Istanbul Travel Guide for First-Timers (TL Podcast #25)

Planning a trip to Istanbul? In this episode, Travel Lemming founder Nate & creator Catherine share everything you need to know before you go.

They chat about the best things to do in Istanbul, day trips, how to stay safe, where to stay, and so much more. They even discuss which attractions may NOT be worth it for you + tips for visiting both the Europe & Asia sides.

Have a question about Istanbul? Drop it in the comments 👇

📰 Articles from Travel Lemming.com

-Where to Stay in Istanbul: https://travellemming.com/where-to-stay-in-istanbul/ 

👉 Also Mentioned in This Episode:

Vancouver Meetups: https://www.meetup.com/travel-lemming-vancouver/ 

#Istanbul #Turkey #VisitInstanbul #TravelTips #TravelLemming

 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Alright, so today we'retalking about the city where I
currently am, which is Istanbul.
It's one of the most amazingcities I think I've ever visited.
It's one of the most famous citiesin the world, and yet I think at
the same time is also one of themost underrated travel destinations.
We're gonna have a reallyinteresting conversation about why
you should visit and everythingyou need to know in order to visit.

(00:20):
And we're also gonna be talking aboutall those famous cats on Instagram.
But before we dive into thatconversation, first, here's a
quick preview of this episode.
the basilica it's really etherealand you see the water and you can
hear the water dripping and it'sreally beautifully flood lit.
I think Istanbul really has alittle bit of everything, like
how many cities can you go to twocontinents in one day, back and forth.

(00:43):
I think the number one thing torealize the news doesn't always
get it right about Turkey.
I've always felt perfectly safe
the cat is really the king of Istanbul.
And that's how the people treat the cats.
Like they treat the cats likekings and the cats really take
ownership over the entire city.
All right folks.
So I'm Nate Hick, thefounder of Travel Leming.
I'm here in Istanbul on thesecond of a three week trip,

(01:06):
and the city is just so amazing.
I thought we have to have apodcast episode about this.
A couple days ago I was reading ourguide on Travel Leming to where to
Stay in Istanbul, written by ourIstanbul expert, Catherine Driver.
And I just thought, there'sso much interesting info here.
I sent Catherine an email.
That was two days ago, and she kindlyagreed, made some time available.

(01:26):
Hopped on here.
And so she's sitting here withme here today, Catherine, I'm
so excited to have you here.
For listeners who don't know, Catherine isv Travel Leming Vancouver Canada expert.
She also runs our Vancouver meetup.
So if you're going throughVancouver, you can meet her there.
But she's has a particular fondnessfor Istanbul and has visited

(01:46):
several times and has written someguides for us on travel leming.
So I thought we'd get the two ofus together to talk about Istanbul.
Catherine, welcome to theTravel Leming podcast.
Why don't you go ahead and tell ourlisteners a bit about yourself and
about your experience with Istanbul.
Hi Nate.
Thanks so much.
I was so excited to get your emailand super excited and a little bit
jealous that you're in my favorite city.

(02:07):
So my background and what drew meto Istanbul is I, yeah, as you said,
I'm from Vancouver, but I have anart history background and Istanbul
has always captivated me, mainlybecause of the art and architecture.
So my first trip to Istanbul was ona group tour, a very spontaneous one.
I fell in love with the country.

(02:29):
I fell in love with Turkey'cause it was a Turkey tour.
I fell in love with it instantly and endedup going back as a solo a couple of times.
So I've spent quite a bit of timethere and it never seems to be enough.
And so it's just magic on every corner.
Very cool.
You, as I mentioned, you've gotthat guide on travel lending
to where to stay in Istanbul.
Listeners can go and read thatif you're planning a trip.

(02:50):
We'll put a link down in the descriptionas well as to all of the articles that
we talk about, during this podcast.
Let's just start at the topbecause I think a lot of folks
have hesitation about Istanbul andit's really such a famous city.
It's so historic.
You've got, it goesback thousands of years.
You've got the, from the Romans,the Ottomans, the Byzantines.
It has because of its strategiclocation sitting at the Bosphorus

(03:13):
Strait at the gateway between theBlack Sea and the Mediterranean.
And also because it spans twocontinents, both Europe and Asia.
It has been at the center ofworld history and empires and
all of that history exists here.
It also has a really unique hillylandscape, which just makes it
so beautiful and interesting.

(03:33):
And yet a lot of people.
Haven't visited even if they're,they've traveled relatively widely.
And I've I hear a lot of hesitationabout that, and I've been, this is
my second trip and I think every timeI'm exploring something, I just I
find something new every single day.
We're going out exploring around the city.
It's so big.
There's so much here, and Ijust feel like there's so many

(03:54):
misconceptions about Istanbul.
I do.
You feel the same way?
Absolutely.
I think the number one thing torealize the news doesn't always
get it right about Turkey.
When I went in 2017, the city wasexperiencing a lot of terrorist attacks
and tourism essentially came to a halt.
All my guide friends were out ofwork and the restaurants were really

(04:15):
suffering, the shops were reallysuffering, and we ended up going
and they were so happy to have us.
They're like, thank you for coming.
This is not happening every day.
So I think when you watch the news,you think that's the life there.
That bombs are going off all the timeand it's really unsafe for tourists,
but it's always about taking thatnews with a little grain of salt.
So I definitely agree that it gets alittle bit of a bad rap in the news, and

(04:38):
that might be what keeps people away.
And it's one thing to be smart, butthen it's another thing to blow that
danger aspect out of proportion.
And I think thatunfortunately happens a lot.
I agree and what I always tell folks islook like New York City, Boston, Orlando,
Las Vegas, all of these places havehad prominent attacks over the years.

