Tips & Tricks
This is a busy city that can quickly overwhelm even experienced travelers. Here are some of the tricks we picked up along the way to make your life easier when navigating the city.
1. Istanbulkart
One of the first things you want to do is get an Istanbulkart. This will serve as the main way that you will get around the city. The major modes of transport in Istanbul are by tram, bus, and ferry. All will use this Istanbulkart and can be used for up to 5 people which is ideal if you’re travelling with family like we did.
The cost is around 130TL to activate and get a card at any of the metro station kiosks. The refill limit is around 300TL so keep an eye out on the balance. So you don’t run out. We preferred using cash here as credit services were sometimes not processing.
We stayed in a place close to the Cemberlitas tram station – we found this ideal to get around all the major parts of the city such as Sultanahmet and Eminonu. T1 is the tram that will take you too all the major parts such as the Grand Bazaar and the ferry locations.
2. Public Transport
We were somewhat lost in the beginning since back home in Texas we don’t have a public transport system.
Istanbul makes heavy use of trams, busses, and ferries to shuttle passengers across the city. Once you get to your destination though, be prepared to walk a lot. If you don’t like walking this city will be a challenge for you.
When you’re looking for a place to stay take a stroll using Google Maps to see how close the walk is to the major tram stations, especially if your plan is to go to the major tourist attractions we highlighted in this article. It will make your stay more enjoyable.
3. Private Transport
Avoid this option at all costs!
We were running late to a photoshoot and had to take a private city taxi. The driver assured us that he uses an automatic counter for the distance travelled – this ended up being not true. In the end we were scammed about $40 for a short ride which was about 10 mins max.
We would have walked but had on clothes for the photoshoot and didn’t really have any other options.
4. Food
If you like me want your food seasoned well, you won’t get that in most of the restaurants around Sultanahmet and the major attractions.
Instead you will find a lot of 4+ star reviews on Google giving excellent reviews. Not sure if those are paid reviews or the guests have no taste buds.
Portions are also lacking. I forget sometimes that a plate of food in other parts of the world is about half of what you get in the states. Plan to order some appetizers or extra items to stay full.
5. Buying & Haggling
Since this is not a big part of our culture here in America, don’t be shy about haggling.
One of the main areas you will likely visit is the Grand Bazaar or the Spice Bazaar, which both will have prices that are easily 3 times the cost.
A tea set in a local store would cost around 700TL while the same set was around 3000TL in either of those bazaars. Sp be sure to shop around before committing.
If you are looking for gold, then the most reliable place will be the Grand Bazaar. You will get a much better deal than buying here in the states so that is one of the most worth it purchases.
6. Budget
Our budget for each of 7 days was as follows:
Food – $15/person per meal. Adds up if you have a bigger family.
Expenses – $50/day per person. This includes any museum visits such as the Hagia Sophia museum or Basilica Cistern as well as using any left over money for filling Istanbulkart.
Purchases – $20/day. This was our daily budget for buying things like spices, saffron, and occasionally using funds from other days to purchase tea sets.
All in, I would say plan for $100/day if you want a minimalist experience.
7. Tea Culture
Be ready for tea any time of the day. The vendors and the restaurants will all offer you a traditional black Turkish tea in the iconic hourglass serving glasses.
the restaurants we found were very customary in bringing us sweets and tea whenever we were done with our meals. It’s a great way to end your day and highlights Turkish hospitality.
8. Travel Times
We planned our trip with 2 small kids a few days before their school ended to beat the peak summer tourist season.
The weather worked in our favor as well and ended up having perfect 70 degree weather for the entire trip.
If you end up following the bigger crowd it will be a lot more crowded with increased wait times so plan to get up earlier to knock your bucket list and avoid over congestion in the tram and ferries.
Conclusion
Istanbul is an overwhelming city and especially if you go as a family it can be easy to get distracted.
I hope the tips below were helpful and would love to hear if you have any additional tips for others that I might have missed.
In case you haven’t read a 7 day plan you can use for your trip here is the link. Happy travels!