Three days in Istanbul between appointments

Day one: Sultanahmet, slowly

Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are five minutes apart, both flat and both worth an hour each. Start at 9am before the crowds and the heat, take a taxi rather than the tram, and finish with lunch in the courtyard cafés behind the Blue Mosque.

Day two: the Bosphorus without effort

A public ferry from Eminönü up the strait costs less than a coffee and requires nothing but sitting down. Ninety minutes each way, palaces and wooden mansions on both banks, and no walking involved, ideal in the days after a procedure.

Day three: Karaköy and Galata, at your own pace

Coffee culture, small galleries and the tower's panorama. Note that Galata Tower involves a queue and a lift, and the surrounding streets are steep, worth knowing if you have had abdominal or leg surgery.

What to skip after treatment

Turkish baths for at least three weeks after any surgery, the Grand Bazaar's crowds in the first days after facial procedures, and long walking tours in summer heat. None of them are going anywhere.

The Ones People Actually Ask.