(04:59):
Same's true in Madrid and manyother cities around the world.
Istanbul's a massive city,like truly massive city.
And there's really a lot ofattention paid to security here.
Every single museum, the hotel that I'mstaying in, every single time you come
in, you have to go through security.
The malls have security.
And it statistically like it'sit's actually is a very safe place.

(05:20):
I,
I feel safer here than manyother places I've traveled,
including in the United States.
But I'm curious from your perspective,because I think we're just, I didn't
plan this, we're just tackling thesafety question right outta the gate
because I do think it's probably top ofmind for a lot of people particularly
you've mentioned having gone thereas a solo female traveler, like how
did you feel in terms of safety?

(05:41):
I've always felt perfectly safe there,and I think I, I've definitely taken a few
extra, like really small precautions to.
Stay safe.
I use the same commonsense as I do at home.
I don't get in a car with strangers.
. But as a woman, the thing I noticethere is the men can be quite
assertive, and that makes me a littlebit nervous when I'm on my own.

(06:02):
So I think the main trick that I'veused is I just stick to a modest dress.
Like I still wear tank tops becausesuper hot in the summer, and, what I
found actually really helped me a lotwas I just wear a fake wedding ring
and that kind of keeps, the men away.
Like you said it's a huge city.
It's 20 million plus people, andthe people are so kind and generous.
Nobody's gonna let any harm come to you.

(06:24):
I've always felt safe,even walking at night.
I stay in really central areasand I've never had a problem.
So as a solo, I love it.
Yeah, I agree.
I in general, I've felt very safe here.
I'm visiting with my partner, Clara.
She feels the same way aswell as we've gone around.
I. I don't think there's been a singleneighborhood and we've explored a bunch
where we've felt at all like sketchy,which is not something I can say about

(06:45):
a lot of cities in the United States.
You turn the wrong quarter and you feellike maybe you're in the wrong spot.
But my one other tip I would say is thatthe Uber app works for calling taxis here.
And so it's a really convenient wayto get around and I think for a lot
of folks, if you're if you can takethat to get between places, we'll talk
later about other ways to get around.
And there are many other cheaper ways,including public transportation and stuff.
But there's a lot of tourists inIstanbul, but many of them are not

(07:08):
from the United States or from Europe.
They're from the region.
And so it's not like you'regonna be alone here as a tourist.
Tourism is a huge industryin Turkey and they're really
dedicated to protecting that.
So if you're on the fenceabout it, I would say just go.
But let's talk about thereasons why you want to go.
And that's what we haven't dived into yet.
I feel like it's just.
Once you're here, you'll understand it.

(07:28):
And it's hard for me to put in words,but it's one, it's a stunning city.
Like I'm gonna put some of my videofootage up on on YouTube so you
can see what I'm talking about.
But because it's so hilly and it'sset with a couple different waterways
cutting through it, you just haveincredible views in every direction.
I really think like there must be somany apartments in hotels in Istanbul

(07:53):
with views, probably better views thanalmost any other city in the world.
Owing to that elevation and just to thegeneral vistas in front of you in these
really big dramatic mosques that areeverywhere in this older architecture,
to me that's one of the things that, thatthe aesthetics of it really struck me.
And then the other thing,of course is the history.
It's just amazing history here.

(08:13):
And.
On top of that, I love the foodand I really love the cats, which
we're gonna talk about in a minute.
But what about you, Catherine?
What is it that drawsyou so much to Istanbul?
I think you nailed most of it for me.
I was thinking about ways that Icould describe the architecture
and kind of fell short because it'ssomething that you just have to see.
Like the architecture is nothingI've ever seen in my life like these.

(08:36):
The mosques, like
They're just absolutely astonishing.
The views as well.
Every hotel has a beautiful littlerooftop patio where you get these
sweeping views of the bore and thecity is just absolutely amazing.
For me, I'm a big art lover, so I lovethe rich artistic culture in that country.

(08:56):
Like the textiles and thetiles, I love mosaics.
They've got amazing mosaics.
Anyone who loves jewelry will be spoiled.
So that's something thatreally has captured me about
assemble and the people as well.
I have met such warm andgenerous people in that city
yeah, I think Istanbul really has alittle bit of everything, and that makes

(09:17):
a lot of sense when you consider thelocation and the history of the city.
As I mentioned earlier, like howmany cities can you go to two
continents in one day, back and forth.
The other day we went fromEurope to Asia and back all in
the span of five or six hours.
And again, because the Bosfor a stray is so important.
And because of that connectionbetween these important land masses.

(09:38):
All, there's just all this historyand all this effort put into different
empires, securing and defending the city.
And so you have that history ofthe city changing hands between
all these different empires andalso between different religions.
It has very important we've talkeda bit about the Islamic culture
and architecture here, there's alsoa lot of Christian history here.
It is the place where.

(09:59):
For a while the capital of theChristian Church was, and it's where
the Christian Church split as betweenthe Catholics and the Orthodox.
And you can find so many differentstrands of all that different
history all over the city.
And so I just think it'sabsolutely incredible.
So I think, I really think like it'sgotta be one of the top 10 cities in
the world, if not one of the top threeor five owing to all that uniqueness.

(10:21):
So you should absolutely go.
actually I have one more question for you,which is, what is up with all the cats?
You might've seen this on Instagram.
Istanbul is a city where the catsrule, like they are very much.
I'm gonna make a reel for Instagram myselfbecause I just got back from a trip on
the Masai Mar in the Savannah, and therethe lion is the king of the jungle.

