Has anyone been to Turkey, specifically Istanbul if possible but general info on Turkey is welcome as well.
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Has anyone been to Turkey, specifically Istanbul if possible but general info on Turkey is welcome as well.
I was there in the summer, Istanbul, Trabzon and Cappadocia, is there anything specific you want to know? It's a nice place and there is lots to see and do there. It can be cold this time of year and snow is possible in the middle of winter, it's actually very picturesque. If you want you can see almost all of the main sights on the European side in a solid day + evening. If you start off in Besiktas, head to Taxim, go down the main street, Istiklal, to the Galata tower, up that, cross the bridge of the Golden Horn (smaller waterway) and then go to Haiga Sofia, Blue Mosque, Suliman Mosque and Grand Baazar. Getting the ferry to the Asian side is nice when the sun sets, also stuff like clothes and food is cheaper there. Good food to get is a Lahmachun (like a very thin pizza) which should be cheap. I'd avoid the BBQ fish sandwiches that are being sold by fishermen as the fish are not cleaned too well.
You need to be a bit careful there, there are a few scams which might happen on the main walking street Istiklal or by the Galata Bridge. Sometimes shoe polishers "drop" their brush with the intent of you picking it up and then them offering you a free polish, but then them demanding a fee for it. Similarly a full wallet is dropped by someone right in front of you with the intention of you picking it up, handing it back to them and then them claiming you took some money. People also ask to go for a drink with you to practice their English or some other reason and often take you to an expensive dodgy bar where you have to pay €50 per drink and the heavy mob are present to "persuade" you to do this, there are even reports of people being drugged and then robbed in these bars, but I never saw that. All of this stuff only really happens in Istanbul, in the other parts of Turkey you should be 100% safe and people are really helpful if you're lost or have missed the last bus etc etc... Turkey is very cheap and you can get decent quality clothes there, so if you need new trainers, suits, shirts, belts etc get them there rather than in the Eurozone. Most clothes you buy here could well be made there anyway, but also bargain, like try to push for getting 2-for-1 etc.
In Istanbul, visit the underground Roman reservoir. Doesn't sound too exciting, but its well worth a visit.
Yeah that is pretty good, you'll spend about an hour there I'd guess, it's near the Blue Mosque and Haiga Sophia, but the entrance is small and easy to miss.