Posted on May 15th, 2025

A Turkish Airlines Stopover Adventure

If your layover in Istanbul is longer than six hours, Turkish Airlines offers a free guided bus tour of the city. We were en route to Tokyo, flying out of Washington Dulles at 12:45 PM on May 12. Our 9.75-hour Turkish Airlines flight landed in Istanbul around 6:30 AM on May 13. The in-flight service was good (though not exactly friendly). A small mishap occurred when a hostess bumped into my tray, spilling my drink all over my autographed Dream Count, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The hostess initially denied responsibility but, having brought some napkins to clean up the mess, she later apologized. So, if you spot red stains inside my book, you’ll know why!

Arrival & Airport Drama

We experienced a bit of drama at passport control: while one daughter and I breezed through, my 24-year-old was held back briefly. The officer thought she didn’t look like her passport photo and asked if she’d had facial surgery (seriously!)(“No,” she replied, “I just grew up.”) Thankfully, she had her driver’s license to prove her identity.

Free Istanbul City Tour Highlights

At 8:00 AM, our tour of Istanbul began. An ancient city settled by the Greeks in the 7th century BC, known as Byzantium and later Constantinople, it served as the capital of many empires, including the Roman and Ottoman empires.

It was an unexpectedly cool 56°F. Heavy gray clouds overshadowed the day at first, and it was nice to see the sun eventually breaking through.

1. Traditional Turkish Breakfast by the Bosporus

Our first stop: a waterfront café near Dolmabahçe Palace. Breakfast was modest, but the hot Turkish tea was comforting. Friendly street cats wandered around as we gazed across the Bosporus Strait, separating Europe from Asia. Istanbul is the only city in the world to span two continents.

2. Dolmabahçe Palace & Bezm-i Alem Mosque

We walked to Dolmabahçe Palace, a stunning 19th-century waterfront palace blending Ottoman elegance with European grandeur. After that, we crossed the square to the Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan Mosque. Then, it was time to reboard the bus.

3. Scenic Drive & City Sights

We passed several of Istanbul’s architectural and cultural icons:

• Blue Mosque – An Ottoman-era mosque
• Taksim Square – A lively hub of civic and cultural activity
• Valens Aqueduct – A 4th-century Roman aqueduct that once brought water into the heart of Constantinople still standing
• Galata Bridge & Eminönü District –We made a photo stop on the bridge, with sweeping views of the Golden Horn, an estuary that separates the European side of Istanbul from the Asian side
• Fener Greek Orthodox College – Established in 1454, it’s Istanbul’s oldest surviving educational institution
• Bulgarian St. Stephen Church – Prefabricated in Vienna, shipped down the Danube, and assembled on the banks of the Golden Horn in the 1800s
• Pera Palace Hotel – Fun literary fact: It’s where Agatha Christie reportedly wrote Murder on the Orient Express

4. A Personal Reflection

As we toured the historic city, I thought of my maternal great-great-grandfather, Mohammed Shitta Bey, a wealthy philanthropist and prominent figure in Lagos, in the land now known as Nigeria, in the 19th century. He was born in Sierra Leone to Yoruba parents who had been liberated from the transatlantic slave trade. His family later migrated to Lagos, where he became a successful businessman, Islamic leader, and community builder. In recognition of his stature and influence, he was conferred the Ottoman title of “Bey” by Sultan Abdul Hamid II—a rare and historic honor. Touring the streets of Istanbul, I heard the echoes of that legacy.

Would I Return to Istanbul?

Probably not in the near future. While the city’s architecture and history were captivating, I felt uncomfortable with some undercurrents of prejudice or racism—disheartening in a place tied to my ancestor’s honor.

Still, I highly recommend Istanbul as a stopover destination, especially if you’re flying to the Middle or Far East. The free layover tour by Turkish Airlines is well-organized, informative, and a great way to experience one of the world’s most iconic cities in just a few hours.