Going to Turkey for a holiday ... and ...

[Ali_Baba]

So - yes - not Pakistani tourism - but Turkish - just need a few friendly pointers.

I am going to Istanbul - Turkey for a week in May 2022 with family. Anyone local there, on this site?

Any recommendations on do' and do not's in Istanbul ?

Travelling around Istanbul - any recommendations ? Is Uber (or equivalent - any good ? ) - Will the subway get you to most places?

Hotels - something very clean / safe / accessible / not a rip off and also not a Rat trap - but also not five star ? Any recommendations. We will be just sleeping there -

Parents want to go through the Islamic history of Istanbul etc ...

 

[Hakikat ve Hikmet]

The things not to do in Istanbul:

• Don't get distracted by overly friendly random folks. Unfortunately, there are thugs from beyond the borders.
• Don't venture into night clubs, bars etc. for you might end up being screwed by the Russian Mafia.
• Don't exchange money from the random hawkers at the street even if they promise a better rate.
• Otherwise, you should be fine.

 

[Foinikas]

The things not to do in Istanbul:

• Don't get distracted by overly friendly random folks. Unfortunately, there are thugs from beyond the borders.
• Don't venture into night clubs, bars etc. for you might end up being screwed by the Russian Mafia.
• Don't exchange money from the random hawkers at the street even if they promise a better rate.
• Otherwise, you should be fine.

I can confirm all those from a friend who went there in 2003. I was thinking of going with him,but didn't. The two first are very true unfortunately. The third I've seen videos of gypsies doing it in Prague I think.

 

[Whirling_dervesh]

Parents want to go through the Islamic history of Istanbul etc ...


topkapi palace a must...remnants and articles from prophets as and sahaba ikram for your parents
tomb of sahabi ayyub ansari
hagia sophia
Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet Mosque
during adhaan times its memorable as the the mueddins from both masjids read adhaan in tandem

these are a must

i stayed in taksim square, decent and affordable

don't trust people blindly...it is an ancient metropolis and has all kinds of people, no different to any other huge city

 

[dBSPL]

So - yes - not Pakistani tourism - but Turkish - just need a few friendly pointers.

I am going to Istanbul - Turkey for a week in May 2022 with family. Anyone local there, on this site?

Any recommendations on do' and do not's in Istanbul ?

Travelling around Istanbul - any recommendations ? Is Uber (or equivalent - any good ? ) - Will the subway get you to most places?

Hotels - something very clean / safe / accessible / not a rip off and also not a Rat trap - but also not five star ? Any recommendations. We will be just sleeping there -

Parents want to go through the Islamic history of Istanbul etc ...

Welcome in advance. I guarantee it will be a nice experience with many unforgettable memories. Some things you will like, some things will bother you; just remember that you will have visit in a metropol of 15 million people. The meeting point of the Asian and European continents, Istanbul is built on seven hills within the borders of Turkiye's Marmara Region. Istanbul also has the strait connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. So we have a saying: Istanbul is cauldron, and you are scoop!

Let me start with the most important thing first: If you are going to visit the historical peninsula, you really need a good planning. Most tourists see only 10% of what can be seen. Do some preliminary work on this and check out some guide videos from youtube. One day will definitely not be enough. Most people, go from one world-famous point to another, but unknowingly miss out on incredible things between those two points.

For taxi issues, the most successful application(IMO not always but mostly) in Istanbul is the biTaksi app. Just like uber, you mark your destination, the amount you will pay is determined accordingly, and you can pay in cash or digitally. In the same application, you can call a classic type taxi or a blue taxi that offers a slightly more comfortable service. If the taxi driver bothers you, just give 1-star and complain. Unfortunately, even if there is a small possibility, there is a danger of taxi drivers prone to ripping tourists off in traffic. In other words, you have to be a little careful in taxis you take from the street. If you are not going to use the application, call a taxi from the taxi stands. With this, for example, if you forget an item in the vehicle, you can easily get it back. The plate and the name of the taxi spot must be written on the car side doors, so you can take a quick photo before you get in. Taxis are cheaper than European and American standards. Some taxi drivers can speak a little English. Do not take a taxi for short distances because some taxi drivers get angry about it. Do not confuse 50 lira with 5 lira when giving money to taxi drivers.

subway and other public transport: You can reach all of the historical and touristic points in the center of Istanbul by metro, tram, turyol boats(strait tour is a must for tourists) and ferry(Vapur). Maybe you walk a little but learning the city always best. And you could get very nice photos. You can ask the reception at the hotel you are staying to help you with Istanbulkart (common transportation card); or you can check out 'how to get Istanbulkart' videos on youtube. And don't forget to get a HES code for on your transport card. You can top up your card from the vending machines at the stations or from all the buffets around the stops. You can even do it with the help of the app.

