Istanbul was one of the few remaining “European” destinations on my list. While Turkey is not a part of the EU, it borders two EU countries, and it is partially on the European continent. The other half of Turkey, however, is in Asia—or as the locals often referred to it, Anatolia. Anatolia is how Turks refer to the Asian peninsula that makes up the majority of Turkey’s land area.
And let me tell you, Istanbul was a unique experience. I experienced both the poor and the rich sides of Istanbul, I saw countless cats, I ate cheap and expensive food. I met a lot of friendly locals, got invited to a lot of restaurants, and I got scammed. It was an all-in-one package for sure.
This post will be a little bit different than the usual. Rather than describing each day, I will present you with some interesting things I saw and experienced in Istanbul. Something in fashion of “Top 10 things to do in Istanbul.”
Istanbul airport
I hadn’t flown for over a year, so I was really looking forward to this flight. Airplane takeoffs are one of my favorite things to experience. I love thinking about all the intricacies of how the systems work together to make this machine fly thousands of kilometers at just over 10 km high. I always watch how the pilot tests the flaps before takeoff, listen to the sound of hydraulics as the wheels collapse into the plane. And don’t get me started on the engine sounds. The plane slowly moves until it reaches the runway. Then, for a moment, it stops. Finally, the pilot throttles the engines to max! You feel the acceleration pulling you back into the seat, hear the engines roar at full power, and the plane speeds up to over 200 km/h. Then you get that sudden feeling of being pushed down for a moment, and finally, you’re in the air! It’s a thrill every time.
The flight took roughly two hours, landing without complications or delays. Immigration was quick since no visa was required. Istanbul Airport is the 8th largest, so we had quite a bit of walking before we could exit. The airport is very modern and gave me a great first impression of the city. It’s also directly connected to the city by metro. The metro station looked super cool, equipped with LEDs—something I hadn’t seen before. But this is where we made our first mistake.
We read online that getting a transit prepaid card (Istanbul Card) was the best and cheapest way to get around. That’s true, so we headed to the nearest “blue machine” to buy one. The problem: there were two blue machines, so we just picked one. Everything looked mostly right. We selected the prepaid card, loaded some cash, and thought that was it. We even took the first metro ride without a problem—only to find out this card wasn’t the “Istanbul Card” but an airport-metro exclusive one that only worked on this line. So, we had to buy another one, the real Istanbul Card. We loaded 500 lira (about 12 EUR), and then we were good for the rest of the week.
Cats, a lot of cats
Istanbul is considered a cat capital by many. And this name is very much deserved. It is home to anywhere between a hundred thousand to a million stray cats. And I would personally say that the numbers totally align with my observations. Cats were afterall everywhere: in front of our hotel, on every street, in front of every mosque and restaurant. I probably saw at least a 100 cats. Being a cat lover, seeing so many of these cute animals made me want to pet them all. And I did pet a couple, since most of the cats were very friendly and looked healthy. Though I did have a little incident where a playful cat scratched me because it thought I had some food in my bag and was not willing to give it to her. Non the less, I took a lot of pictures of the cats across the whole city and it this is something I will remember the city by!
We slept in a favela…
While looking for accommodation in Istanbul, we thought prices would be similar to Romania, maybe a bit more expensive. But no—the apartments, hotels, and such on Booking and AirBNB were really pricey. The cheapest place close to the center we found was 12 EUR a night per person. Super cheap compared to everything else, which was at least three times more expensive. So we went with that apartment. It had decent reviews and looked fine in pictures. How wrong we were…
After exiting the final metro station, the mood changed instantly from the modern airport feel to a much more foreign vibe. Crowds everywhere, insane traffic, and we often had to cross the road without crosswalks. Several times, cars almost hit us. But this was just the intro to our saga. Our apartment was basically in what I’d call a favela. Streets littered, cars parked everywhere, and not a single car without damage. Honking every 5 seconds—often for no reason. We later called this “vibe honking” because it felt like people did it just for the vibe. Restaurants and small shops on every corner sold everything from carpets to clothes, food, drinks, tea, Turkish delight… you name it. Being in a favela had its perks—everything was cheap compared to most places we went to. We even had a “loyal customer” relationship with one seller next to our hotel.
The street was also full of stray cats and kids playing football—especially in the evening when the street came alive, unlike the during the day. At first, we thought nights would feel unsafe, but after the first night, we got used to it. Another funny detail: a sweatshop making fake luxury bags (at least I’m guessing, since the bags looked fancy) right next to our hotel.
