A No-Bullshit Guide to Istanbul (Special CITY GUIDE Edition)
In honor of my second home, I present to you a very special version of Places!
For a city that spans two continents and a history that spans centuries, İstanbul has a lot to offer but can be a little overwhelming for first-timers. I've distilled my primary tips, recommendations and do's and don'ts for you to have the best visit ever (or for you to keep coming back).
In three words: Stylish, cosmopolitan, bustling.
Must-see tourist sites (but be sure to check out the ‘Neighborhoods’ below, İstanbul is so much more than these touristy sites!):
Taksim Square and İstiklal Street
Hagia Sofia (which is now a mosque, no longer a museum)
Sultanahmet Camı (The Blue Mosque)
Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı)
Galata Tower
A walk along the Golden Horn bridge
The Balat neighborhood
Topkapı Palace
Dolmabahçe Palace
The Basilica Cisterns
Nevizade Sokak (Nevizade Street)
Getting around:
Download the BiTaksi app (Apple Store or Google Play) to spare your troubles and never hail a taxi off the street. If you must, be sure that you use an official taxi (the license no is on the side of the car and in the dashboard) and be sure that they are using the meter, located in the lower left corner of the rear-view mirror. Otherwise, agree on a set price.
For public transportation, get the İstanbulkart (Istanbul Card). It’s the city’s main transit card for the Metro and Marmaray (the metro line connecting the European and Asian side); the ferries (Beşiktaş, Kabataş, Eminönü on the European side and Uşkudar, Kadıköy and Bostancı on the Asian side); buses or the Metrobus, a bus rapid transit route. You can also use your İstanbulkart to pay for using a WC at some locations. It costs 7 TL for a new card, and you can top up in Metro stations (look for the yellow and black boxes, which also have instructions in different languages). (FYI, no one uses an Akbil or tokens anymore.) Rides are 2,60 TL.
In my experience, Google Maps provides better options for directions (including Transit, which Apple Maps doesn’t).
If you know your way a little bit, you can also use a dolmuş, which is a shared cabin taxi with a fixed route. They are all over the city. They usually cost 3,50 TL. This website has a link to the dolmuş locations.
Favorite neighborhoods:
Cihangir - The most Bohemian neighborhood on the European side. Think NYC’s East Village or London’s Shoreditch. Personally, my favorite.
Kadıköy - This is actually a large district on the Asian side close to the sea. My favorite hotspots are Moda and Yeldeğirmeni, the most Bohemian neighborhood on the Asian side.
Bebek - One of İstanbul’s fanciest neighborhoods. Celebrities live here.
Erenköy - Much more chill than busy Taksim, this area is where a lot of Turkish locals come to hang out, mainly along Bağdat Caddesi, the main throughfare.
Balat - The old Jewish quarter, which is still preserved. Look for the iconic three colorful buildings and also the rainbow stairs at Incir Ağacı Kahvesi for that perfect Instagram photo.
Karaköy - A small but super trendy area near the Golden Horn, formely an industrial port.
Beşiktaş - Another district in İstanbul, but most people gather near Beşiktaş Square, which is a hot spot for locals, with tons of shopping and restaurants. There’s also a soccer team named
Bonus: The Princes Islands (Adalar). These beautiful group of islands, about 1-1.5 hours away from İstanbul, offer a delightful, charming getaway. Think Greek islands. You can take the ferry from Eminönü on the European side, and from Kadıköy and Bostancı on the Asian side.
How about a museum?
Rumelihisarı - The medieval fortress built in 1453.
Note: Consider getting a Tourist or Museum Pass, which can be used at most museum sites.
Must-try foods: Döner (a meaty kebab sandwich — look for the vertical meat stands), çig köfte (a meatball like dish, but the Turkish version uses bulgur), mantı (Turkish ravioli), pide (Turkish pizza), simit (a ring-like bagel) with a glass of ayran (a yogurt drink), dondurma (ice cream) and of course, Turkish coffee and Turkish tea. Also, lokum, which is Turkish Delight.
Favorite hangouts:
Journey - My favorite bar and restaurant, located in Cihangir. Also great for brunch.
Mecra - A happening bar and restaurant in Kadıköy. Also has a rooftop terrace.
Şahika - A fun bar, popular with LGBTQ people and locals, owned by a transwoman
Basically anywhere in Karaköy or Kadıköy.
Minoa Books and Coffee - One of the most stunning bookstores and cafes I’ve ever been to, located in Beşiktaş.
Çiçek Pasajı - Beautiful and old passage off of İstiklal Caddesi. Worthy of a photo, but also great for coffee.
Boni Books & Cafe - Another darling cafe, located in Yeldeğirmini, Kadıköy.
Kraker Unlu Lezzetler - A tiny little dessert shop in Tarlabası. The owners are the sweetest (no pun intended).
Mums - A classic dessert-lovers haven in Karaköy.