As in most European countries, be careful with your wallets in Istanbul, especially in crowded places, pickpockets can steal your wallet. It is useful to be careful in places such as Taksim Square, Sultanahmet, Istiklal Street, Kadıköy square.

Respect the Turkish flag, do not sit on it, and do not wear it as a dress or uniform. The flag is very important and respected in Turkiye. There are three big football teams in Istanbul, be careful to not dress in their colors so much that you look like a fan of these teams.. Black-white(Beşiktaş), yellow-dark blue(Fenerbahçe), yellow-red colors(Galatasaray) are the colors of these clubs.

Beware of scammers, if you feel that you scammed, do not hesitate to contact the police because they will help you. You can often see a police spot in tourist busy places.

When you wander around the Sultan Ahmet mosque, do not give credit to people who want to approach you with a smile and which asking of to be your guide. They wanna guide you and ask you 100/200 TL in return for it. Every place in Sultanahmet is free and you can visit it yourself.

The clubs in Aksaray and Beyazıt can bring you high bills, it's best you stay away from places like this. Both region' clubs not a places to visit as a family anyway. Most clubs in there milking Arabs and Iranians like cows. Stay away from people who seem friendly and want to take you to the bar.

Avoid non-touristy bars and clubs. Be sure to ask for prices before ordering. Always carry little money with you. There are many plainclothes police in Taksim and other crowded places. If you realize that you have scammed, shout as 'police', there will be plainclothes police with you immediatly.

Do not drink water from the taps. Prefer to drink bottled water. Food and beverages are at international standards. Istanbul is very rich gastronomically. At some points, you can find unique flavors which cannot taste in other part of the world. Spices are often, -i mean as much as Pakistani foods- used in Turkish foods.

Istanbul is generally a good place to visit and walk around. When visiting mosques in Istanbul, be mindful of your dress, womans should wear a long skirt and cover head when entering. Other than that, if you want to walk at Istiklal Street with underwear, nobody cares.

 

[EAGLE777]

When i go there i just go to eat the real deal food the best food in the world is in Istanb. Go to these restaurants

 

[dBSPL]

The things not to do in Istanbul:

• Don't get distracted by overly friendly random folks. Unfortunately, there are thugs from beyond the borders.
• Don't venture into night clubs, bars etc. for you might end up being screwed by the Russian Mafia.
• Don't exchange money from the random hawkers at the street even if they promise a better rate.
• Otherwise, you should be fine.

These sound like the adventures of someone trying to find a chick to f*ck; but get f*cked at the end of day. What you call the Russian mafia, these bar bouncers' 90% of them are related on a domestic and national mafia boss. Although he is currently on the run... Some clubs, frankly low-profile nightclubs with a squalid atmosphere, exist with the sole purpose of ripping off these type tourists.

 

[Ali_Baba]

Thankyou all for the advice - we are quite excited to go there!

 

[AsifIjaz]

So - yes - not Pakistani tourism - but Turkish - just need a few friendly pointers.

I am going to Istanbul - Turkey for a week in May 2022 with family. Anyone local there, on this site?

Any recommendations on do' and do not's in Istanbul ?

Travelling around Istanbul - any recommendations ? Is Uber (or equivalent - any good ? ) - Will the subway get you to most places?

Hotels - something very clean / safe / accessible / not a rip off and also not a Rat trap - but also not five star ? Any recommendations. We will be just sleeping there -

Parents want to go through the Islamic history of Istanbul etc ...