Now, the hotel itself. The first hurdle: payment was cash only, and we had no cash. So we needed to find an ATM that would give us 440 EUR, but in lira. That was a challenge, but we found one not far away. Here’s the funny part: my friend inserted the card, we selected the amount, got hit with an 8 or 9% fee (which honestly felt a lot, but given the currency instability, I guess it makes sense). Then we waited and waited… After 30 seconds, the ATM was still making mechanical noises… then it opened, and out came a stack of 200 lira banknotes about 2 cm thick. I grabbed it immediately and stuffed it in my pocket. It felt like holding thousands of euros, even though it was just a couple hundred. We joked about it a lot since I’d never held so many banknotes at once. Then we headed to the apartment, paid up, and got our keys. And this is where the real fun started.
Here’s the review I left on Booking that sums up the place pretty well:
A very cheap apartment for those willing to compromise
Scored 5.0 (out of 10.0)
The location is basically a slum, but it is safe and the restaurants there are cheap – especially compared to touristic places (Taksim, Grand Bazar etc.). You have access to metro and buses 10/15min away. The staff was really nice and we were served tea and water. Just make sure to bring cash. Also, there is a very respectable shop selling everyday necessities nearby. The blankets and towels were clean.
Ok, so, the showers were broken – a glass pane was missing. The toilets are positioned in a very weird way – you barely have any space for your knees, unless you position yourself diagonally (again, uncomfortable). The water is not drinkable. The water temperature in the shower is inconsistent – it changes from hot to cold every 10 seconds. You have to wait a minute or so to have a constant temperature. The windows and emergency doors were insulated by scotch tape that was old and crumbled, making a horrible sound at night with the wind blowing in the room. Considering that windows were practically always open, and the heating didn’t work, my room was VERY cold, which resulted in a prolonged cold. One of the beds collapsed completely – one of my friends had to sleep at an incline. There was only one blanket for 2 people. We had to buy our own toilet paper (very little was provided). Also, electricity went out 4 times in a span of 30 minutes – though this only happened once.
So as you might see, there were quite a few problems. However, the cold was the worst part. It was colder inside than outside, and I ended up catching a cold. A month later, I’m still coughing a bit. But overall, it was cheap—very cheap compared to other options. I left a mixed review, but honestly, for the same money in Romania, we stayed in much better places.
Food – The good and the bad
The food in Istanbul left me with mixed feelings. There were plenty of dishes I tried and loved, but also many that left me unimpressed. Only one dish made me wish there was more of it. Most of the time, food was expensive, and the only place we ate cheap without paying a tourist premium was in our little favela. The expensive dishes were almost always 10 EUR or more and left me hungry, while the cheap ones were usually under 7 EUR and barely enough to fill me up.
My favorite dish was probably shawarma. At a local restaurant, we got a shawarma plate for just 7 EUR, and there was so much food I couldn’t finish it all. The taste was amazing, especially with the yogurt and ketchup sauce combo. I also tried all sorts of dishes—kebabs, wraps, pies, Anatolian eggs, etc. I liked most of it, but honestly, it was mostly fast food. If I had eaten that every day, I’d probably have gained a few kilos fast. One nice thing was that tea, condiments, and desserts often came with the main dish. Not free though—they almost always charged a service fee.
I tried seafood once and was really disappointed. The dish was expensive (18 EUR per person, no extras ordered), but the fish batter was soggy and mushy, and the condiments had a weird taste. The dessert was too strong, too. Definitely not worth it.
When it comes to tea, ordering anything other than Turkish tea or coffee was usually a disaster. I once ordered matcha tea and got something fruity and sweet—which matcha definitely is not. Another time I got matcha boba tea, which was full of lumps and tasted awful. After that, I gave up and stuck with Turkish tea or coffee, which were always good.
One interesting find was during our first meal at a local kebab place. I saw a drink called şalgam (pronounced something like “shalgam”) and decided to try it. The waiter was surprised and asked if I liked it. I told him I never tried it before, and he warned me it’s spicy water. I thought, okay, just a fizzy spicy drink. Nope. It was literally spicy water tasting like super spicy ketchup diluted with water. Apparently, it’s made from fermented carrots. I didn’t like it after three sips and thought it might be better poured over food for some spice. But honestly, I didn’t finish it—the taste was just too foreign for me.
Now, for the praise: desserts were excellent. I especially loved Turkish delight, followed closely by lokum. We often came across baklava and fancy cakes, too. I tried them all, and cinnamon Turkish delight was by far my favorite.
Beware of scams and touts
This was, hands down, the biggest downside of Istanbul. It was the first city where I got scammed because I wasn’t paying enough attention. Warning to anyone traveling there: avoid buying anything at the Grand Bazaar or similar spots—or at least Google prices before you go. Haggle hard and don’t give up. Even better, buy from local shops instead. We ended up buying almost everything near our hotel.
Prices at the bazaar are 5 to 8 times higher than pretty much anywhere else in the city. Eight times. That’s insane. It feels criminal, and I can’t believe these stores are allowed to operate. Sure, there’s tourist police, but it seems like the city profits from letting tourists get fleeced. I’ve never seen such a brutal tourist tax or scam. A 10%, 20%, or even 100% markup is one thing. But eight times? For the same stuff—or worse quality? It left a nasty taste in my mouth.
