena, had ties to Cyprus, by the way, relocated the capital of the Roman Empire here. 

When the Ottomans conquered the Byzantine Empire in 1453, the city's name was changed to Istanbul.

New Town is north of Old Town, separated by the Golden Horn, which is spanned by Galata Bridge. Our place was a quick 10-minute walk down the hill to Galata Bridge. The time to walk up the hill seemed to vary for some unknown reason. Getting to our place is somewhat like climbing Telegraph Hill every evening - possible but challenging after miles of walking.

New Town stretches from Galata to Taksim Square centered on a pedestrian street called Istiklal Caddesi - Independence Street, which is lined with shops, stores, consulates, restaurants, and hotels. Saturday night was particularly vibrant in this part of town.

Even more than other places we've visited, Istanbul is layers built on layers built on layers. Construction projects can be delayed for years when the remains of past civilizations are unearthed.