Here is my updated Itinerary. I need to add these evening activities. Suggestions for which days to add them?
belly dance, traditional Turkish music, Turkish jazz?, whirling dervishes, Hamdi restaurant.
Monday Dec. 24. arrive about 4 pm
Blue Mosque
Hammam
Tuesday
Grande Bazaar/Spice Bazaar, Dolmabahce
Wednesday
Topkapi Palace,Hagia Sophia,Hippodrome,Cistern
Thursday
1/2 day Jewish Tour, Taksim
Friday
Buy rug, Market, Chora Church or Boat Cruise

Istanbul Nightlife

This is an amazing website...

http://www.kultur.gov.tr/tr/burdurarkeo" title="http://www.kultur.gov.tr/tr/burdurarkeo" target="_blank"http://www.kultur.gov.tr/tr/b... ... sh/z21.htm

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
At first there blows a gentle breeze
And the leaves on the trees
Softly flutter or sway;
Out there, far away,
The bells of water carriers incessantly ring;
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
Then suddenly birds fly by,
Flocks of birds, high up, in a hue and cry
While nets are drawn in the fishing grounds
And a woman's feet begin to dabble in the water.
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.
The Grand Bazaar is serene and cool,
A hubbub at the hub of the market,
Mosque yards are brimful of pigeons,
At the docks while hammers bang and clang
Spring winds bear the smell of sweat;
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
Still giddy since bygone bacchanals,
A seaside mansion with dingy boathouses is fast asleep,
Amid the din and drone of southern winds, reposed,
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.
Now a dainty girl walks by on the sidewalk:
Cusswords, tunes and songs, malapert remarks;
Something falls on the ground out of her hand,
It's a rose I guess.
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
A bird flutters round your skirt;
I know your brow is moist with sweat
And your lips are wet.
A silver moon rises beyond the pine trees:
I can sense it all in your heart's throbbing.
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

Friday

5 p.m.
1) Super Market

Get disoriented at the six-century-old Grand Bazaar (Yaglikcilar Caddesi, Beyazit), which has about 60 lanes holding 4,000-odd shops packed to the rafters with tea sets, gaudy gold, backgammon boards and enough water pipes for a Cheech and Chong marathon. Bypass the trinket slingers and hit EthniCon (Kapalicarsi Takkeciler Sokak 58-60; 90-212-527-6841; www.ethnicon.com), a store where old Turkish rugs are cut into rectangles and reworked into arty modernist carpet collages. Next, do like Jean-Paul Gaultier, Donna Karan and Sting, and head to Sivasli Yazmaci (Yaglikcilar 57; 90-212-526-7748) for gorgeous textiles — new and vintage — in silk, wool and cotton.

7 p.m.
2) Goodbye, Europe

Take a 15-minute ferry through time — and across continents — from Eminonu terminal in Europe (Iskele 2, Eminonu; 90-212-455-6900; www.ido.com.tr; 1.30 new lira) to the Kadikoy district in Asia. Crossing the Bosphorus at dusk, you'll have knockout views of the illuminated minarets of the medieval Suleymaniye Mosque, the fairy-tale Galata Tower, the vast dome of the Hagia Sophia and the majestic walls of the Topkapi and Dolmabahce Palaces. Don't be surprised if you feel a little less Occidental upon arrival.

8 p.m.
3) Anatolian Comfort Food

For those who don't have a Turkish grandfather to cook traditional dishes, there's Musa Dagdeviren, the Turkish-Kurdish proprietor of Ciya Sofrasi (Guneslibahce Sokak 43, Kadikoy; 90-216-330-3190; www.ciya.com.tr). A culinary Indiana Jones, he gathers gustatory secrets from remote provinces and serves a menu that may include ezo gelin (lentil soup with oregano and red pepper), diyarbakir guvec (a savory stew of lamb, tomatoes and soft eggplants) and kuru sebze domalsi (eggplant stuffed with rice and lamb). He is also a Midas of fruits, transforming them into golden juices (tamarind, anyone?) and desserts like candied pumpkin slices. The menu is in Turkish, so take a Turkish friend or make one at the restaurant. A three-course meal runs a mere 30 lira, about $22 at 1.37 lira to the dollar.

