Will be working overseas this July in Europe and want to travel to Istanbul for a 23-day trip when I get the time. Any recommendations for sights to see/food to eat/guide suggestions/general tips? Open to anything and will be traveling solo or with a few friends. I appreciate any info!

2 to 3 day trip***

Istanbul is a really great trip for 2 or 3 nights. Tons of history, souks, fantastic restaurants, beautiful views over the Bosphorus, great nightlife, Turkish baths, etc. I usually stay in the Sultanahmet district as it's walking distance to the main attractions such as the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, and Spice Market. There are a number of good hotels in various price ranges near the Four Seasons Hotel.

The rooftop bar on the Four Seasons is great. Also there are a number of rooftop bar with excellent views located near the Swisshotel Bosphorus - Vogue Bar and 16 Roof are two good ones. And the Kempenski Cirgan Palace and the Four Seasons Bosphorus have great restaurants and outside patio bars right on the water…very picturesque.

One suggestion is to go to the Pera Palace hotel for a drink and then have a dinner reservation at the Michelin star restaurant Mikla next door. Lastly the Hurrem Sultan Hammam next to Hagia Sophia is a can't miss Turkish Bath…definitely worth doing.

Also I thought the basilica cistern was great. Also don't forget that Friday is a bad time to visit, with the mosques greatly limited or for locals only.

We flew Turkish Airlines over from the US and stayed over in Istanbul a few days before heading on to Cappadocia and then on to Montenegro.

Istanbul was a lot of fun for our family (me, my wife, 15-year old, 12-year old). We were there a few days and wish we had more time.

A few things we did in our few days:

• Touring the mosques
• Visiting the Grand Bazaar
• Bosphorus Strait
• Galata Tower

The food is great and the public transportation was easy to navigate and we felt safe.

Definitely check out other cities. If the weather permits you, definitely visit cities like Cesme, Bodrum, Marmaris, Antalya, Alanya. You can stay at top notch resorts, enjoy healthy foods, bazaars and spots you can even jet ski at! I have an awareness on where to go and how to visit there, because both of my parents originally come from there!

Cruise stops there for a day, but it sounds like (most places) you need more time.

You definitely need to have more time. Also be careful of street vendors engaging in scams, like the shoe shiners and people who entice you to go to bars/nightlife if you are younger.

If you want to have good food when visiting Turkiye, try this traditional food called Simit, it is like a pretzel and the crust is crunchy and full of sesame seeds. My parents would use to eat it when they would used to grab it from the street vendors there when they were kids growing up there!