Tarabya is a really gorgeous area on the Bosphorus and would give you access to some fabulous restaurants and cages that tourists rarely visit. If you are planning to see the sights of Istanbul however, it is a very long way, (bus to Kabatas and then tram) and would indeed mean sitting in what can be very heavy traffic (there are times on the Bosphorus road when walking is far faster!).

I do of course mean 'cafes' and not 'cages'. Damned auto-correct!

Thanks! That's very helpful. That's what I feared. I'm excited about visiting a new part of Istanbul, but spending 3 days in traffic sounds a bit daunting...

It is a really long way out and time consuming to get to the historic sites even if it is traffic free (especially if you are relying on public transport) - but I have sat on a bus on the Bosphorus road on a weekend when the traffic is bad and taken over an hour to move from Bebek to Ortakoy which is only a small part of that journey.

If you want to spend your days in the hotel and around Tarabya, then it would be really beautiful.

(sorry for my duplicate post - have asked for it to be removed).

Hmm.. that's not good! Is there enough to do in Tarabya to spend the entire day in the area?

raisalex, If you can get a seaview room at the brand new Grand Tarabya Hotel, "http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293974-d3509175-Reviews-The_Grand_Tarabya-Istanbul.html", then it is worth a stay there. This hotel is practically on the Bosphorus and you feel like you are on a cruise ship. You can use the excellent ferry system to get to Eminonu without getting into any traffic.. Here are the ferry timetables: "http://www.sehirhatlari.com.tr/Images/kategori/kategori/338_tarife.pdf". You can also use buses to Kabatas and Taksim. Tarabya has excellent restaurants and you can walk to Yenikoy and further up the Bosphorus. You can take a sea taxi wherever you want to go. You can go to Sabanci Museum, Sadberk Hanim Museum, Rumeli Fortress on the Bosphorus.

enigma...

Thanks Enigma! We decided to stay in Karakoy instead. Was hard to give up the amazing views, especially that last minute booking is not cheap! We're off tomorrow and very excited about visiting Istanbul again. Thank you guys for all your help!

ralsalex, Have fun in Istanbul. Karakaoy is a great location. You can still visit Grand Tarabya and enjoy their Bosphorus view cfe and restaurant.

enigma...

there is a much faster way to get to Tarabya from Taksim then the bus, just take the metro to the end station and then either a dolmus or taxi (short ride 10 TL) to Tarabya.