(10:42):
But I was joking with Clara that
in Istanbul, the cat isreally the king of Istanbul.
And that's how the people treat the cats.
Like they treat the cats likekings and the cats really take
ownership over the entire city.
I'm not joking when I say there'sliterally cats everywhere you look.
And I'll put some videos up on thescreen there, but Katherine, I'm
wondering why, what's up with that?

(11:02):
As a crazy cat lady myself I thinkthat's one of the things that
makes Istanbul so special to me.
Basically the lore goes back that theprophet Mohammed had a fondness for cats.
Some stories will say he wassaved by a cat, and that's why the
animals are quite revered there.
And the Islamic religion alsoviews cats as very clean, so they
appreciate that about them as well.

(11:24):
But I, I think because of this religiousbackground with the cat it's fostered
a real community of care in the city.
So everywhere you go, you can seethese little cat houses and people
leave out food and water for them and.
Every restaurant has cats roaming around.
You can be sitting there eating yourkabob, and next thing you know, you
have a travel companion sitting nextto you that's popped up on the sea.

(11:47):
And they're also practical as well,so they're not just decorative and fun
for tourists, but they keep the verminaway from the wooden buildings as well.
So they're also, they'remosers, they're hunters.
They're important to thestructures of the city as well.
So I love the city for that.
If you wanna check out a little bit moreabout what makes a cat so special in
Istanbul, there's a wonderful film calledKedi, and Kedi is a Turkish word for Kat.

(12:10):
It's spelled KEDI.
And that gives a real, a wonderfulinsight into the cats of Istanbul,
why they're there and how thelocals are so fond of them.
It's so incredible, andespecially if you love cats,
which Clara is obsessed with cats.
I, that alone is a reason to goto Istanbul, really without, can
be the number one attraction.

(12:31):
I have seen cats in the mostridiculous places all over the city.
The other day we were walking by Chaneldisplay in front of a store, and there's
a cat that had just gotten into thedisplay and was just sitting up in there.
I've seen them sit, literally sitsleeping, blocking the doors to
stores and the crowd's coming inand out, stepping over this cat.
Like they give the catthe treatment of a king.

(12:53):
It's really quite something.
And for cat lovers, youdefinitely gotta come.
Let's talk about the mainattractions though, in Istanbul.
So I want to go over the sortof essential sites in Istanbul.
So I. If it's your first visitto Istanbul, what would you say
are the essential sites to see?
I think the number one for meare the mosques the Blue Mosque,
the Hagga, Sophia the SoleimaniMosque and the Orko Mosque as well.

(13:18):
I think they're some of the prettiestand of course the most famous as well.
But there's a reason for that.
They will just blow you away.
And what's really fun about the mosques isthere's a call to prayer five times a day,
and it's always quite fun to sit there.
If you can do it over ameal, it's even better.
Sit there and just listen to the callto prayers at these mosques, battle
it out to see who can be the loudest.

(13:39):
It's quite astonishing, the
the prayer calls are something that
Is definitely an atmosphericpart of the city here.
We may get one during this recording.
The times change as I understand it.
And so there, it kind, it depends.
But in general it's five timesduring the day and including
some early in the morning.
Almost, I've stayed in three or fourdifferent hotels here and I think

(14:00):
they all have had some degree of,you're gonna hear that in the morning,
but it's all part of the experience.
Speaking of those mosques, so theHaggas Sophia in particular is one
of the most, not only one of the mostbeautiful, but also one of the most
important buildings in the world.
Maybe elaborate a bit on that.
Yeah, that it really is one of themost important buildings, and I
think it highlights the trajectory ofthe city really beautifully because

(14:24):
it began as a Byzantine church.
So the mosaics are reallybeautiful inside there.
Then it turned into a mosque.
And then it was a museum.
So the last time I wasthere, it was a museum.
And in 2020 it has beenconverted back to a mosque.
So a very interesting exampleof the history of Istanbul.

(14:44):
you can just see all ofit in the one building.
I did go, I went this past Saturday.
And I do have some tips for folks on that.
So it is now converted backinto a mosque, but still a
significant amount of tourists.
They're running a lotof folks through there.
It costs $25 to enter as a tourist.
Now if you are a Muslim and youwere there to pray the lower

(15:07):
floor is open as a mosque.
And you, there's basically two entrances.
So when you approach, there's giant signs.
One is for the Muslims to pray, andthe other is to visit as a tourist.
And there's many people out frontwho will help you find the right way.
On the tourist side you onlygo to the balcony, which is the
upstairs part of it on the inside.
It cost 25 euros a person.

(15:28):
When I got to the ticket counter, theyasked me if I wanted a ticket for the
whole experience or just for the balcony.
And I was confused because I was like Iwanna see the whole thing, and the whole
experience cost more like over 50 euros.
And what I didn't realize,what they meant by that was it
wasn't, the balcony is enough.
That's all you're gonna seewithin the building itself.

(15:51):
And for most people, probably that25 euros, I would say is enough.
And that what they upsold me on isthe Haas Sophia experience and Museum.
It's not much of a museum.
It's very small, but it is thisvideo experience that you go
through, you literally go in witha group, so it's just timed entry.
So you, you show up with your ticket.

(16:12):
So we went to the hockey Sophiafirst, afterwards, went to this
experience, and then they takeyou through a bunch of rooms that
have sort of giant video displays.
And some of them have coollittle artifacts or things
to add to the experience.
But in general, you're just seeingthese almost IMAX experience around you.
And at first I was annoyed'cause I was like, man, I just
spent like 60 euros for this.