Here’s how I lost money: I wanted to buy some tea. The prices looked okay at first glance, so I picked some up. The price tag looked like 4000 per kg, which would mean 20 EUR for 200g (there was no smaller packaging, now I know why). Paying by card, I didn’t see the final price. Later, my bank notification hit me with 72 EUR. I told the seller the price was wrong, but he just smiled and pointed back at the tag—turns out it said 14,000, not 4000.
Maybe I misread it, maybe it wasn’t clear. That’s on me. But the seller never once mentioned the real price or showed me the total. Instead, he kept offering free tea and acting all friendly, lulling me into a false sense of security. Felt pretty scummy. Still, I didn’t let it ruin my trip. The rest was amazing.
What annoyed me next were the relentless touts. Walking through tourist alleys, every restaurant tried to pull us in. “Free dessert! Free drink! First customer discount! Amazing view!” And when you say no, they just won’t stop: “The food is great, you must eat here, discount for you!” Dude, chill. If I’m hungry, I’ll look at the menu myself. It’s right there outside your resturant.
There was one restaurant where we got trapped for five minutes, and the guy wouldn’t let us go until we promised to come back. And every time we passed later, he kept bugging us. Like his life depended on it. The first few times it was funny hearing their one phrase: “Hey brother, come, free dessert, free drink.” After ten times, you’re done.
I experienced every possible health problem
This trip was, in regards to my health, one of the worst trips so far. First of all, my room was very cold. I think one night there were 10 degrees in my room. Combined with a sore throat, I soon had a nasty cold on my hands—coughing, headaches, sore throat… A cold that I am still recovering from. Secondly, the food there gave me both problems on my lips as well as digestive issues. I think one day, I visited the toilet at least 6 times in the span of 2 hours. Thirdly, I hit my leg against a barely visible metal rod in the ground. It left me with a third knee (the bump/bruise below my knee was literally that big), and a week later, my whole left leg from the knee to my foot was completely blue—the entirety of it. This was definitely a record-sized bruise. Fourth, a cat scratched me and I was quite worried about getting rabies until I googled the fact that Istanbul has been rabies-free for over 10 years, and that rabies itself is very rarely transmitted by cats anyway (especially if you’re just scratched). Fifth, my right foot hurt throughout the whole week, most likely because I stepped weirdly on one of the corner stones. Add to all of this the fact that the weather was very cold, my room was very cold, and you can start to see that physically, I was not having the best time.
Cool sights and places
The city had many stunning sights! One of the most remarkable structures were definitely the mosques—Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Galata Tower, the airport, Los Polos Hermanos, and so much more.
I have already described my experience with the airport in the previous paragraphs. So let’s jump straight to probably the most famous mosques in Istanbul: Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Both of them boast a rich history, with Hagia Sophia originally built in AD 537 as a cathedral during the Byzantine Empire, later converted into a mosque, then a museum, and once again into a mosque. The Blue Mosque, officially known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, was built between 1609 and 1617 and is known for its stunning blue tiles and grand architecture. The two mosques stand across from each other, and there’s a good reason behind that—the Blue Mosque was partially built to rival the Hagia Sophia. Sultan Ahmed I wanted to show the world the strength of the Ottoman Empire, especially during a time when things weren’t exactly going smoothly—military losses, internal issues, etc.
Another cool place was the Grand Bazaar (but make sure not to get scammed, like I did). The bazaar is huge. If you look at it from Google Maps, it looks almost like a massive square covered in roof tiles, like some kind of fortress. Inside though, there are probably hundreds—maybe even thousands—of shops packed into tight, winding alleyways. They sell sweets, rugs, clothes, jewelry, ceramics, lamps, fake designer bags, spices, and a bunch of other stuff you’d expect to find at a bazaar. But this bazaar is, in all honesty, mainly a tourist attraction these days. Prices are really high, and it’s mostly tourists visiting the stores, cameras around their necks and shopping bags in hand. That said, it’s still absolutely worth checking out. Even if you’re not planning on buying anything, the atmosphere is wild—like controlled chaos with colorful madness at every turn. Do step inside some of the stores! A lot of the sellers will smile, welcome you in, and offer you some tea and sweets to try, usually while casually starting their sales pitch. It’s part of the whole experience. Some of them are really good at it too—you might find yourself suddenly considering a silk scarf or a hand-painted plate you didn’t even know you wanted. But don’t feel pressured to buy anything. Seriously. Nobody will run after you or guilt-trip you if you just say thanks and walk out. Just enjoy wandering through, people-watching, checking out the crazy variety of stuff, and soaking up the vibe. It’s one of those places that’s fun even if you don’t spend a single lira.
