Hop-on Bus in Istanbul

Q: We will be spending two nights in Istanbul in early September. I would like to spend one day doing all the city sights and want to know whether there is a tourist bus service that passes all the major attractions and allows one to get on and off at leisure. - Roger Davies

A: Istanbul Tours offers a hop-on and hop-off city bus tour that gives you access to most of the important sights (www,istanbul-tours.org). The tour takes 90 minutes, but you can extend it for as long as you want by getting off at the attractions you want to see. The stop-off points are Hagia Sophia, Dolmabahce Palace, Taksim Square, Old Pera, Edirnekapi and Kumpkapi. In summer it runs from the Sultanahmet every 60 minutes from 10am to 6pm and from Taksim every hour from 10.30am to 6.30pm. Among the attractions it passes by include the Academy of Fine Arts, the Archaeological Museum, Ataturk Bridge, Ataturk Cultural Center, Balat-Ahrida Synagogue, Balikli Monastery, the Blue Mosque, Eyup Sultan Mosque, Fish Market, Galata Bridge, Galata Tower, Golden Gate, Golden Horn, Gulhane Park, Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome, Justinian Palace, Kilic Ali Pasa Mosque, Kumkapi, Leander's Tower, Main City Walls, Metal Bridge, New Mosque, Nusretiye Mosque, Old Pera, Port of Bosphorus, Spice Bazaar, Stadium, Suleymaniye Mosque, Sultanahmet Center, Taksim Square, Topkapi (Gate), Topkapi Palace and the Underground Cistern. A recorded narration is available in 11 languages including English, German, Italian and French. (21 June 2010)