Last year in august I was in Turkey for 16 days out of which 5 were spent in Istanbul. So if you are not willing to travel outside Istanbul then the following is what i recommend or something you should know
1-
Istanbul is not a city like lahore or karachi.. its quite hilly place like Islamabad but way worse in terms of slopes and steepness. 100 meters on the map will be a pain, if not torture because it will be at 15 to 25 % inclination. Kalaija bahir aa jata hai bhai. Take joggers and comfortable shoes. If you are traveling with family who are at extremes of age then make sure you plan accordingly. If you have been to Murree then some places are like the steep roads of Nathia Gali (above the main Bazar) or the side roads of pindi/kashmir point.
2-
Traveling inside istanbul:
I booked myself a crossover via Alamo. In case you do the same, please note that DO NOT book car insurance online. The car companies collaborate with each other and in my case the car CHR was owned by Orbitz and they refused to accept car insurance by alamo meaning if god forbid I ended up in an accident I had to pay before leaving and then would be reimbursed, which never happens. I ended up buying second insurance. Having said that driving in Istanbul, especially around tourist attraction places or places of interest is like driving in Mozang, ichra for Lahore or Lalu khait for Karachi. I am not exaggerating here. Even if you manage to drive slowly, even then parking is a hassle, the narrow streets are like a maze, and getting back to your car is a nightmare as one street will always be steep. I had to return my car on the 3rd day in Istanbul while it was booked for further 3 more days. I didn't use the local transport, too congested and you have to walk a bit which was not due to the inclined streets and due to kids.
3-
Stay: The majority of people stay around Taksim square or near Sultan Ahmed. Sultan Ahmed is the area near the blue mosque. I stayed at Sultan Ahmed but traveled a lot and I would never recommend staying near Taksim square for many reasons including ease of access, availability of taxis, dozens and dozens of drunk people at Taksim square makes it a bit uncomfortable. Problem is that staying near sultan Ahmed also has its ups and downs as just like Taksim square, Taxis are reluctant to go there as well but you have the 2 mosques, topkapi palace, eminonu, grand bazar, pier nearby. In Istanbul, the taxis will not charge you by meter and you will need to bargain. e.g. I went to Taksim from near Blue mosque for 30 Lira and came back for 65 or 70. Uber is useless there, doesn't work and their local app B-taksi is worthless too. So its either taxi via the hotel or the old school wave and stop style.
4-
Hotel booking: If you want to book online, then book from outside Turkey or otherwise use VPN while inside Turkey. During my stay I found Park Dedamon to be a good chain. Overall any hotel on hotel.com is good enough provided its rating is above 7.7/7.8. Do check the number of reviews as they should be a few hundred at the least.
5-
Istanbul.
a- Start the journey by blue mosque (unfortunately you can't see the roof, so just see exterior and tick the box), Haga Sophia, Topkapi Palace. Go by the same order. they are within 1 km area and on relatively flat ground. After Haga sophia, walk back to the courtyard, fountains in front of the entrance for haga sophia, while facing the Haga Sophia with your back towards Blue mosque, walk on your right side. At the end, there is a small booth for tickets. Do not stand there. That's a ticket booth for many places/museums including Topkapi palace. Many people waste half an hr in the queue there (including yours truly). Topkapi palace is on the left of that ticket office. so in short, while facing haga Sophia entrance, go right and then turn left at the end. Topkapi palace has tickets based upon 3areas of interest. Irani hamam is a wastage of time and money as the main thing (relics of prophets and sahaba) is the main attraction.
b- Other than that if you are going with kids then go to isfanbul, a theme park. Do try the dolphen ride for kids. Its a bit expensive but worth the money.
c- Grand bazar is another tick box, overly priced and too congested a place.
d- Shopping can be done at Eminonu bazar/market or from cevahir mall (pronounced as jawahir mall).
d- Taksim square is another tick box and from there walk on a street (1km) and it will take you to galata tower. If you want you can go to the top of the tower as well.
e- Hazart Abu Ayub Ansari mouselum is another place you should visit and is not merely a tick box.
f- Bosphorous cruise and princes island cruise leave from eminonu peir. If you want you can book via an agent from your hotel or simply walk there and book a ticket on the ship. Evening Bosphorous cruise has dinner served with belly dance so you might be in for a shock if you are travelling with kids or parents. At princes island, there is no need to go to all islands as the main and the biggest island is enough. Rest are all same. If you want you can hire a cycle there which can be ridden but mind you at places the inclination is 25 degrees. You must try the ice cream from the island. Everyone will direct you towards the multi-scoops (giant) cones but I think you should try younus ice cream stand (rehri) next to the Anadolu club. Home-made, fresh ice cream from seasonal fruits. It is nothing that I have ever tried anywhere. To this day, my family just relishes the experience. If I ever go to princes island again then this ice cream will definitely be one of the reasons.
g- Faruk Yelcin Zoo. Its far away from the city and will cost you a bit to go, but it was an amazing experience for my kids. I recommend you visit that place.
6-
Travel back- Leave hotel 4.5 to 5 hrs before your flight. From my hotel near sultan ahmed it took me almost 3 hrs to reach the new airport. Told you Lalu khait/sanda traffic.
7-
If you can, take a flight to Antalya. Take one of the budget airlines (Anadolu or pegassus). 1 hr flight and Antalya is the place you should go. There, if nothing else then, Land of the legends or the old city is worth the trip. other attractions include the aksu dolphinarium and the aquarium, the waterfalls etc
8-
If not Antalya then take a trip to Bursa. it's not far from Istanbul and you can go by car, bus, taxi, ship. There you can go to Koza than (old bazar), if you into Urtu gul ghazi drama then soghut is 1.5 to 2 hrs drive away from there, you can also go to the mountains via chair lift where tons of snow wud be at this time of the year or you can go to ulubat lake. I didn't try the iznak lake which was also nearby.
9-
General tips:
Food and drink: carry water with you at all times. buy groceries or snacks from BIM, Migros or SOK, they are like 711, everywhere. I personally loved the karadeniz doner, tarihi kurkcu han (in eminonu), the baked potatoes filled snack (forgot the name), and turkish kebabs. and yes, how can I forget, yunus ice cream at princess island, a must have.
Wear sneakers (Joggers) or comfortable shoes. take warm clothes, it will be cold. Very few people speak English. Download Google translate and Turkish and English/urdu translation package. Taxi drivers and shopkeepers will loot you (i say 6/7 out of 10) unless you know where you are going, so always start google maps when you go somewhere or use them. Shopping is better from cevahir mall unless offcourse u need traditional abays and scarfs. do not buy a sim from the airport. Near your hotel (whichever you choose) take the Turkcell sim for foreigners. Gives you like 6 or 8 gb data with a good no of minutes and excellent coverage. if you plan to shop then go light, trust me i can not emphasize it more.