10 p.m.
4) Go-Go Beyoglu

The Beyoglu district has been transformed in recent years from a desultory dump into a buzzing night life district where you can scarcely hurl an olive without hitting someone making the scene in old-school Nikes. For a nightcap with the older intellectual set, head to the House Café (Asmali Mescit 9/1, 90-212-245-9515; www9.thehousecafe9.com.tr), order a bottle of Turkish Sarafin cabernet (75 lira) and make clever remarks about post-structuralism. To gyrate with young Turks, visit Wanna (Mesrutiyet Caddesi 151, 90-212-243-1794; www9.istanbuldoors9.com), where foreign D.J.'s keep young professionals in Mavi jeans dancing alongside the aluminum bar until the wee hours.

Saturday

10 a.m.
5) Lifestyles of the Rich

Why leave the house when you're an Ottoman sultan living in Topkapi Palace — Turkey's answer to Versailles?. The 10 a.m. harem tour (Sultanahmet; 90-212-512-0480; www.topkapisarayi.gov.tr; 10 lira) unveils the sultans' wild world of multiple wives, eunuchs and dwarf entertainers. Walk through opulent vaulted chambers decorated in blue Iznik tiles and stained glass, then check out the religious relics, which include facial hair and a letter said to be from the Prophet Muhammad. Top it off with a look at the royal treasury, filled with bejeweled spoils from Ottoman conquests, and a skull fragment purportedly from history's most famous headless hero, John the Baptist.

Noon
6) Rocks of Ages

Thousands of tiny, tightly packed shards. It doesn't sound like much, until you witness the exquisitely wrought mosaics glowing from the old walls and domed ceilings of the medieval Church of St. Savior in Chora (Kariye Camii Sokak 26, Edirnekapi, 90-212-631-9241; 10 lira entry). Take binoculars or a zoom lens to fully appreciate the detailed facial expression on Christ the Savior; the poignant allegory of a sick woman crawling to Jesus; and the rich reds, deep blues and dazzling Klimt-like golds that render the Biblical scenes. The church (sometimes called Kariye Mosque) also houses amazingly preserved frescoes. Don't miss the action-packed "Harrowing of Hell," in which Jesus breaks through Hell's gates, tramples Satan underfoot and yanks Adam and Eve from their coffins.

2:30 p.m.
7)Burnished Kebabs

Old City Tour - Capital of the Empires

Explore the main cultural highlights of Istanbul's opulent past - the grandiose Topkapi Palace, the glittering Grand Bazaar, the magnificent Hagia Sophia Church, the elegant Blue Mosque and ancient Hippodrome, set among the cobbled streets of the old Imperial quarter and heart of ancient Byzantium & Constantinople...

This guided City Tour of the old historical quarter starts after breakfast, when you are picked up from the hotel or port by our private guide. Begin with a visit to Topkapi Palace, the main residence of the Ottoman Sultans, with its jewel encrusted treasury and elegant four courts. After a lunch break, visit the main sights around Sultanahmet Square, including the famous Hagia Sophia Museum, once the largest church in the world for 1000 years, and decorated with stunning 6th century golden mosaics. Then visit the Blue Mosque, designed with 6 delicate minarets and a striking blue Iznik tiled interior. Nearby, take a stroll through the site of the ancient Hippodrome, once the sporting ground of chariots and political riots, and see the Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column and Fountain of Wilhelm II. Finally, visit the Grand Bazaar, where you can shop or haggle with local merchants over unusual antiques, colorful spices, beautiful jewelry and richly textured fabrics. Drop off to hotel or cruise ship port.

İstanbul - vacation pictures of Istanbul including Taksim Square, Bosphorus, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Galata Bridge, Galata Tower, Grand Bazaar, Independence Street, and more.