by Isabel Eva Bohrer
“Byzantium.” “Constantinople.” “Stamboul.” Through the ages, Istanbul has been known under a variety of names. As an avid traveler, I was eager to get to know this “new, second Rome.”
With my new iPad in hand, – one of the best birthday presents I have received thus far, – I was on the quest to try out the GPSmyCity walking tour app of Istanbul. Prior to departing, I began downloading the app from the iTunes store and minutes later, had the 13.2 MB on my iPad. I was thrilled to see that the latest version (1.6) of the Istanbul app had been updated on October 6, 2011 – just two weeks before my departure date. I would be accompanied by up-to-date information and maps, all at my fingertips.
On my first day in Istanbul, I was ready to give the app a shot. Since I was completely new to the old Constantinople, I decided to opt for the City Orientation Tour. I wanted to get an overview of the old town at my own pace, without having to take a tour bus. This is what the app had advertised itself to be, – a “revolutionary app that makes a tour bus obsolete,”- and looking back, I can say that it certainly met this goal.
One great aspect of the app was that it got me to my starting point very easily. My hotel, the Four Seasons Bosphorus, was listed in the app. The accompanying map thus was able to direct me to the first stop, the Ortakoy neighborhood, without a problem.
The City Orientation Tour started in the Ortakoy area, which is ideal for filling up on energy. Turkish pastries, such as baklava, are available as a snack at many of the cafes in this area. I myself started the tour after an early lunch at the Japanese fusion restaurant Zuma (www.zumarestaurant.com). Zuma is located on Solkane xxx, just off Cirigan Road, the road that leads from Ortakoy along the water to the Dolmabahce Palace, where it turns into Dolmabahce Caddesi. Zuma restaurant is just one of the few examples that show how international culture and cuisines coexists with the traditional Turkish way of life in Istanbul.
Second stop: the Bosphorus Bridge. I had seen it from my hotel, but it wasn’t until I opened the app that I learned that “in 2007 an extraordinary LED lighting system was developed and installed by Philips that turned the bridge into a work of art.” That night, when I would return to see the bridge illuminated, I would think of this fact.
After that, the app led me to various mosques and palaces, including stops at Yildiz Palace (Star Palace), Dolmabahce Palace, the Istanbul Modern Museum, The Galata Tower, the Istanbul Archeology Museum, the Topkapi palace, the Hagia Sophia Museum, Yerebatan Sarayi palace, the Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar.
Since I had quite a lot of walking ahead of me, I decided that I would only view the exterior of the sites this time around. I was staying in Istanbul for several days, and would purchase a 72 hour museum pass for the remainder of my time. This would grant me entry to the Hagia Sophia Museum, the Topkapi Palace Museum, the Chora Museum, the Istambul Archaeological Museums, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts and the Istanbul Mosaic Museum. It costs 72 Liras and avoids lines at many of the monuments.
I continued along Ciragan Road, and arrived at the Dolmabahce Palace. From here, I was able to capture wonderful shots of the clock tower. Moreover, I was visiting just before the Turkish national day, October 30th, so the streets were hung with Turkish flags all over.
Those who want to save a little time and walk a little less can jump on a tram to get from the Dolmabahce Palace to the Istanbul Modern Museum and all the way crossing the Galata bridge. Trams avoid the car traffic and cost only 2 Turkish Lira one-way. They run along the same path that you would be walking if you were following the app.
When I reached the Topkapi palace, I was sure that I wanted to enter on another day. I was visiting during October, which is already considered winter time. While in summer the Topkapi is open for visitors until 7 p.m., it closes at 5 p.m. in winter. Note that last admission is half an hour before and that the handing out of audio guides ends even earlier. You can get a separate audio guide for the palace and the harem. At the former, be sure to explore the treasuries, including an 86 karat diamond!
As an architecture fanatic, my favorite was most definitely the Hagia Sophia, “regarded as a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture and famous for its enormous dome and rich interior,” according to the app. I made a note to visit the interior the next day, since I still wanted to reach the Grand Bazaar before it closes at 7 p.m.
The app will bring you to Beyazit Gate of the Bazaar. It wasn’t until I was inside the bazaar and trying to find my way back out that I realized how many gates there were – more than 25. At first, I panicked, especially since I do not speak Turkish and was afraid I wouldn’t find my way back to the same gate. However, thanks to the app, I was able to show a Turkish vendor the photo of the gate and he immediately indicated the way back to where I had entered. Phew!
Since I wasn’t on a fixed schedule and didn’t have to report to a tour guide or a large group, I was able to take my time at each of the 12 stops. By the end, I had covered the 12.7 km that were indicated in the app, and surely more, since I walked around at each of the sites. For this reason, the tour also took me slightly longer than the five hours indicated in the app. While I enjoyed having lunch at Zuma, I recommend getting started slightly earlier to enjoy more of the sites and have more time at the Bazaar. On my way back, I also would have enjoyed visiting the Spice market, but it was getting a bit late.
Thanks to the app’s turn-by-turn directions, I never got lost. Note that these are only available in the paid upgrade (4.99 USD), which moreover provides a higher resolution city map, as well as the possibility to see nearby attractions. The FindMe and AutoTracking features are another highlight of the upgrade. You really have no excuse for losing your way. If you’re not too good with directions, I highly recommend getting the upgrade. It costs less than a paid tour guide and makes your trip a lot easier.
All in all, the app enriches your experience abroad. For future versions, it would be great if GPSmyCity could add some audio commentary that you can listen to while touring. I read that this is available for some of the GPSmyCity apps, so it would be great if the Istanbul one came with audio narration, too. Video would be wonderful as well. I would also have appreciated more in-depth descriptions on the individual sites and the history of Istanbul as a whole, which I would have read up in my own time. Further optional details on safety, getting around and where to eat could also have been added. I was able to complement the GPSmyCity walking tour app with a more detailed city guide app, titled “Istanbul” by Triposo.
Considering the GPSmyCity app was a walking tour app, however, I was content with the brief written descriptions. The app even gave me the possibility to upload my own photos directly and share my experiences with my friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. I’m sure they would have envied me for all the wonderful sights I got to see.