(16:33):
And I did because I didn't know not tobuy it and most people didn't because
there's significantly fewer at thatexperience than at the Hagi Sophia.
I would say probably most peopledon't need to go, but I actually
really appreciated it at the endbecause it walked through the whole,
it was like a dramatized version ofthe entire history of the building.
And it's incredible the history.
Particularly the drama around thesplit of the Christian Church.

(16:57):
And then furthermore, the how it changedhands back and forth and build up.
It's I go back and forth.
I think if you really like history, it'sprobably worth doing that experience.
But a bit of a tip there.
Then before, when you gointo the balcony, so there's
security as there is everywhere.
You can take videos, there's aaudio tour that you can take, you.
Should bring your own headphones for that.

(17:19):
If not, you can rent headphonesfor, I wanna say it's three euros or
something like that, but they're notlike the best quality headphones.
And it's just one of those QR thingswhere you like have a QR thing on your
phone and it comes up and it givesyou a little bit of audio information.
The inside itself is is veryinteresting because it has there
are these mosaics that were fromthe time when it was Christian era.

(17:40):
And there's, at one point there's stilla significant mosaic of the Virgin Mary.
That is one of the biggest sortof lines to go up and see that.
And so you can go around andsee the inside of all of it.
It's most beautiful from the outsidethough, which is entirely free.
And the last time I was here, thatwas the only way I enjoyed it.
And you can wander around in front.
They have, it's a giant park and thenacross the way is the blue mosque and I.

(18:03):
That, that whole area is really just oneof the most beautiful parts of the city.
So I think you're totally right, likethe mosque's, definitely one of the,
one of the best things, we've been toseveral different ones including the
Chaka Camika on the Asian side, whichis, I think actually bigger than either
the Blue Mosque or the Hogie of Sophia.
But it's more of a modernmosque set up on the hill

(18:25):
Yes.
That's a new
way from
Europe.
Yeah, that was really interesting.
Any other tips or thoughts on the mosques?
Yes.
Men and women need to be mindfulof visiting the mosques because
you will need to be covered.
No tank tops allowed, or I believethey're still not allowing shorts for men
I saw some people with it, but it waslike I, I don't, they had signs that said

(18:47):
No shorts, you're correct about that.
But I also did see people withthem, so I don't know what that
And then you also have totake off your shoes as well
Oh really?
We did not have to take off her shoes.
did they give you little,
though, because we'reonly up in the balcony.
So you're right.
If you go within any of the other mosques,you take off your shoes at the entrance.
But I think it's because we weren'tactually in the prayer part of it.

(19:09):
Okay.
But don't be surprised if youget asked to take off your shoes.
'cause that might that might happen.
And then women must havetheir heads covered.
So I always like to walk with ascarf just to be on the safe side.
And I believe most places if youdon't have one, they will provide one
But they're not as ecstatic.
If you want to take photos, you should.
Clara bought her own before becauseshe they're like a little they're

(19:32):
slightly throwaway kind of material.
I think we went to a nearbymarket that was in your guide.
That I can't remember the name of it.
Arista ba bizarre
there you go.
Exactly
the Arista bizarre.
Yeah.
And she found one for, I wannasay like 200 which is like $5.
So was, not that cheap.
It was originally 300.
You have to haggle inthe markets, by the way.

(19:53):
And I thought looked really good.
So if if plan ahead for yourdress particularly because
it is really nice photos.
And the scarves they give you aswell can smell a little bit as well.
Like they don't smell great.
That's another thing about them.
So we just talked about one ofthe markets, but I think another
one that, that you recommendedhighly is the markets in the city.
Should we talk about those?

(20:14):
I
Yeah, of course.
The Arista Bazaar actually ismy favorite market in the city.
I think it's just it's really manageable.
It's so much more manageable than the
and that's the smaller one that's justaround the corner from the Blue Mosque,
it is, yes.
Yeah.
like, The main bizarre just to, Iapologize, right now for listeners at
home, like the Grand Bazaar is likethe famous one that everyone goes to,

(20:36):
yeah.
The Grand Bazaar is astonishing.
I think there's, it's something like10,000 streets in that ba bizarre.
It's wild.
And it's, of course you have to visit it.
It's absolutely incredible.
I've actually when I was on my tourof Turkey, we actually, got to go
up and walk around the roof of theGrand Bazaar, which was really cool.
But I don't think that's somethingthat's open to the public.

(20:57):
But if if you take a tour, youmight wanna ask about that.
Yeah, the Grand Bazaaris something to see.
I love the Arista Bazaar becauseit's a little bit smaller,
not so touristy and crowded.
And then another one I loveis the Egyptian Spice Market.
It's down at the waterfront and thatyou can just stock up on your spices.

(21:17):
There just, it smells really goodand it's a really beautiful place
just to experience all the differentspices and the colors and the displays
and grab some Turkish delight.
It's a beautiful spot as well, so
if you can hit all threethat you'll love it.
All right, so we gotmarkets, we got mosques.
What are some of the otheressential sites and experiences?

(21:39):
Istanbul was the city of Ottoman Empires.
So we definitely wanna experiencethe royal side of Istanbul at the
at the Top Kappa Palace Museumand the Do Bache Palace as well.
The big palace is where youcan see how the Sultans lived.
The Top Cap Palace is reallyfamous for its harem as well,
and you can learn all about that.

(21:59):
It's not always quite the sameassociation of what we think
of when we hear that word.
And they're just really beautifulexamples of art and architecture.
The Do Palace is super ornate.
It's really beautiful as well.
And just a really importantpart of the history of the city
Yeah, I went there last time I was there.
The inside is incredible.

