The main difficulties and questions that may arise an independent tourist when traveling to Istanbul, as well as ways to solve them, were described by bloggers in Yandex.Zen on the Meticulous Tourist channel.
In their guide for tourists, they highlighted those points for which “”there are few on the Internet information or it is contradictory”, and explained the ways of solving each difficulty.
Bloggers highlighted the following points:
- How to get from Istanbul Airport (and back). Regarding the new airport, “there is little and contradictory information,” the bloggers noted. For example, on the subway there are “a lot of transfers and not to the center, plus each transfer is a separate payment.” In the end, there were two ideal options – in addition to the obvious taxi, this is also the Havaist shuttle bus. “This is the coolest and most budget option if you don’t have a lot of mixed luggage and tired kids on your hands. In fact, this is a shuttle from the airport to the city. Buses stand on the -1 floor, depart every half an hour, ”the blogger writes. True, it should be borne in mind that there are many different routes, the cost depends on the distance and ranges from 68 to 110 lire. For example, route HVIST-16 ends at Taksim Square.
- How to choose where to live? “For the first time, I think you need to live in the very vicinity of the main attractions, you can live in quiet areas later, first see the main ones. Here the difficulty was that the main attractions – Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar, Cisterns, Topkapi Palace – in one place, the tourist area with the Galata Tower – in another, and many people recommend settling on the Asian side, where everything is cheaper and tastier, ” – bloggers explained in detail. In the end, the decision remained the original one – to live close to attractions.
- What to eat? “Turkey is not Europe for you, so there may not be standard dishes,” I decided. Or they are called differently. And I’m not ready to experiment with unfamiliar Asian dishes, ”the blogger explained and voiced her ways to solve the problem. Firstly, find the names of the dishes, understand what is hidden under them – for example, that “kefte” is a cutlet with a side dish, and also “mark McDonald's on the map just in case.” “The reality turned out to be even more pleasant: in all the central and even in the canteens for local “locant” all dishes have pictures! And before ordering, you always perfectly understand what you will receive. (and yes, “locanta” is the most beautiful thing that I did not expect – tasty, inexpensive, and somehow very authentic!) ”- noted the authors of the blog.
- Problems with cash: since, like a large part of the tourists, the blogger did not have foreign cards, it was quite difficult to plan how much money to take with him. “I made a preliminary list of obligatory payments (tax at the hotel, travel, minimum food) and now they were taken in lira. Before leaving, we bought Turkish liras in St. Petersburg in an exchanger for “mandatory” expenses, and took euros and rubles with us. There are many exchangers in Istanbul, everyone takes euros, many rubles. In tourist places, you can even pay euros in some places, but it turns out to be unprofitable – I don’t advise it, ”the blog added.
- Language barrier: “There were fears that English in Turkey is not known very well – but I don’t I didn’t think that many people there knew Russian! Therefore, in principle, there were no problems with understanding in Istanbul – where there was not enough English, many switched to Russian. Away from the city, during a trip to Troy – yes, many people only know Turkish, ”the authors of the“ guide ”explained. They also noted that the Turks have perfectly mastered Google translator – they easily dictate there and let you read it.
“In general, everything in Istanbul is quite positive, friendly, and even if something is not you know, it doesn’t work out – you will always be helped and prompted! ” – summed up the blogger.
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