Istanbul (Week Notes, 16, 2025)

We spent the last week in Istanbul. It was a lot. Here's a brief summary, some pictures and some tips for anyone who wants to go to Istanbul 🇹🇷

The good

• Like most cities, a trip to Istanbul is pretty vibes based. It's just great to wonder about and soak it all in.
• Food is obviously amazing. If you're a vegetarian, I hope you like dips (I am and I do).
• Transport is really great. The local travel card is easy to use. You only need one card for a family of four.
• People are generally friendly, honest and a great hang—with a small number of exceptions as you'd expect from any large city.
• The Princes' Islands are a nice change of pace, and cheap and easy to get to.
• Boxing off two continents in a day with a short boat ride is very satisfying, and kids get a kick from it (bonus points if they've never been to the continent on the other side).
• Highlight: something I've christened "duelling minarets"—stand in the square between the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque during prayers and both sites alternate the call to prayer.
• Favourite place: Gülhane Park. Lovely gardens by the palace. Peaceful. Home to our favourite Turkish ice cream man—he does a few tricks but he's chill about it, not like the guys on the main drag who are a bit much.
• Cats. See below.

The bad

Be wary of people trying to help tourists top up their metro cards.

The top up machines are pretty simple, just take your time. If someone jumps in to "help" be aware there are folks about pulling short cons at these machines (using sleight of hand to swap their card for yours while "helping" you so that you top up their card instead of your own).

Mopeds be crazy

Traffic is a lot in Istanbul, but at least cars stick to the road. Mopeds don't. And they're everywhere. Keep your eyes and ears open, especially in the Old Town where things are pretty chaotic. And on that note...

Accessibility

It's tricky to get around Istanbul. Steep streets, uneven pavements, crowds, and then pavement motorbikes make it harder still, especially for anyone using mobility aids. It might also be a lot for someone with sensory processing needs.

There are some low key hustles on non-locals

Magical tax that appears on a bill that shouldn't be there. Variable prices. Not everyone is doing this but some people are hustling a little harder than others. It helps if someone in your group speaks Turkish, but I guess most non-domestic tourists lack that luxury. My other half speaks Turkish, and a few words can magic away issues—I don't know how to resolve this any other way. Good luck, traveller.

There are many official hustles too

Key sites are eye-wateringly expensive for non-domestic tourists, and this is a matter of government policy. Eat before you get to the airport, or grab something you can eat while you're there. A beer that would cost 80TL in the supermarket or 150TL in a cheaper pub is €16 at the airport—marked up 15x. A burger and a drink (no chips) at McDonalds is also €16. Don't leave your gift shopping until the airport unless you want to spend €40 on a depressingly small box of mass produced Turkish Delight.

The cats

Istanbul is pretty famous for cats. The cats in Istanbul do not give a fuck. They'll come sit on you in restaurants, they'll destroy window displays in shops. Local jeans maker Mavi have a sub-brand of products that they sell and all the money goes to their shop cats (we saw 13 in one store, asleep on various piles of jeans). 10/10 for cats, no notes.