Mangerie - A delightful, trendy restaurant in Bebek, offering a great view of the city.
Baylan - Another wonderful pastry shop and restaurant located in Bebek, around since 1923.
Shopping:
Without question, İstanbul is a haven for shopping and especially for clothes, as Turkey is a textile-producing country. Don’t do all your shopping on İstiklal Street, where everything is overpriced.
The Zorlu Center is a must. It has most of the designer stores, an Apple store and is just really fancy!
Kanyon is also a must-see as well, not for its stores, but for the architecture. This open-air commercial center is a one-of-kind experience.
Personally, I also like the grand Mall of İstanbul and Istanbul Cevahir, a smaller mall in the Levent district.
For general shopping and strolling, you can peruse Bağdat Caddesi on the Asian side, Beşiktaş Square and the fancier Nişantaşı neighborhood.
If you are in Turkey for a while and can get deliveries, I recommend using Trendyol or downloading the app (Apple Store / Google Play). It’s Turkey’s number one app for purchasing clothes, with over 2,000 merchants. You can find trendy (hence the name) and low-cost fashion pieces, delivered to you in mere days. Everything is in Turkish, but it’s worth it!
Get your groceries at Şok or find a CarrefourSA. Also, there’s a huge market every Sunday in the Tarlabası neighborhood which has everything you could ever imagine, with deeply discounted prices.
Buying alcohol is also easy. You can get beer, wine and spirits at some groceries and also a tekel, a small street corner store after late hours (look for the yellow branding).
For electronics, go to Doğubank in Sultanahmet. You can find pretty much any kind of electronic item here, for much cheaper.
For vintage shopping, Kulis Vintage is just a delight! Located in Balat.
For men’s clothes and accessories, I adore Bey in Karaköy.
How much is a pint of beer? Around 20 TL ($2.3 USD or 2 EUR), 13 TL in the store ($1.4 USD or 1.3 EUR)
Can you drink the tap water? No. Not because it’s not purified, but mainly because it has a lot of chemicals. Buy your water in bulk as Turks do.
Do people tip here? Generally no, unless the service was absolutely, incredibly outstanding. You can round up typically. For those in the service industry, you may want to leave them tips since their wages are low by Turkish standards.
Least favorite thing: Taxis and traffic. Scamming used to be bad years ago and it’s decreased now, but it can still be problematic for tourists. Also, traffic during rush hour is horrific, especially if you are headed to the Asian side. Stick to the Metro, ferry or the buses/Metrobus during the busy times of the day, which are usually rush hour and late Friday and Saturday nights.
Safe to walk at night scale — 1 = riskiest to 5 = safest: 5. For a city this size, it’s pretty safe to walk alone at night. Avoid abandoned areas and alleys late at night and watch yourself near Tarlabası Blvd, but otherwise just use common sense. Muggings and violent attacks against tourists are really rare here, but they happen.
Caution: Beware of people who will try to scam you in “friendly” ways — for example, confusing prices with Turkish lira and dollars, pretending not to know English or striking up a conversation and offering to take you places or provide tours. Always agree to a price beforehand and never accept a tour or service unless otherwise scheduled or planned prior. If you feel you are being scammed by a taxi, leave immediately and get the taxi’s license plate number on the side or the taxi and call 153 to report them.
Currency: Turkish Lira (TRY or TL). 1 USD = 8.44 TRY (Updated November 2020)
Electric plug type: Type C (most common) and Type F
Other tips? Learn some Turkish! When you get outside of your hotel or major destinations, knowledge of English becomes really limited. There’s a taste of helpful phrases below, but I recommend you use Google Translate (Apple Store / Google Play) and download the Turkish pack to use offline. You can also use the app’s camera to hover over text for instant translation. The website Turkish Basics can also help you with pronunciation and learning, well, basics.
Hello! - Merhaba!
Excuse me - Pardon / Afedersiniz
How much is this? - Bu ne kadar?
Thank you - Teşekkür ederim / Teşekkürler
Do you know English? - İngilizce konuşur musunuz?
Water - Su
Center - Merkez
Station - istasyon
I don’t know Turkish. - Türkçe bilmiyorum.
I live in _____. - ____ yaşıyorum.
Where is …? - Nerede …?
Where is the toilet? - Nerede tuvalet?
Yes - Evet
No - Hayır / Yok
Stop - Dur
Go right - Sağa git
Go left - Sola git
Here - Burada
I’m coming - Geliyorum
Police! - Polis!
Help! - Yardım!
This - Bu
That - Şu
Okay / Alright - Tamam
No problem - Problem değil
Leave me alone! - Beni yalnız bırak!
Welcome - Hoş Geldiniz. (As a guest or receiver of the greeting, say Hoş Bulduk in response.)
Nearest getaway? Princes Islands (Adalar), 1-1.5 hours by ferry; Bursa, 2 hours by ferry; İzmir, 1 hour by plane; Bodrum, 1 hour by plane.