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Lonely Planet Istanbul: City Guide
Istanbul is a cultural mosaic, a heady mix of the hip and the classical, the ultramodern and the ancient - discover the great intercontinental city with Lonely Planet. Whether you want to shop for carpets, behold architectural treasures, catch a Bosphorus ferry or smoke a nargileh, this stylish and street-smart guide is your essential companion.
TAP INTO THE PULSE of the metropolis with our Entertainment listings and City Life coverage
HAGGLE LIKE A PRO - we give you the lowdown on the arcades of the Grand Bazaar, Beyoglu's designer boutiques and the best antique and curio shops
TRAVEL THROUGH TIME with our walking tours highlighting Byzantine and Ottoman glories and the city's atmospheric neighborhoods
EAT AND SLEEP LIKE A SULTAN - discerning listings cover Istanbul's burgeoning culinary scene and best rest-your-head options
GET OUT, GET ABOUT with our Excursions chapter and easy-to-use, full-color maps
268 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 6, 2019
What looks like a perfectly cromulent guide to Istanbul. I'm headed there in May and mostly wanted this for the maps and neighborhood by neighborhood guides.
March 10, 2021
Really useful travel guide
October 14, 2021
does one truly finish a travel guide? in any case i read a good chunk for my trip and was helpful.
March 15, 2022
Much of the information (including typos) is the same from year to year but this is the most current edition 2021 so it was good to update my notes with it.
July 22, 2022
Could have been more detailed.
April 28, 2025
twas ok
May 22, 2025
Clear overview of the city, well structured.
April 22, 2014
The book I read to research this post was Lonely Planet Istanbul which is an excellent book which I bought from kindle. Istanbul officially has a population of 14 million but unofficially it is thought to be closer to 20 million and on average it receives 8 million visitors per year making it Turkey's top tourist destination. In general the hotels are a little expensive but this is made up by the plethora of free attractions. It is one of the great historical cities of the world. In Islam it is the 4th holiest city behind Jerusalem, Medina & Mecca. It spans two continents Europe and Asia and one of the best attractions is the Golden Horn Ferry which is on the Bosphorous and links the 2 halves of the city. There is also the Hagia Sophia which is very old and has an immense dome and has at different times been a church and a mosque and is now a museum. It took several attempts to erect the dome which kept collapsing and was built by trial and error. There is the very important Blue Mosque considered a shrine by Muslims. Istanbul has been the centre of various empires especially the Byzantine & Ottoman but isn't currently the capital city of Turkey as they built Ankara specifically for that purpose to try and open up the interior of the country which is sparsely populated. There is a city wall around the ancient city much of it still intact. In the 60's & 70's many hippies visited this city which then was a budget destination. Turkey did suffer a major economic collapse in 2001 and elections had to be called as a result but does seem to be gradually recovering. Fairly recently it joined the EC and does seem to have put its past of military coups and totalitarian governments behind it. Turkey is the most populated country in Europe after Russia and it is rapidly growing. I did really enjoy this book which is very informative and the authors' enthusiasm does come through.
June 10, 2013
Adequate. I'm not a big city person and I can't imagine spending more than a day or two in Istanbul before heading out and away from the crowds. An entire book describing every mosque and place to shop was underwhelming. I suppose it's a wise marketing ploy on Lonely Planet's part - send a researcher to Istanbul and put the information into a book on the city, a chapter on the country, another chapter on the area, and some bits in those coffee table books.
January 27, 2012
It's obvious that Virginia Maxwell knows and loves Istanbul. Her LP guide to the city is a great resource for museums, restaurants and historical sites if you're visiting only the city. I would suggest another book if you're visiting other cities, however.
The photographs are great. The metro stops, maps and hours of featured sites are also helpful.
The photographs are great. The metro stops, maps and hours of featured sites are also helpful.
July 22, 2011
Of the two guides to Istanbul which I read, I generally like this one more. Both have the same information and some different information although this one has nice sections which help to split up the information.
February 2, 2016
I own many Lonely Planet books, but got this one from the Library, with such a short time to read it, and looking for the most to do in the short time that I will be in Istanbul, I was yet again impressed with the information provided by Lonely Planet.
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March 31, 2007Hamans, Doner Kebabs, fish sandwiches.....I'm coming!!
July 29, 2011
we used this extensively in Istanbul
December 25, 2014
Davvero troppo sintetica...
June 18, 2015
Great guide when we were in Istanbul!
February 19, 2013
Ottima guida, consigliatissima!
December 8, 2018
"İstanbul's strategic location has attracted many marauding armies over the centuries. The Greeks, Romans and Venetians took turns ruling before the Ottomans stormed into town and decided to stay – physical reminders of their various tenures are found across the city. The fact that the city straddles two continents wasn't its only drawcard – it was the final stage on the legendary Silk Road linking Asia with Europe, and many merchants who came here liked it so much that they, too, decided to stay. In so doing, they gave the city a cultural diversity that it retains to this day."
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews