How does traveling from Europe to Asia on a daily basis sound to you? Well that is what we experienced in Istanbul (Constantinople as it was previously named by the roman emperor Constantine the Great). The city is so large that it extends into two continents and we loved going from one side to the other by ferry through the Bosphorus strait . During our stay from July 25 to August 10 we had an incredible time indulging ourselves in this magical place where Europe meets Asia.
Before traveling to Istanbul we did not realize how much we were about to learn. Now that we think of Istanbul, names such as Alexander the Great, Constantine the Great, Ottoman Turks, Sultan Mehmet II, Suleiman the Magnificent, and Ataturk come to mind. Through the rise and fall of many famous empires such as The Roman Empire and The Ottoman Empire, Istanbul has evolved to what is now a rising power in the world and as an important capital of culture.
The major religion in Istanbul is Islam. Islam is the second largest religion in the world and teaches its followers (Muslims) that there is only one God (Allah) and that Muhammed is the messenger of God. As you travel being aware of traditions and religion of the places you visit is very important as you want to show respect for different customs and beliefs. In Istanbul or I should say Turkey in general, there is a call to prayer everyday five times per day. Speakers are installed at every Mosque in the city to remind Muslims that it is time to pray. You can hear the Arabic song of praise, called the adhan, all over the city. To hear what it sounds like go to our Istanbul highlights on Instagram @everywhereabroad, we loved it every time during our stay in Turkey.
Did we feel safe in Istanbul? This is one of the parts of traveling that amazes us every time we visit a country that has been said to be dangerous and that some have even advised not traveling to. This is because for the most part we always find the opposite of what everyone imagines. This is why we say you don’t know until you actually go there and experience it for yourself. We did not feel unsafe, scared, frighten, or suspicious of anything at any point during our time in Istanbul. Not at night, not early morning, to be honest I don’t think it even crossed our minds after arriving there and seeing how the city works. Although we did not experience anything negative, we do advise like in any other country to watch your belongings specially in crowded areas.
In terms of dress code, Turkey is a conservative country. Istanbul, however, is a cosmopolitan city and conservative dress code is not followed at all times and is not frowned upon unless you are visiting a Mosque. It is required to wear shirts that cover your shoulders and skirts or shorts below the knees when entering a Mosque for women and men. Women must cover their head before entering as well. A robe or shawl will be provided for free if your clothing is inappropriate at the entrance of every Mosque. In other parts of Turkey the conservative dress code will more than likely apply so plan accordingly. When walking around Istanbul you will see women wearing conservative modest clothes as in the tesettür which is a headscarf (hijab) and long dress/topcoat covering arms and legs completely. You will also see Muslim women or women from other countries that are a bit more strict and will wear a burka or a niqab which cover the entire body and face. Everyday Ingrid wore her summer dresses and short shorts and was just fine, Santiago had no issues at all with clothing, he fit in so well that he even got confused for being Turkish!
Transportation in Istanbul is affordable and very good! You can move around by taxi, bus, tram, ferry, metro, train, and funicular. There are plenty of options to move around, you just have to choose wisely what to use and when. For example, taking a taxi might not be the best idea because traffic can be very bad and sometimes streets are blocked or closed and taxi drivers have to go around to find alternative ways, taxis may also cost more. From the airport we took a nice bus with air conditioner and wifi to reach Kadikoy which cost us $4usd each. The bus line is #7 and takes an hour, this is very convenient and there’s one leaving the airport and the Kadikoy port every 30 minutes from 5am until midnight. Find out your route and you will discover this is a very convenient inexpensive way for airport transportation. We stayed in Kadikoy (Moda) which is on the Asian side of the city, we enjoyed taking the ferry back and forth and it was only 15 minutes to the old town where all the Mosques are and cost $ .50 usd cents. We enjoyed it so much that we would time our ferry back to Kadikoy with the sunset in order to watch it on the way back. From Kadikoy there are ferry stops along the Bosphorus to reach any of the neighborhoods on the European side. Şehir Hatlari is the main ferryboat company of Istanbul. We also did a lot of walking as always, sometimes used the tram, hardly used a taxi (I think one time after partying), and that was about all. We did not have the need to use the metro or the buses in the city. We highly recommend getting an Istanbul Kart (Istanbul Card), unless you will be using taxis all the time. Istanbul Kart is a prepaid and rechargeable card for public transportation, it makes paying easier and gives you about a 40% discount on fares. To obtain one just go to any major public transportation station, there is a small fee for the card of about 10 lira ( $2 usd ) which is totally worth it and can be used by multiple riders so no need to get multiple cards.