Some photos from the Grand Bazaar:
Çamlica Tower was another cool place, but a bit more modern. It’s one of the highest buildings in Istanbul, and given that it’s on top of a hill, it probably offers the best views of the city from afar. I love ascending skyscrapers in all the cities that I visit, and such was the plan this time as well. We checked the prices online, and 8€ seemed like a fair entry fee. Unfortunately, upon arrival, we were told that the fee was way higher—over 25€. And that was a bit too much for us, given that the views were already amazing from the top of the hill. So we visited a nearby café, ordered some really cheap tea and desserts, and enjoyed the view of the city. It was quite windy, but the delicious little cake I ordered made up for the unfavorable weather. The path down the hill through the park was very nice—green as it gets and full of animals. We saw multiple parrots, cats, and even a dog that accompanied us the entire way through the park.
The Asian part of Istanbul, where Çamlica Tower is located, is also home to many shopping centers, one of which we visited ourselves. It was huge, with multiple stories, and we spent an entire day there. The shopping center felt like a neighborhood of its own, surrounded by tall buildings full of living spaces. It honestly felt like we’d entered a completely different city! Inside, there was also an aquarium and a special section built like a small, colorful Italian village. It was honestly quite cool.
Some great views from top of the hill:
And probably my favorite adventure was the boat ride through the Bosporus. We decided to sail from Eminönü to Rumeli Kavağı, a coastal village pretty close to the Black Sea. The boat ride took about 1h 30min, which was just the right amount of time to observe all the bridges and various historical buildings along the coast. But the farther we got, the more those buildings were replaced with nature and small villages. It was quite windy outside (indeed, the weather wasn’t the best throughout the entire week), but I still stepped outside to enjoy the fresh air and snap some pictures. The ferry was full of people since it’s actually part of the public transport infrastructure. I honestly don’t know many cities where boats are used like this, so I found it super interesting! The ride was also very cheap, costing us only a bit more than 2€, or double the fare of taking a train. As such, the ferry was packed with other passengers. However, by the time we reached the final port, it was almost empty. Only a few passengers besides us were left.
We disembarked and walked into a small fishing village that felt almost like we were in Greece. Restaurants everywhere, blue-colored ornaments, cats, a friendly dog, and of course, restaurant owners inviting us in at every step. I told one of them that his prices were too high, and he seemed almost offended! Turns out this was yet another touristy spot. And yet, we were hungry, so we stepped into one of the restaurants that had decent reviews on Google Maps. Though, in all honesty, Google Maps in Turkey seems to be riddled with hundreds of fake reviews. You’re probably better off going to a place with a slightly lower score…
And the food there was… quite disappointing! The only good things were the “free” condiments. And I put “free” in quotes, because there was a service fee. The fish, which cost just as much as it would in Slovenia, wasn’t prepared well. The meat tasted okay, but it wasn’t crunchy at all—the batter was soggy and mushy. I could’ve prepared it better at home…
Nonetheless, we had quite a lot of fun watching and playing with a seagull on the other side of the glass pane. He was trying to reach for the fish on our plates, but of course, he couldn’t. And let me tell you, he was persistent. His stubbornness actually paid off too—after we finished our meal, the owner gave him the leftovers.
After lunch, we explored the village a bit, visited a grocery store, and came across a military facility full of soldiers marching across the training grounds. The ride back to Eminönü was even nicer though. As we approached the city, the sun was setting, and we got to witness a beautiful reddish sky marking the end of the day.
Public transport
Public transport in Istanbul is actually quite good. We got pretty much everywhere using it, but there are some caveats. A couple of times we thought we could pay with the Istanbul Card, but the bus only accepted cash. Some of the buses also never arrived, or arrived at completely different times than scheduled. The metro isn’t as extensive either, especially compared to other cities I’ve been to (Tokyo, Vienna, Paris, London, etc.). But that’s nothing unexpected, since the Istanbul metro is still quite new. Nonetheless, I’d say public transport is a viable way to get around Istanbul, and it works very well with Google Maps.
Conclusion
To conclude, I think Istanbul offers a lot of places to explore, especially if you’re into history. There are a lot of beautiful spots, but I’d recommend spending only 3 or 4 days in the city. Use the rest of your time to go on a boat ride along the Bosporus Strait or visit the nearby Princes’ Islands. Better yet, head to one of the not-so-far cities reachable by high-speed rail—something I definitely want to try on my next trip to Turkey, if it ever happens.
And secondly, don’t assume Istanbul is cheap. It probably was a few years ago, but with how touristic the city has become, expect prices to be quite high in most areas. If you want more reasonable prices, eat in the less touristy parts of Istanbul. For us, the only cheap place was that favela where we stayed. Everywhere else, it was expensive, and the portions were on the smaller side (just enough for me, but some might leave still hungry).