(22:21):
It is incredible.
know if I have any videos'cause they really don't let
photos and videos in most of it.
I think in the center you could takea few and cer it might have a few
from the outside, but it's really ashame that you can't take more photos.
It's so the detail on it, it is just,I, that's what really stood out to me.
And it's located right on the sea.
So you have this justsuch a beautiful set.
Yeah.
Or on the, on, I guesson the bus straight.

(22:43):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
we've talked about the historical sites.
There's also some othermodern stuff in Istanbul.
It's, it, the city has blends thatare there any of the more recent sites
that, that you recommend visiting?
Yeah.
You'll wanna hit the district of, and thatis where you'll find h and m and Zara, all
those, great shops along iste, et that isthe main shopping street in Istanbul and.

(23:08):
It's still historic, like there's stillso much to see there, even though it's
a little bit more on the modern side.
The architecture is absolutely stunning.
There's a really beautiful mix of art,novoa and Neoclassical architecture.
As I mentioned, great shopping.
If you need a new outfit for yournight out, that's the place to go.
TEXO Square is also really interesting.

(23:29):
You can see the Republic Monumentand that is where the central station
of the metro is, so that's a littlebit more of a modern area as well.
The Galata Tower is alsoin that neighborhood, and
it's beautiful in photos.
It's such a
is like the iconic tower.
It looks
It's that iconic tower.
tower, and it's like the, I think the,it's certainly on that part, it's the

(23:50):
highest point on the European side.
When you're or on the northern partof the European side across the water.
And so it really stands out andyou see it in all the postcards and
it is one of the postcard sites.
Yeah, that, that dates back to the 1300.
So that's not exactly modern, but areally great experience to walk up that,
and then you can get all your greatviews of the whole city from there.

(24:12):
And then The Istanbul Modernis a superb modern art gallery.
That's a great site tovisit if you're an art
A and it's connected toa huge shopping area.
And there's a bunch of malls andyou can we've walked down there
on the river two or three times.
It's also where the cruise ships pull up.
So one night it got a little overwhelmedwhen there was a giant cruise ship in.

(24:32):
And they were building thatthe last time I was there, so I
haven't actually experienced that.
So to me, I'm like, it's a reallyquiet district, probably not anymore
It's really nice.
It's like higher end and that entire areain order to enter where the modern is,
like the mall, the whole bit, it's allguarded off by, by a security entrance.
So it's a really cool part of the city.

(24:52):
We've gone down there two or three times.
We've walked that entire tire distancethat you're talking about because
all along the way you can stop andbecause of the hill, there's so
many rooftop restaurants or cafes orplaces that you can go and check out.
And what I find so cool aboutit is because there's so many of
'em, it's actually not that hard.
You can just like rock up to a few ofthem and you can find one and you can

(25:15):
find a seat with a incredible view.
Because there's just so many,because of the way the topography is.
Yeah.
And then I also, I, again, it's probablya lot more crowded now, but the little
just a little district called Carracoi, and that's is full of little
fun restaurants and bars and likecute little streets that I, that's a

(25:35):
place I really love going for dinner.
Yeah,
And uh, and just walking around.
It's nice at night.
yeah.
And let's see what havewe not talked about?
The cistern.
,Cistern, the basilica
it's maybe explain it for the listeners.
Yeah, it's the it's the old waterway.
So when you go downstairs,when you go into it
This is like below the Hagga

(25:56):
as below.
Yeah.
And it's really ethereal and you see thewater and you can hear the water dripping
and it's really beautifully flood lit.
You can see all the old structures of
And there's like old columns itlooks like, that are in there.
And there's some really interestinglike Medusa heads that are laying
on their side, which I reallylike those are really cool.
But it is, it's a bit of a, maybe alesser known site but one worth doing.

(26:20):
It doesn't take a lot oftime, but it's really cool.
yeah, we've got that on our list.
And then a couple of the others, classicexperiences that we haven't talked about.
Basilica CisternThe first one is justa cruise, like out on the Bosphorus.
And that's something thatwe're gonna do next week.
And you're where tostay in Istanbul Guide.
You recommend one that looks reallycool where it's more of a yacht

(26:40):
cruise where you're out on the yacht.
And then they also have,you see them everywhere.
These like very large ships thathave dinner cruises where it's
more of like a formal dinnerand a buffet and the whole bit.
And we're very excited for that.
'cause you can imagine, the,particularly at Sunset you've got
these waterways as you can see.
So many of the sites arevisible from the water.

(27:01):
They're visible from everywhere,but in particular from the water.
So really looking forwardto taking that cruise.
Any thoughts on that or any otheressential experiences in Istanbul?
Yeah.
You're gonna love your cruise.
They're amazing.
I've done two.
I've actually never done one at night,which I'd really like to do one day.
but it,
They charge like the, there's like adaytime price and then there's like the

(27:23):
Yes,
price.
Yeah.
because the sunset I am sure is gonnabe worth the extra money for sure.
But it's just really beautiful just tobe on the water and you can see, you
see all the big sites from the water andall the old mansions along the bo first.
And, I plan out my dream lifeon those cruises because the

(27:43):
mansions are so amazing as well.
And yeah, and you can see everystructure in Istanbul from there.
It's, I think definitelya must do activity.
Another one that I love that I didn'tthink I would is doing a Turkish bath.
So they're known as Hamams and andthey're a really fun experience.
At first I was a littlebit nervous because

(28:06):
It is like a public thing, right?
Like you
It's a public thing.
Yeah.
So I was like, oh dear.
And and it's a bath, so you justbasically have kind of your underwear on.
I think you could probably weara swimsuit if you're really not
comfortable, but it, like theexperience honestly changed my life.
'cause the first part of it you walk inand you lie down on a hot slob of marble,

(28:27):
which sounds torturous, but it's glorious.
And then you get just a good scrub downwith this beautiful olive oil soap.
So it's really cleansing andrejuvenating for the body.
And like, when you look at yourskin, what they've scrubbed
off your skin, comes off black.
It's really quite like, is thatall in my system it's a little
bit gross, but your skin has neverfelt better ever in your life.