What to eat in Istanbul? Well you can find just about anything you like except limes, they are very hard to find! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and they take it very seriously. A Turkish breakfast will include all of the following: cucumber, butter, honey, olives, tomatoes, cheeses, bread, pita, eggs, sucuk, ham, Turkish sausage, french toast, soups, and all kinds of jams. In Istanbul you have to try a lot of the food to find your favorites, there are so many options that I can go on and on.
Some of our favorite foods to eat/drink in Istanbul were:
- Gözleme: Turkish pancake, loved it!!
- Turkish breakfast mentioned above
- Kebaps: delicious mainly the chicken kebaps
- Balik Ekmek: grilled fish sandwich
- Manti: Turkish ravioli
- Meze: different appetizers or salads
- Mussels: stuffed or deep fried
- Künefe: shredded wheat and cheese, amazing! (dessert)
- Dondurma: Turkish ice cream, chewy, good
- Backlava: thin layers of dough stacked on top of each other, coated in sugar syrup, many varieties (dessert)
- Turkish delight: Turkish candy, many varieties, found in all the markets
- Çay: Turkish tea, tea in Turkey is like coffee, we drank tea about three times per day, it is very good and it will be offered to you everywhere!
- Ayran: yogurt drink that you will see almost every Turk drink at any time during there day. This one is tough because the first time we tried it, we did not like it, we gave it another try and Santiago liked it more this time, Ingrid sipped on it and agreed it tasted a little better.
- Turkish coffee: made of very finely ground coffee beans, so strong that they give you a cup of water for after. Delicious. Oh and don’t drink all the way to the bottom as you’ll taste some of the settled grounds, which is not good.
- Beer: a beer will cost you around 14-18 lira ($3usd) at pubs and 22 lira ($4usd and up) at clubs.
Kebap 
Künefe 
Turkish Breakfast 
Lady making Gözleme 
Rice Pilav 
Turkish eggs with sausage 
Turkish tea 
Turkish coffee
We were in Istanbul for 2 weeks and it still felt like there was so much more to discover. Some of our favorite things to do included visiting the Mosques and museums such as the Hagia Sophia (AyaSofya) which is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Once a church and a mosque now it is a museum. The general entrance fee is 70 lira ($12usd).
Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii), it is still a functioning mosque and entrance for tourist is not allowed when it is in service. If you hear the call to prayer (5 times per day) you know to wait 30 minutes before it opens to the public. There is no fee to enter the mosque. There are also many rooftop bars near this area to visit after or before visiting the mosque.
Suleymaniye Mosque, beautiful functioning Ottoman mosque. You’ll see it from the ferry if you’re coming from Kadikoy to Eminonu. Free to enter.
We also visited the Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) for amazing city views. The line here will be long but don’t get discouraged it moves pretty quick and the entrance fee is 35 liras ($6usd). Worth it? yes, but we still loved the views from the rooftops near Suleymaniye Mosque way more.
Grand Bazaar, one of the biggest and oldest shopping markets you will visit! There are more than 5,000 shops here, you’ll want to bring many items home with you from this bazaar just remember to use your negotiating skills to get a good bargain!
Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarnici), designed to service the Great Palace and many of the nearby buildings the cistern was able to hold 80,000 cubic meters of water. This is is a quick trip and should not take too much of your time. The entrance fee 20 lira ($4usd).
Medusa pillar inside the cistern 
We also enjoyed Istiklal Avenue, Taksim Square, the neighborhoods of Ortakoy, Bebek, and Besiktas. Remember to cruise the Bosphorus, try playing backgammon, smoke a hookah (shisha), have a Turkish bath, watch the sunset, and have lunch or a drink at one of the many rooftops.
For more information and tips on Istanbul please email us at everywhereabroad@gmail.com or contact us on Facebook or Instagram!