Turkey was a bucket list country for me. Having always wanting to visit, I jumped on the cheapest deal I could find to Istanbul. The $60 USD for the visa did hurt my Canadian bank account a little but I would say worth it as it gives you 3 months in the country. During my 10 day visit to the country, I visited Istanbul and Cappadocia, and both of them didn’t disappoint.
Istanbul – Gem of Europe and Asia!
If you are visiting Turkey, you can’t miss this city. The infamous city of Turkey is a must see for everyone. I truly enjoyed being here as there is a lot to do, see and eat. A highly walkable city, you will always discover something new every day. I stayed in Istanbul for almost 2 weeks and I still don’t think I have done justice to the city.
Being a poor backpacker, I focused mostly on the food especially the sweets. Having born in the middle east (UAE), I have a special love for Arabic food, and Turkish food is similar to it; do not call the Turks, Arabs – I accidentally put them in the same sentence once and this Turkish girl wasn’t impressed – OOPS! Back to food, you go anywhere in Istanbul, you will come across many food vendors offering similar food in varying price tags. Some expensive, some cheap, but I assure you, you will find the best food that fits your budget.
What to do in Istanbul:
I honestly can’t summarize what to do in Istanbul, so I am just going to touch on the basics to-dos:
Key Attractions
Since there are so many attractions in Turkey, here are the key touristy ones to visit:
- Hagia Sophia – One of the most well-known attractions in Istanbul, it is worth the visit just to look at it from the outside. I, unfortunately, couldn’t go inside because I was impatient to wait in the line for the tickets, and the line after that to get in. The tickets are around 35 lira I believe. However, try to go on a weekday as the museum gets busy. I was there during the off-season and it was still busy.
- Blue Mosque – Equally as beautiful as the Hagia Sophia, the blue mosque is one of the most iconic structures in Istanbul. Free to enter, you just have to respect the prayer times; non-muslim tourists have a separate entrance. I can’t describe much about the inside as I skipped it, due to the same reason as Hagia Sophia – BIG LINE! But from what I have heard, it is magnificent.
- Grand Bazaar – Shop your heart away in this colorful marketplace. Anything you want, you can get it here. From Turkish delights to spices and carpets and then some, you want it, you got it. It is quite touristy (duh) and the market place can be intense with literally no room to walk during busy days. Most items are fairly priced, but you can most likely get everything in the bazaar cheaper, outside of it.
- Taksim Square – If you thought New York never slept, just visit Taksim square! From sweets, food and all your other shopping needs, Taksim Square got you cover. Taksim Square is also one of the main neighborhood of Istanbul.
- Istanbul (Asia) – If you didn’t know this already, Istanbul is a city with its feet in both Asia and Europe. Much of the tourist attractions are on the European side but the Asian side is still worth the visit. To be honest, I didn’t do much here, because I didn’t spend as much time on this side.
Lot more to do and see, but if I were to list them, this blog is going to turn into a novel haha. If you are in Istanbul, especially for a short visit, these are the must-dos in my opinion. You can also walk around the city and I can 100% guarantee you will run into some kind of beautiful architecture, museum or scenic views.
EAT!
I would say this is (one) of the best thing you can do in Istanbul. With food starting at around 4 Lira ($1Cad), you can eat your heart out. Here is some food you should try:
- Doner – The obvious choice and go-to cheap food for locals and tourist alike (4 – 20 lira)
- Shawarma – I am still uncertain whether this is an Arabic food or Turkish food, but both ethnicities offer them, and they are equally good (and cheap) (10 – 25 lira)
- Borek – Pastry with stuffed cheese, meat or spinach. You can get them anywhere along the Mediterranean and Balkan countries but so far I would say Turkey has the best Borek (8 – 10 lira)
- Turkish Breakfast – A trip to Turkey is not complete without having a Turkish breakfast at least once. Bread, olives, Eggs, honey and cream spreading (Mhmm) and much more and some Cay (Chai) to wash them down (17 – 30 lira).
- Kumpier – Baked potato with cheese, stuffed whatever you like (veggies, meat, etc) (20lira).
- Turkish Delights – You can’t go to Turkey and not try some. Depending upon how much you get and from where it can be pricey especially the special ones (35 – 90 lira/ KG). Luckily a lot of the shops have free samples. I recommend walking around the Grand Bazaar and going into the different shops to “try before you buy;” my favorite thing to do 😀 #brokepeopleproblems.
- Baklava – Again I have always thought these as Arabic sweets but the Turkish specializes in them as well. Baklava being my favorite sweets, you best believe I ate as much as possible (both samples and paid). In fact after doners, I spend the most money on Baklava. Again prices depends upon where you shop (70 – 100 lira).
- Dondurma – The infamous sticky ice-cream, is your trip to Turkey even complete without trying one? I can range from 3 -15 Lira depending upon where you buy them. If you want to skip the fun antics by the ice-cream vendor, you can get it cheap. However, part of the charm is with the antics.
*I have limited pictures of the food because I was never patient enough to take a picture of the food before I consumed it!
Needless to say, I have barely scratched the surface of this city and I can assure you, I will be back! Istanbul is one of those cities that kind of pulls you back.
One of my favorite country up to date and I have barely explored this beautiful country. Delicious food, beautiful cities and friendly people – What more do you want? I recommend visiting this country at least once in your life. The Ottoman Empire doesn’t disappoint.