(28:48):
And gosh, it's something I wishI could do like once a month.
They're like.
200 in Vancouver.
They're really affordable andlike a super local experience.
This is what the local people do.
Yeah, wear a swimsuit orjust get over any nerves.
It's not as bad
kRA wants to do one, and I'm alittle on the, I think it'll be fine.
I've done similar experiences inGeorgia and of course, like the SSON

(29:10):
in Japan are a similar experience.
But yeah, like the scru,it's, I don't mind the.
Public appearance.
What more is I don'tlike people touching me.
I have, I, it took me a while to getcomfortable with massages in Thailand.
Long time.
Listeners know, I spend alot of time in ti Thailand.
I have a long time long-term visa there,and so I get a lot of massages there.
But it took me a long time to getcomfortable and I'm particularly

(29:31):
comfortable with that becauseI know how a time massage goes.
So I know first they're gonna dothis, then they're gonna do this.
So it's that's the thing.
But I think we gotta do it.
Even our hotel has one right downstairs.
I took a tour of it earlier.
It's a how do you say it again?
It's a hamam.
Come on.
And they don't treat you kindlythere, like they're grabbing at you
and scrubbing you and it's Yeah.
You're like a bit of a ragdoll.

(29:52):
But it's worth it.
It's really amazing.
Okay, so we've got thecruise, we've got the hamam.
Other, I'll talk aboutfood here in a minute.
But other than that, are thereany other essential experiences?
Whirling, dervishes?
Maybe we saw one of those the other day.
Yeah, that's it almost verges onthe spiritual, watching the world
whirling dervishes is it is a spiritualpractice, they can get a little bit

(30:16):
touristy, so you have to be carefulof where you go and watch them.
But that's an experience that's quiteunique in Turkey to watch that.
If you're a football fan Istanbulhas a few football teams.
I am not a football fan, so I can't speaktoo much to that, but it's always fun
to go watch a football match in Istanbul.
So that's another great experience.

(30:37):
And then the walking tours are alwaysamazing, like you learn so much.
I have a few friends who are tourguides and they're so knowledgeable
and passionate about their city.
So historical walking tour is definitelysomething that should be on the list.
And it also helps you get yourbearings in the city as well.
And another experience if you'rethere for kind of a good amount

(30:59):
of time take an art workshop.
Like those are really fun.
Istanbul has so many unique and it'sreally fun to learn how to make those.
So that's another really funexperience if you have a little
bit more time on your hands.
Very cool.
I mentioned food.
I feel like we've gotta talkabout food because it's.
Such a unique experience here.
Listeners may know I'mplant-based, I'm vegetarian.

(31:19):
But even as a vegetarian, there's justsuch an incredible array of options here.
And I'm a little embarrassed to admit.
I'm not a hundred percent sure thename of half of the things that
I'm eating, but it's all delicious.
Turkish is a bit of a tonguetwister too, so it's you probably
can't even pronounce them either.
Yeah, food is really animportant part of the city.
And I think one of the mostfun parts is the street food.

(31:43):
So everywhere you go you can findthey look like little bagels.
They're called simit, and those are areally nice, cheap and cheerful snack.
And yeah, they're a bread, like a bagel.
I also love the corn on the cobthat they sell on the streets.
But yeah, as a vegetarian, especiallyas a vegetarian Istanbul has a lot
of beautiful salads and like grilledeggplant and things like that.
So like super vegetarian friendly

(32:05):
A lot of dips and breads and cheeses.
Oh my goodness.
So many cheeses.
The cheese is my favoritepart of a Turkish breakfast.
If you haven't experienced a Turkishbreakfast it's quite something.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, breada little, some cold cuts as well,
but I think the vegetarian itemson a breakfast is what I really
like, a lot of eggs as well.

(32:25):
And then as a meat eater Ilove the kebab, so pistachio
kebab is my absolute favorite.
And then fish, becausethey're right on the sea.
There's a lot of seafood and the fishis really fresh and delicious as well.
As a Canadian, I'm used to gettingmy fish, beer battered or a nice
garlic butter sauce, like done for me.

(32:46):
But in Istanbul you will geta whole fish on, on a plate.
Of you, if you're like me and youdon't really know how to navigate
that, they're there to help.
And but you'll have totake this fish apart
And sweets.
We gotta talk about sweets.
I think if you have, I think that if youhave a sweet tooth, Istanbul is one of
the best cities in the world for you.

(33:07):
I, no, no kidding.
Within an hour of getting off the planealready had three or four different
sweets purchased because you'll justyou see 'em just in these windows as
you walk along, and they're so enticing.
All kinds of, everything frombaklava to Turkish to delight to
all sorts of different candiesand nuts and various things.

(33:28):
It's I am, it's like Italywhere every time you go, you
leave a kilogram or two higher.
I think that may end up beingthe case for me here, largely
on account of the sweetss.
A Absolutely.
And that's my problem as well.
And you're right, like the displaysare so beautiful that you just
have to, like it would almost berude not to take part in that.
But yeah, a ba of us is my favorite.

(33:49):
Give me a box of that.
It'll be done in an hour.
I just love it.
It does make for a nicestop while you're like out.
'cause we are out walkingaround the city a lot.
One of the best things to do is to justexplore all the neighborhoods and we'll
talk about neighborhoods in a minute.
But, you're out walkingand get a little tired.
Maybe you're not ready for a meal.
Maybe in other cities youwould stop for a drink.
And you can also do that here.

(34:10):
They do sell alcohol in alot of places in Istanbul.
But what I like as someone who triesto moderate my alcohol intake is you
have a lot of options for little smallthings that you can stop and you can
have a Turkish tea or you can have acoffee or you can have a a small sweets.
And there's a lot of that going on.
There is a lot of smokingas well, which is.
A bit of an issue sometimes for me,but but I like that there's almost

(34:33):
anytime your feet are getting tired.
That's a good way to, I at leastmaybe that's the excuse that I
tell myself, but it's a good wayto, to to take a quick break.
And all those hills,you need to replenish.
But
I'm getting in 10,000steps a day here, so I'm
Oh, absolutely.
On hills.
On hills, so you're gettingthe elevation as well.
But I think Turkish delightcan be controversial.
A lot of people think they eitherreally love it or they really hate it.

(34:56):
I
what is it for the listeners?
A Turkish delight.
How do you, it's likea gelatinous square is
yeah.
maybe a high class jujubeis how I would describe it.
It's gelatinous you can get themplain, but sometimes, they're
All kinds
of flavors.
Yeah, all
All kind and different flavors.
And I think even a lot of peopleare like, oh, I don't like Turkish
light, but in Istanbul, try it.
Just try a piece.

(35:16):
quite often the shopkeepers willgive you a little sample of it,
but it's definitely worth trying.
I think they're delicious andyou mentioned alcohol and one of
their main drinks is called Raku,and that is I really like black
licorice, so I love this stuff.
It's so good.
It's really strong though, so youhave to be quite careful with it.

(35:37):
But that's something that like avery local Turkish drink that you
should also try and Yeah, like Isay, be careful with it, but if you
like black licorice, you'll love it.
That stuff.
It's it's my favorite.
Raa.
Okay, so I've gotta look out for that.
I've been mostly drinking twoborgs, which is the local beer.
Yeah.
And beer ees is another really popular.
I'm not a beer drinker, but as well.

(35:59):
I'm not, it's not a food, butsomething that's really nice to do
after dinner is to also take partin the shisha culture there as well.
I'm not a smoker, but I love Aishaand it's just, it's part of the
culture to, sit around after dinnerwith a tea and just hang out with
your friends and talk over over ashisha or a hookah as it's also known.

(36:21):
They're big water pipes with a flavoredtobacco and They're quite nice for
an experience after dinner, evenif you're not typically a smoker.
It's fun.
Try once.
Yeah, I have tried it.
I, it's it is interesting.
I will say there is alot of smoke everywhere.
That is one, there are alot of pros to Istanbul.
One con is it is I do feel like I'mgetting a fair bit of secondhand smoke

(36:45):
just by being out around the city.
So it's something to be aware of,particularly if you're sensitive or
you have allergies or for somethinglike that it is a little hard to avoid.
One trick that we found is that sittinginside at some, because oftentimes at
restaurants you have just this, especiallywhen it's nice outside as it is right
now, you just have a ton of people sittingoutside and pretty much everyone smokes.
Oftentimes the non-smokingarea is the inside side.

(37:07):
So that's a bit of a tip.
Okay.
We could honestly spendhours talking about all the
things to do in Istanbul and.
It's funny 'cause thisis my second trip here.
I came for a couple weeks, a couple yearsago and even still you're mentioning
things I haven't done and I'm like writingdown notes and things that I gotta go do.
And we actually were planningto be here for two weeks.

(37:28):
I extended for an additional weekbecause there's just no way, we
haven't even done the cruise yet.
There's so many things to do here.
So there's, you have somuch to do in Istanbul.
And with that said, plenty of peoplecan, drop your favorites in the comments,
but are there any particular hidden gemsor any sites we haven't talked about?
There is one that we have not talkedabout yet, and that is the Chora Church.

(37:51):
That's a really importantsite in Istanbul as well.
And it's famous for its mosaicsabout the life of Mary and
they're just absolutely beautiful.
And that's another definitely one ofmy favorite places in the city and
one that you should put on your list.
You mentioned the Gem Laja Mosque earlier.

(38:12):
There is also a big hill therethat you can go for great views.
It's on the Asian side of Istanbul, butone of the guys in the market recommended
that to me and I really enjoyedmy, morning up there for the views.
So if you're looking for more views of theEuropean side, that's a great place to go.
If you're an art lover likeme the Istanbul archeological

(38:35):
museum is phenomenal.
As is a great Palace Mosaics museumand the Turkish and Islamic Arts
Museum, they like lesser known sites.
But if you have the time, thoseare great to, to put on your list.
And if you visit the Orco MosqueArna Koi is a neighborhood nearby
and they it's a waterfront.

(38:56):
Where they have all these old, colorfulhouses and it's just really beautiful
to walk around there and see allthe fishermen and and experience the
architecture of that neighborhood.
No big sites, but I think justthe structures of the waterfront
themselves are really beautifulplace to go if you have the time.
Awesome.
So if you're planning your trip toIstanbul, we've just given you a

(39:16):
really big bucket list of places.
I know some of these names,especially if you're listening,
might be a little hard to make out.
So what I'd recommend doing is lookingup Catherine's Guide to Where to Stay
in Istanbul, which you can find bygoing to travel lemming, or you can
find on your favorite search engine byjust typing in Istanbul Travel Lemming.

