Istanbul

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Istanbul is majestic. Grand, graceful. City lights, 1001 nights and all the scents and sensual razzmatazz. History raging back through time from Constantinople to constant change. Polluted yet vigorous like a proper capital, in nature not in name.

Some cities sell themselves. A simple name-drop is enough to get you on board. A once-in-a-lifetime-experience, bucket list material for every self-respecting traveller.

I am not here to tell you that you must visit Istanbul right now. I take that as a given, you drew that conclusion on your own waaaay before I swooped in. I am here to tell you that you can actually visit this place without going bankrupt, which seems impossible at first glance if you quickly peek at the standard entrance prices off all the city highlights (they might be half-Asian/half-European, they took the European approach on that one!).

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1. Geocachtravaganza! Your free local guide through Istanbul!

I stayed about 2 months in Istanbul, getting a pretty sincere grasp of what the city is about… and checking off all the (steeply priced) travelguide-favorites for sure isn’t the way, as the locals don’t do that either. True, you’re not a local and you do want to see all those sights, spots and activities that define Istanbul’s illustrious character… so why not follow local’s picks? No one knows a city as thoroughly as the people that call it their home, not an Instagram-#wanderluster, not a Lonely Planet author, no, not even me: I’m just pointing you in the right direction. I recently got addicted to Geocaching, a worldwide scavenger hunt made possible by a massive passionate and dedicated community placing physical boxes of all shapes and sizes (“caches”) on places with a geographically, historically and/or culturally interesting story (a story you can actually read when hunting down the boxes). Places they think you should see or experience… popular, or almost entirely undiscovered!

You can also participate in the ‘Free Istanbul Walking Tour’ - booking needed, tip expected.

2. Visit Istanbul’s most prominent museums and attractions… FOR FREE!

So you’ve been Geoaching your cute little ass off and got the hang of all the obvious and less-obvious sights of this handsome megalopolis. Probably you have noticed that the most famous attractions are best admired on the outside. I mean, all nice and well, that Galata Tower… but you don’t see much of it when you’re standing right on top of it, do you now? And whenever you see the Hagia Sofia on one of those television travel programs, do they generally film the inside of the museum or do they prefer to make some glamorous drone shots from the spectacular exterior… exactly my point. No need to spend money there. But: you’re a greedy traveller and want more, more and MORE! For less!! That’s what Istanbul does to you, it drags you in and won’t let go until you explored it right to the core. So let me tell you that you can: You can visit most of those famous museums, even if someone had tossed your wallet right into the Bosporus… because free-museum-days are a thing in Istanbul:

Pera Museum: Free on Friday between 18:00-22:00.
Salkip Sabanci Fine Arts Museum: Free on Wednesday.
Istanbul Modern Art Museum: Free on Thursday (Turkish residents only).
SALT: Always free.
Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art: Always free.

Also top attractions like the Süleymaniye Mosque and the famous Blue Mosque are entirely free to enter (at designated hours), and you can even freely enter the courtyard of the Topkapi Palace (to enter the actual palace a fee is charged). Still not done? The Istanbul Citycard gives access to 12 museums, incl. 10 public transport rides… but for its steep rate of (currently) $65 this might be only interesting if you really want to visit every single one of those 12 museums*. If you don’t, you’re better off paying separately for the attractions of your choosing, possibly with a counterfeit student/senior pass to cash in those extra discounts.

* Istanbul Citycard Museums: Hagia Sophia / Topkapi Palace & Harem / Archaeological Museum / Hagia Irene / Turkish & Islamic Art Museum / Great Palace Mosaics Museum / Galata Mevlevi Museum / Rumeli Fortress / Chora Museum / Fethiye Museum / Science & Technology in Islam Museum

** The Istanbul Tourist Pass is even more expensive… but includes more. Too expensive for a Budget Bucket List’er, however.

*** Other paid, but worthwhile attraction: Whirling Dervishes (Cheapest option: Wed-Sun – 19:30 @ Sirkerci Station; Times/prices subject to change… it’s 45 minutes of the same stuff, so you’re good to leave after 10 minutes)

3. Get yourself an Istanbulkart

Not to be confused with the Istanbul City Card or Istanbul Tourist Pass, the Istanbulkart is purely meant to pay for public transport. You might wonder if it’s worth it for just a short city trip… but if you’re planning to use any form of transport at least twice, the answer is a loud and clear YES. The card will cost you only a buck or so (go into any metro station and pull one out of them yellow machines), but will give you about 50% off of every ride (due to rapid inflation I won’t quote exact prices to not disappoint you – but expect about 50 cents a ride), minus the hassle of having to pay for separate tickets and missing the bus while doing so (within the city ring, drivers don’t accept cash – tickets have to be bought in advance).