Have a nice trip. feel free to revert with any queries.

 

[Samurai_assassin]

Watch out for this scammer.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Parents want to go through the Islamic history of Istanbul etc ...

History yes, plenty of history with stress. Other than that be prepared for citadel of secularism with Ataturk as the 'god' [or the red flag of the republic] of Turkish state staring at you at every major site.

Istanbul is la-din on steroids that makes London look prudish. Do not be critical of Ataturk or the secular republic or else get ready to be whipped ...... !

 

[Indus Pakistan]

These sound like the adventures of someone trying to find a chick to f*ck; but get f*cked at the end of day.

Hahaha ....

 

[dBSPL]

the baked potatoes filled snack (forgot the name)

Kumpir. A traditional street food for those visiting Ortaköy.

There are different street food cultures that are identified with many districts of Istanbul. For example, Kanlıca means sugar yoghurt. Pierre Loti Hill means black tea and linden tea.

 

[peagle]

So - yes - not Pakistani tourism - but Turkish - just need a few friendly pointers.

I am going to Istanbul - Turkey for a week in May 2022 with family. Anyone local there, on this site?

Any recommendations on do' and do not's in Istanbul ?

Travelling around Istanbul - any recommendations ? Is Uber (or equivalent - any good ? ) - Will the subway get you to most places?

Hotels - something very clean / safe / accessible / not a rip off and also not a Rat trap - but also not five star ? Any recommendations. We will be just sleeping there -

Parents want to go through the Islamic history of Istanbul etc ...

I've done a bit of travelling, but unfortunately I'm yet to visit Turkiye, baring that, almost everyone I know has, parents including most of family and friends. I have heard mostly positives.
Apparently Turkiye is one of the few places where being a Pakistani gets you extra points, so it might be helpful to mention it, if an opportunity arises.

The positive stories I have heard include,
A friend studied engineering in the 90's, he loved it and felt he got lot of free passes when people realised he was Pakistani, including an occasion when someone gave up their space in a crowded bus.

Another friend ended up staying at a local mayor's house, primarily because Pakistan came in to the discussion.

Another friend who received few discounts whilst purchasing items, again after they realised he was Pakistani.

I honestly do not know how common such things are, but from the feedback here so far, it seems my examples might just have been odd occurrences.

 

[AsifIjaz]

Kumpir. A traditional street food for those visiting Ortaköy.

There are different street food cultures that are identified with many districts of Istanbul. For example, Kanlıca means sugar yoghurt. Pierre Loti Hill means black tea and linden tea.

Yes, Kumpir... I liked the Kumpir but the sweet yogurt, was just ok for me.