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A friend from Turkey got in touch recently. I have arranged to fly out for 8 days (flight out is in 4 days). Unfortunately, she will be bogged down with work for her degree so won't have much time to spend with me. I am deciding whether to go out anyway (the ticket is non-refundable and I asked for time off work), in which case I would like to do some kind of walking trip. I was thinking of setting off from Istanbul on Monday and returning on Friday.

Are there any way-marked routes with places to stay on the way that I could follow that I could get to via public transport from Istanbul?

I speak English and Spanish (not sure how easy it will be to get by on these travelling outside of Istanbul).

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    Are you looking for a long distance walking holiday, like there are many in Europe?
    – Willeke ♦
    Commented Mar 12, 2019 at 16:23
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    Try this: wikiloc.com/wikiloc/…
    – MastaBaba
    Commented Mar 12, 2019 at 20:02
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    If Willeke is correct, that you're looking for a long-distance hiking or trekking trail outside Istanbul, just search on "trek turkey" (omit the double quotes) which should turn up several lists to get you started.
    – mkennedy
    Commented Mar 12, 2019 at 21:06
  • Thanks, yes, Willeke is right. I am looking for hiking/trekking. I am thinking of trying a section of The Evliya Celebi Way, assuming there is a convenient point to break off and head back to Istanbul via public transport on day 4 or 5 (the whole way takes around 22 days). It passes through many towns so there should be some way to do this - but imagine language may be an issue.
    – Guambra Feo
    Commented Mar 13, 2019 at 9:09

3 Answers 3

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Most streets are quite walkable, and you can see many places that are closeby just by walking! :) There are mostly metro, train, tram, bus, ferry etc. access everywhere. My suggestion is starting at eminonu, and taking the T1 tram to sultanahmet

See stations here

You can start at sultanahmet square. From here, sultanahmet mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapı palace and Hagia Sophia are all at a walking distance. For other such places, such as Grand Bazaar, Istanbul University etc. you can take the T1 tram and easily get there in a few minutes (or walk if you want to!)

I'd also suggest taking walks in Taksim (Europe side) and Kadikoy (Asia side). Kadikoy is less frequently traveled by tourists, but it's a great urban environment and there's much to see there, even when walking randomly. You can reach kadikoy by taking the ferry on eminonu.

I'd also suggest getting an Istanbul Kart (Istanbul Card), which is an all-round public transportation boarding pass. If you plan on using public transportation, it'll be very useful.

You can get one at major transit stops such as the airport, Sultanahmet, or Eminönü. To buy an Istanbul Kart, you need to pay a non-refundable 10 TL fee (for the actual card and the service), and of course an amount of your choice to load onto the card. 5 pass, 10 pass,etc. cards are also sold, but getting a card will be cheaper.

If you want a walk by the sea or nature, see here

Alternatively, there are many tourist groups on the sultanahmet walking route I mentioned. You can search for walking tour guides in that area before traveling.

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Istanbul is very walkable in my opinion. Some streets don't have sidewalks but they're still pretty navigable. You can walk the whole Fatih (with all the mosques) and Beyoglu (with Taksim) districts and some Uskudar (Asian side).

You can visit Bursa via ferry or Ankara via high speed rail, both are likely to have similar walkability (I have only visited the former).

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Best walking routes in Istanbul are along the shorelines, because there are no Hills and there is always a view. E.g. Walk from Kadıköy to Bostancı, from Üsküdar to Beykoz, from Kabataş to Rumeli Hısar , from Eminönü to Eyüp, from Yenikapı to Eminönü etc.

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