Don’t get me wrong, getting around won’t be easy. You will have to find your way in a zillion of bus-, metro-, tram-, train-, and funicular-lines, and the concept of personal space will evaporate into thin air, but it beats the hell out of joining the corrupt taxi circus. I don’t know how this is true for basically every country I visited, but overall 99% of the local inhabitants are extremely friendly and the other 1% are taxi drivers. And then they wonder why people prefer Uber (which by the way also exists here, although taxi drivers are currently aggressively protesting against this competition – enjoy it as long as it lasts!).

* Avoid buses wherever you can, as they’re usually uncomfortably crammed and excruciatingly slow due to stagnant traffic jams. Always choose the metro, tram or funicular over the bus route.

** In suburbs further away such as Tuzla you can use your Istanbulkart for the bigger buses, that however drive rather infrequently here. The minibuses that go more often require cash payment to the driver (check fare with several locals before getting in to avoid overpaying).

*** You can reach both airports with public transport, but expect a lot of delays and time spent when doing so. A slightly pricier but way more convenient option are the direct Hava Bus airport shuttles, leaving in front of the Point Hotel close to Taksim Square. You can pay both in cash and by Istanbulkart.

**** If you’re brave enough, there’s also a shared biking system called Isbike. Be careful, as local traffic isn’t too considerate with regards to cyclists.

***** I won’t say this easily, but: Turkey isn’t a hitchhike-country, especially not around Istanbul or bigger cities. I speak out of experience, as I hitchhiked from Edirne to Istanbul… and got mistaken for a prostitute more than once (despite my 2 patched backpacks, absence of make-up and rather unsexy travel clothes). I arrived safely, but I won’t claim it’s the recommended way to travel.

4. Sail the Bosphorus for a few cents!

I quietly watched the herds of tourists boarding a colourful variety of cruise ships, wondering why they want to get rid of their liras so badly. Maybe they don’t know you can simply board the public ferries for just a few cents (also accessible with the Istanbulkart), bringing you up and down the famous Bosporus Strait and beyond for just a few nickels… but at least you do now. It might not be as fancy-pants as those foreigner-friendly vessels, but at least it’s more real. One of those once-in-a-lifetime-Bosporus-daytrips and a cultural blend-in all in one!

5. Visit the Adalar (Prince Islands) for a buck or 2

Talking about sailing, why don’t you board the boat all the way to the Adalar Islands?! There are no less than 4 to choose from! The biggest and most visited Büyükada, the second largest Heybeliada, then Burguzada, and last but not least: Kinaliada. Because I deeply resent tourist crowds, I visited Heybeliada and Burgazada on my last days in Istanbul… and the only thing I regret during my 2 months here is having booked my accommodation in the city and not here. Serene, green and full of beaches and hiking trails… you’d almost forget you’re in a 15-mln-metropolis! The absolute highlight of Istanbul!

Because I struggled to find correct information online, allow me to fill you in:

Besides the expensive and unnecessary cruises or day tours, there are 3 official ferry services leaving several times a day (Dentur – IDO – Sehir Hatlari), most of them leaving from Beşiktaş (most central), Kadikoy and some from the Eminonu ferry docks. The ferry services leave on set times (variable to change – check the website links given). With some companies you're required to pay in cash, but most also have the Istanbulkart option, which gives a discount. You can also take the smaller and more frequent boats which are part of the Istanbul public transport network, stopping at several stations and thus taking a bit more time. Opposed to information I found online, they do operate in between the islands, so you can visit more than one in a day and mix ‘n match.

Ferry schedules (photographed in 2019 - click to enlarge):

6. Hike away!

It’s not the first association you’ll probably make when hearing the word Istanbul, but this massive urban settlement brings along some flora and fauna. Air pollution and traffic congestion aside, the green lungs of Istanbul are formed by the gigantic Belgrad Forest (Istanbul's green hart undeniably being the Adalar), home of an endless array of hiking trails. Entry is free of charge, which sadly does come with a price… a publicly accessible space apparently invites the less worthy among us to dump their trash right in the natural habitat of those not died out or poisoned already (I even found/smelled boxes of batteries and toxic waste buried just below the surface). Obviously, not you. You are the kind of person that brings along a trash bag to take away what others didn’t.

* Other green spaces in and around Istanbul: Gulhane Park, Yildiz Park, Kilimli Park, Ibb Halic Nedim Park, Sultans Trail, Gokturk Goleti Milli Park, Omur Tepe, Ballikayalar Natur Park.

7. Street-eats

Foodies gather, I have an announcement to make: It doesn’t really matter what you put in your mouth in Turkey, it’ll probably taste spectacular. Believe me when I say those Turks can cook… all of ‘em, from 5*-chef to hijab-momma selling on the street corner. I’m a vegan and I gained weight here. From drippy kebabs, durums and the-best-börek-of-your-life, to tooth-breaking sweet and soppy lokum (Turkish delight) and baklava… you can’t go wrong with the Turkish kitchen! Street food is irresistible and full of options!

