Camping in Istanbul, 2010

Like Gaul, Istanbul is divided into three big parts: the old town and the new town, both on the European side; and the Asiatic town on the Asiatic side. Most of the historic/cultural sights are in the old town, some in the new; some on the Asiatic side. Everywhere you look, however, there is something worth looking at.

There are no campgrounds in or near Istanbul. We had read, however, that one of the parking lots on the south side of Sultanahmet (old town), off Kennedy Caddesi, served as a refuge for camping cars. This is not exactly like camping next to the Empire State Building in Manhattan; but close. We drove right on into Istanbul, the old town, Sultanahmet, managed to find Kennedy Caddesi (a long bouelvard on the southern perimeter of Sultanahmet), and then drove on to the last of the parking lots. These were all the directions we had. No name, no address, no GPS. Anyhow, sure enough, there were a couple dozen RVs there, as well as buses, maxitaxis, delivery trucks, regular cars, and everything else. With all the campers around, there is nonetheless a festive/holiday atmosphere, not just a parking lot, and the staff of the parking lot are cheerful and helpful. Vendors appear in the evening, selling fruit, breads, pastries, nuts, and the stuffed mussels the Turks appear to like so much. Very modest water and sewage facilities are on site. The cost is 25 Turkish lira per night, about $16. The location is pretty unbeatable: perhaps 100 feet from the old Constantinople sea-side city wall, four blocks from the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Hagia Sofia, maybe 10 to the Grand Bazaar, etc. The tram stops about 6 blocks away and the light rail about 4 blocks. All that's outside the driver side windows currently. Outside the passenger side is the seawall, a small fisherman's cove, the Sea of Marmara, and Asiatic Istanbul. In back of us is a large public park on the waterfront. We are literally at the mouth (well, maybe the chin) of the Golden Horn, the river-like inlet that divides the old and new cities on the European side. Among the campers, there are a few independents like us--we met a Kiwi couple last night--but mostly guided caravans of RVs, Italian, Netherlands, and, today a couple dozen German RVs arrived. The caravans are on guided tours. They stay a few nights, then move on. We plan to stay a week or more. Probably more.

Lest anyone be misled, this is urban camping. There is road noise, parking lot noise, parking lot attendant noise, feral dogs and cats (larger, better fed dogs than in Romania; and many, many more cats), families and others strolling/playing/picknicking in the park, and, far from least, the five daily calls to prayer broadcast from the minarets of the dozen or so mosques in this square mile of old Istanbul. Most of the time, at our "campsite," you can only hear the Blue Mosque, but early in the AM or in the evening you can hear the whole cacophony. Dueling muezzin. By and large, however, it's no worse than other urban camping situations we've experienced, e.g., Oslo, Stockholm, Barcelona, San Sebastian; less the calls to prayer; and there could hardly be a better location for seeing Istanbul. And, hey, it's Istanbul!

The campground, as it were, is at 41 00' 05.35 N, and 28 58' 38.78" E



Packed in somewhat like sardines; you can see the city wall, and above it the minarets 
and dome of the Blue Mosque

Me by the mussel vendor stand; yes, I tried them, but prefer mine the old-fashioned 
unstuffed way

Looking out to the Sea of Marmara; my inner ship-spotter is enjoying this location

Many, many cruise ships

Lots of other interesting vessels too

City wall

Today's wedding pix, at the Best Western on Kennedy Caddesi, near us



Moon rise over Istanbul