Kathy Hamilton lists these as:

1. Rüstem Paşa Mosque
2. Princes’ Islands
3. Süleymaniye Mosque
4. Yedikule
5. Sadberk Hanım Museum
6. Mosaic Museum
7. Archeological Museum
8. Yıldız Park and Palace
9. Sabancı Museum
10. Turkish and Islamic Art Museum


Kathystop10

What is your list of sites most tourists miss but are really worth exploring?

10 sites I am glad I have seen / visited, but not in order of importance (and they are not all of the overlooked type):

1. Sokullu Mehmet Paşa Camii
2. Süleymaniye Camii
3. Dolmabahçe Sarayı
4. Kariye Müzesi
5. Church of the Virgin Mary
6. Armenian Patriarchate
7. Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
8. Yerebatan Sarnıçı
9. Church of St. Steven of the Bulgars
10. Church of San Antonio di Padua

My favorites places on the Asian side to go to with my friends and guests:

1. Büyük Çamlıca -enjoy the tea garden and view of the european side

2. Beylerbeyi area is great for small cafes and a fish meal

3. Hidiv Kasrı - The art deco palace of the last Khedive of Eqypt. Set in woods above the Bosphorus. I love the red velvet seats in the elevtor.

4. Tema Park- A visit there helps support Turkey's anti-erosion campaign and it has a wonderful view and lovely plants.

5. Zoo at Darıca (Past Tuzla)

6. Kadıköy Hot Air Ballon ride

7. Salı Pazarı - A huge street market on Tuesdays in Kadıköy.

8. Anadolu Hısarı - Pretty small castle, boats moored by stream, very picturesque.

9. Kanlıca - the place in Istanbul to have yogurt.

10. Greenhouse - Lots of English books on Turkey and to learn Turkish, plus many others. Great for children too! You could easily spend hours there!

Come and enjoy life on the Asian side - away from all the usual tourist traps.

Another great place is the area surrounding Kadikoy Harbor. Lots of great cafes in the area, nice parks along the waterfront. Looking forward to getting on the basketball courts there again when my wrist heals.

Geçmiş olsun.

You're right about the seaside. It seems to me that the seaside looks great, then for some unknown reason it gets torn up for "relandscaping" and looks a bombsite for a few weeks e.g. look at Maltepe near the MacDonalds now. Anyone have any idea why?

I have never given too many of my favorite places away, but I'll give two more.
I always enjoy Belgrade Forest (its better if you have a car). No better place to picnic and hang out in the woods for day. And the other is Sariyer, at the far north end of the Bogaz. There is a small village just to the north of it too, but its a nice getaway for a day to get away from the busy streets of Istanbul.

Hi Keith, U R right surrounding Kadikoy Harbor-lots of great cafes in the area andnice parks along the waterfront, xcept avoid the stretch along MODA since the scent i not so nice!

If you have not been to Kuçuk Su Kasrı the check out it out sometime! The tea garden is an inexpensive one with a fantastic view of Rumeli hisar and the 2nd bridge.

Yes, there is a great cafe right next to Rumeli hisar with a great Bogaz view. We go there often on weekends for breakfast.

We will wave to you next time!