Katie H.
Yelp
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in June, we got to Rumeli Hisari fortress. It was kind of an ordeal, because the bus that normally heads there leaves from the still-blocked Taksim Square route, so we hopped in an expensive taxi, leaving me cranky. This is off the beaten path for sure, and that probably explains why so few people were visiting this COMPLETELY AMAZING FORTRESS.
I understand there's a lot to see in Istanbul, but if you want an attraction that will leave you feeling like you've actually experienced a part of history, this is where you should go. Here are some great things about Rumeli Hisari.
- It's at the narrowest point of the strait separating Europe and Asia, which means that it's situated in a beautiful part of Istanbul that most people don't go to. I liked the walk to and from the grounds better than the view at the Galata Tower.
- It's 5 TL to get in. That's about US $2.50. To climb all over a 700-year-old fortress.
- You get to climb all over it. No, seriously, you get to climb. ALL. over it. When you see the turrets and guard towers of the fortress, you will already be blown away by how cool-looking they are. Now imagine your surprise mixed with happiness and terror when you realize that there are a bunch of incredibly horrifying narrow stone steps with no guardrail or alterations of any kind, and you can take them all the way up to the turrets and towers at 3-4 different points in the grounds.
I am not particularly scared of heights, but I'm still scared of general dying, so I made my boyfriend hold my hand on the way up the part that went near a deep hole I can only assume was a death pit.
The view from the top is phenomenal and was worth my consternation.
- You will not see anything else like it in Istanbul.
I know it's not near your hotel in Sultanahmet. But go anyway, because you will thank yourself for being an adventurous soul who gets to see amazing historical things.
A couple cautions, that didn't affect my review but might affect your experience:
- Don't bring your children. The steps are really terrifying.
- A downside of the hands-off approach is that while there's a short guide in English to the fortress, I would have loved more information about what different parts of the fortress were used for. Plaques and guiding signs are largely absent.