Day Three
Walk to the Grand Bazaar from the hotel and plan to spend a wonderful day exploring the thousands of stores. It is a covered bazaar divided into several areas: Antiques and carpets, leather and denim, gold and silver, fabrics and textiles, souvenirs and household good and workshops. The pashminas are a steal! I had lunch in the bazaar at Havuzlu Lokantasi which had decent food served quickly.
Walk to the Suleymaniye Mosque which is Istanbul’s most important mosque. It is listed in 1000 Places to See Before You Die and should be seen. Following a three year renovation, it fully reopened, to the public, in 2010. This was also a great spot for people watching. Stop for tea in a café outside the mosque.
After a long day of shopping, end the day at the Cagaloglu Hamam or 300 year old Turkish Bath. It is listed in 1000 Places to See Before You Die. I would do the entire five step service. It is fun and I recommend giving it a try. The address is on Yerebatan Caddesi.
For dinner I enjoyed Albura Kathsima, a nice restaurant two blocks from the Empress Zoe. It is on Akbiyik Caddesi where there are many fun small restaurants. Check out the 1600 year old palace in the back after dinner.