Solo travel

I’ve visited Istanbul three times, and every time it has surprised me in a new way. It’s one of those rare cities that keeps revealing new sides of itself no matter how many times you return. If you love history, Istanbul is a dream. Walking through the city, you can almost feel the layers of different civilizations. One moment you’re imagining life in Byzantium, the next you’re standing in the heart of the Ottoman Empire, surrounded by magnificent mosques, palaces, and centuries-old streets....

Group travel

It was quite nice, very loud, everyone is busy, big city, European part was just like Baku 2x, Asian part was very interesting, Bosphorus was beautiful, transportation via water is something i will always come back for.

Solo travel

Hi everyone, I'm a bit late writing this as my trip was in March but thought I'd give some feedback as other people's posts helped me when I planned my trip. *Shuttle airport to/from Istanbul* There's Havaist and Havabus. Havaist is for European side (Istanbul Airport) and Havabus for Asian side (Sabiha Gokcen) I used Havaist - there are different routes to choose from. You can buy the ticket with the driver. They accept cards. It cost me 426 TRY (paying by card, in lira) On the way to...

Solo travel

I went to stay in Istanbul (5 days); Bursa (2 days); Safranbolu (2 days); Goreme (1.5 day); travelled in between using Flixbus and saved up by using 2-3 night buses. Bursa was really my favorite with rich historical context and nature as well as kind people. Highly recommended!

Things you should be careful about; Scamming!! Dont get in touch with business owners even shoe cleaners dont even talk. Beggers!!! Dont even LOOK at them, they are all fake Robberies- are not a big issue here as much as Europe but it depends where you are. Its too crowded so be careful just in case.

i would say moderate in general, some places are extremely safe some place are extremely unsafe (especially in the night), istanbul is like a country itself, it includes many different lifestyles and cultures

if you’re traveling alone, as a woman, just try not to make a eye contact at night, especially after midnight around Beyoglu area because there are lots of unreliable men and trans sex workers. despite that the city is safe, just try not to get scammed by taxi drivers

It is a chaotic city. I love it here but it is better to be careful any time especially at night. There are pick-pockets around Taksim. It’s better to use apps for calling taxi. Don’t trust anyone - noone knows nobody here.