How much in Taken 2 was actually filmed in Istanbul?

Neesson during a roundtable interview with a number of other journalists. During the group interview Neeson talked about how the sequel came together, what it was like filming in Istanbul. They set it in Istanbul and he thought, ok that’s certainly one city I would love to see.

What surprised you the most about working in Istanbul? Either the under the circumstances of working there or also seeing some of the sights in your free time.

NEESON: Well, its- I’ve read so much about Constantinople as it used to be from when I was doing Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, you know? Because it is the gateway from the west to the east and there’s so many generations of conquests. And you see it in the streets there, you see foundation stones that were laid by, not just the Romans, the Romans were only 2000 years ago, but generations thousands of years ago, you know? So it such a rich incredible historical culture, and you feel it. And I think it adds something to our film, it just gives it a texture. All those car scenes we were doing, those car chases and stuff, you know, yes we had a police presence, but the shopkeepers, merchants on these tiny, narrow streets said, “No, no, no; you shoot your film, but we’re keeping our shops open.” So you’d have customers crossing streets all the time, they weren’t extras, and we’re barreling up these streets in Mercedes Benz’s at reckless speeds.

http://collider.com/taken-3-liam-neeson-interview/199412/

Yes, definitely. You can see the Galata bridge (which connects Eminönü and Karaköy) very often, and the Eminönü district in the background with its Mosques..e.g. when they are on the ferryboat..and there will be also a guy selling Turkish tea on those ferryboats (www.sehirhatlari.com.tr). But I actually never saw a Mercedes cab there, and I think they used retired police cars - but the car chase itself was in Istanbul, too.