Okay, make me proud, here is a lil’ vegan overview:

Çig Köfte: As raw meat was recently prohibited by law, now this #1 fast food is entirely made of bulgur, and thus vegan – that you-can-wake-me-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-thingy totally applies to this mouth-watering snack.
Spinach / Potato Gözleme: Salty pancake – godly.
Dolma / Sarma: Wine leaf rolls with spicy rice, another favourite.
Simit: Those sesame-seed bagels you see literally everywhere.
Kumpir: Stuffed potato.
Bakla (bean appetizer) & Fava (bean purée).
Patlican Ezmesi: Eggplant purée.
Muhammara: Spicy pepper- and walnuts spread.
Ispanak Kavurma: Roasted spinach.
Imam Bayildi: Stuffed eggplants.
Kisir: Bulgur salad with herbs and spices.
Mücver: Zucchini fritters.

8. Budget-fiësta

You can apply the eating-rule on your midnight drinking-behaviour in one go: Istanbul serves all kind of party crowds, from elite to street. You basically pay as much as you want to, be it even zero if you bring your own snack’s and brews to outdoor nightlife spots such as the lively Eminonu Pier. Realise that even though Turkey is a predominantly Islamic country, alcohol is widely available (except during Ramadan), be it a tad more expensive than you might expect based on the overall cost of living… think western prices.

Streets I liked: Yolcuzade Iskender Caddesi, Camci Fevzi Sokak, Turnacibaşi Sokak, Akarsu Yokuşu, Sair Nedim Caddesi (lots of coffee shops), Ahmet Fetgari Sokagi (coffee and hipsters).

9. Haggling & Outlet Villages

Sadly, shopping can’t be particularly grouped under the flag of ‘saving money’, no matter how much you try to explain it to yourself… but you can save tons and tons of money if you were going to spend it anyway elsewhere. You see, Turkey is cheap. Dirt cheap. So cheap Bulgarians cross the border to greedily fill their shopping bags as prices are at least 50% lower than they’re used to. That cheap. And no, I’m not talking those fake brand clothing that you’ll probably risk losing at the border control… I’m describing the many outlet villages scattered out over Istanbul, containing actual flagship stores of all famous brands you can think of. You’ll have discounts on products that are already cheaper in Turkey than whichever western country you might be from: I bought quick-dry Adidas shirts for 6 bucks, Hummel tank tops for 3 and Nike pants for 12 euros… New! Real!

My favourite outlet village: Viaport (there are 2 – both close to Sabiha Gokcen Airport).

For a more ethnic experience a market/bazaar visit is recommended, if only to snap some culture-shots to presume some slight intellect on social media. In these environments haggling is the way to go, and even expected (which means that if you don’t, you will overpay). Feel free to go in hard, because remember: they will never let you walk away with a product below cost price, as why would they? But: Don’t forget to be respectful and smile… it’s a game, not a warzone.

You can throw in some local ‘idioma’ to set the mood:

Hello: Merhaba (“mèr-haa-bà”)
Yes : Evet (“eh-vet”)
No : Hayır (“hi-year”)
Thank you: Teşekkür ederim (“te-shek-kor ederim”)
Please: Lütfen (“lu-t fahn”)
Good morning: Günaydın (“goo-nay-den”)
Goodnight: Iyi geceler (“ee ge-jay-ler”)
Goodbye: Güle güle (“goo-le goo-le”)

10. Everyday a different neighbourhood

You’re done exploring? No you’re not! Istanbul has no less than 39 districts – all of them a micro-city on their own - and you’re simply not gonna tell me you’ve seen them all, I’m not buying it. Even the easily bored will have a hard time ‘feeling done’ with a city as big and diverse as Istanbul, as every neighbourhood has their own special vibe and feel to it, offering a unique experience not to be recreated elsewhere.

Top picks:

Taksim: The ‘Time Square’ of Istanbul… central, crowded, buzzling and modern.
Beyoğlu: Bohemian, trendy and kinda-cute.
Kadiköy: Hot-and-happening, hipster-magnet.
Ortaköy: Picturesque, multicultural and swanky nightlife.
Karakoy: Funky and upscale.
Balat: Cultural, historical, colourful & artsy.

Bonus Tip:

Budget bed? The Couchsurf community, offering free accommodation in exchange for your time and friendship, is thriving in Turkey. That said, for more freedom and privacy I found a basic private room for as low as 6 bucks on Air BnB (skip the fees and contact the friendly owner Osman directly on Whatsapp: +90 532 777 4104 – just trying to be a good friend). Low season? In general, prices drop when the temperature does… bearable weather, no crowds and low prices, I see only advantages!

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