How To Save $1000 flying to Asia & Get 12 Hours in Istanbul

I’m going to let you in on an awesome travel tip.

If you are flying from New York to Asia––take Turkish Airlines. They frequently have Business Class fares roundtrip from $3000 on Kayak.com. Then, if you book a route with a long connection––with 10 to 12 hours in Istanbul––you could find yourself knocking as much as $1000 off that price.

Here’s another perk to this route.

Flying to Asia is not easy. It’s 22 hour minimum door-to-door from the Lower East Side to Bangkok. This flight pattern is a tolerable 9 hours to Istanbul. It leaves JFK late at night. You dine and sleep. You wake up in Istanbul, get out, stretch your legs and visit a wondrous city.

Then it’s a subsequent 10 hours to Bangkok, leaving once more around midnight. Sleep, wake up, watch a movie and you’re there!

This broken up journey is much more manageable––particularly if you are going in coach.

PRO TIP: You need a visa beforehand. Go to this link and follow instructions. They email it to you. Print it out and have it in hand.

This past winter, I landed in Istanbul at 5:45am. I caught the sunrise with my camera. I also caught the sunset. In between, I saved $1,000, shopped till my credit card was melting, had three gorgeous Turkish meals, photographed kitties in alleys and fishermen on piers. I visited mosques and rug emporiums. I went to three different neighborhoods and spent two full hours getting a spa treatment in a hammam. Not in that order.

I have so many friends visiting Asia this year. Getting there is a struggle, but it can also be part of the adventure. Here are my two cents on spending a money-saving, long layover in Istanbul.

PRO TIP: You can leave any carry-on luggage in the lockers at the Turkish Airlines lounge before leaving the airport. Cab rides to and from Ataturk Airport to the city should be roughly 40 minutes.

Go to a Hammam First

You just got off a 10 hour flight. You’re going to want a rub down. The Hammam experience is delightfully abrasive, unforgettably personal, full of rough love and sloughed skin and the reminder that bodies are just bodies. Shielded only by a pair of one-size-fits-all, disposable panties, you are doused in suds and water and scrubbed everywhere. This is done in a communal room full of women of all ages. You slip around on marble, wet with the foamest, sweet-smelling soaps. Let a jovial woman accidentally dreadlock your hair with a deliciously hard head massage. Lay in a slice of sunlight on the marble slab and stare up at ancient architecture as the steam rises around you.

PRO TIP: Bring a little carry-on of conditioner and a hairbrush to get your tresses untangled after.

HAMMAM SUGGESTION: I loved Kilic Ali Pasa, circa 1578. Make a reservation for any hammam in advance. Women generally go in the mornings; men in the afternoons.

Wander Arnavutköy

The Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are important stops on a first-time trip to Istanbul. If you have a 10 hour layover, there’s plenty of time for both. If you want to see a more local side of life, take cab to the neighborhood of Arnavutköy. This small fishing village (about 30 min by taxi north of the Blue Mosque) has become quite popular for eclectic cafes, architecture, boutiques and Bosphorus views. It’s ideal for lunch and walking around, or for afternoon, Happy Hour cocktails with stunning views.

Shop the Arasta Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar, like the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, is famous with good reason. Want something a little mellower? I like the open-air Arasta Bazaar for rugs, jewelry, spices and bath linens. I like to have a coffee and people watch here, too, before wandering the adjacent roads of Sultanhamet for more shopping.

Meet the Local Wildlife

Have you seen Kedi? Watch it before you go. Better yet, watch it on the plane. You might love cats, but you never realized how much you love Turkish people who love cats. The warmth of this movie is only matched by the cinematography.

Dine Well

There are so many good meals to be had and at such an incredible price point. Hell, you could find a cute-but-simple hotel room, spend a few hours of your layover napping and then get up and wander to a Michelin-starred restaurant and you’d still not have topped $75.

I went to Mikla––named one of the 50 Best Restaurants in the world.

A three-course tasting with a glass of wine was only $20. A lot of people go there for the views. I can’t stop thinking about the pillowy, little Manti (Turkish dumplings) stuffed with braised lamb and covered in yogurt and chili oil.

If you want those views, but food-less-formal … head to Sultanhamet, to the top of the Seven Hills Hotel. It’s sweeping views of the Bosphorus, with the Four Seasons, the Blue Mosque, and the Hagia Sophia rising nearly close enough to reach out and touch. It’s a few blocks from Arasta Bazaar, too.

For more on Istanbul visit this link or hit me up on email.

It’s truly one of the best cities on Earth … even if you’re only passing through.