(39:36):
And then a little tip on allof our Where to Stay guides.
In Travel Leming, we have custom GoogleMaps that include all of the places
that are recommended in that guide.
And you can find it by justscrolling down a little bit.
You'll see a map that has the differentneighborhoods in the city on YouTube.
We'll go ahead and putthis up on the screen.
And below that there's a link.

(39:56):
And a lot of people don't knowthat link's there, but it's one of
my favorite features of the site.
And you can click it and thenyou'll get a custom Google map
that has pins and information of.
Everything that's included in the guide.
And I did that with Catherine's guide.
And we've been using it to goaround and see the whole city.
So if you wanna find all the placesthat we're talking about, I think
that's like a one click solution.

(40:17):
So I'd highly recommend that there'splenty more places in Istanbul.
We could spend hours talking about all ofthem, but I want to get into a bit more
trip planning details to help folks whoare thinking about planning a trip there.
So let's go over very quickly, we'lldo a rapid fire round going over the
other questions that people might have.
So right out of the gate, we just talkedabout there's so much in the city.

(40:39):
I guess that raises the question, howlong should you spend visiting Istanbul?
How many days do you need for Istanbul?
Oh my gosh.
I would say forever, but four to sevendays I think is a really nice start.
For a trip to Istanbul, it'll giveyou a really great taste of the city
and you'll be able to see and doa lot in for four days to a week.

(41:00):
But I'll definitely haveyou wanting to return.
Yeah, I would say themore time the better.
I think a lot of people thinkthat they could do it in a
day or two and even a weekend.
You can, you could certainly seea lot of the top sites but I think
it's, you're gonna have a lot to do.
Obviously Istanbul is one of themain attractions in Turkey, but a
lot of people come and they combineit with a trip throughout Turkey.

(41:21):
What other places would you recommendvisiting in Turkey beyond Istanbul?
I would recommend definitely if youcan get to Cappadocia visit that it's
it's one of the most famous places inTurkey where you see all the really
interesting rock formations knownas they call them fairy chimneys.
But that's a really interesting place togo and walk in the little caves there.

(41:44):
And in the underground city as wellis a really cool part of Cappadocia.
Poule as well has some really interestingkind of calcium pools of water.
It looks like, it actuallylooks like snow, but it's not.
It's just the calcium and therock there that gives it this
really beautiful white color.
And the water is pureturquoise, it's gorgeous.

(42:08):
Antalia, Badra Ephesus and Cash arereally amazing, like beach locations.
I've been to Antalia and cash.
Cash is a little less.
Touristy, but just gorgeous onthe Mediterranean, on the water.
Really popular resorttowns in Eastern Turkey.
That's gonna be my next trip, I think.
I, I really, I'm dyingto go to Eastern Turkey.

(42:30):
Mount Emrich is very famous and tapas well for its food and mosaics.
So those are some places of interest inthe eastern part of the country as well.
Got it.
Perfect.
What is the best time ofyear to visit Istanbul?
Anytime of the year is wonderful, butI think spring is a beautiful time to
come because from late March throughearly May, you can see all the tulips.

(42:51):
And it's that is a flower of Turkeyand they really they really do it up
the city does it up with the tulips.
That's really beautiful and colorful.
Summer is great.
I've spent a summer there and the daysare really long and fun to sit outside,
but it is quite hot in the summer.
So I would say maybe September, Octoberwould be a little bit better for more

(43:13):
comfortable temperatures and winteris also a nice time to visit places
just because everything gets a littlebit cheaper, not so many tourists.
Like during the spring andsummer, you're gonna be waiting
in long lines and it's hot.
So winter's always a nice option as well.
Yeah, I'm here.
It's currently late June been herefor a few weeks and so unfortunately

(43:35):
we missed the tulips, but theweather's been very comfortable.
It does get a little hot,particularly in the middle of the
afternoon, but it's not too bad.
It is interesting though, because.
Later in the evening, Ioften still need a jacket.
So you get quite a range oftemperatures throughout the day.
But we like to really go out in theevenings because, as you say, the sun

(43:56):
doesn't set until about eight 30, so youstill have twilight until well past nine.
And so it's been like, 75 degrees, 72degrees right around that time, which
is just perfect for a sunset walk.
Being at the Mediterranean climate, likeas you say, it's a it's a destination
that you could visit almost anytime.
We should talk a bit about transportation.
I mentioned earlier, one easy way youcan, now they don't have Uber traditional

(44:19):
Ubers in Istanbul, rather the Uberapp just works to basically hail a
taxi which you could otherwise do.
And I have done a few times, butsometimes they hassle a little bit.
And so I found that the app hasbeen helpful just to have a set
price and the whole bit, andthey, it works really quickly.
Like usually I get a taxi within.

(44:39):
Two to three minutes fromanywhere in the city.
But there's also a bunch of other options.
We've the other day took a ferry fromthe European side to the Asian side.
There's a train there's lots ofpublic transportation options.
What thoughts do you have abouthow to get around Istanbul?
Yeah I'm a big fan of taking publictransportation around Istanbul.
Traffic can be really bad there, andI think that is also too soft a word.

(45:04):
I think it's quite legendary there.
And taxi, I don't always feelcomfortable because the taxi drivers
can sometimes give me a bit of ahard time and I don't deal with them.
So public transportation is the way that.
I usually go, I I buy an Istanbul cart andthat's just a refillable transport card.
It gives you a little bit of adiscount for each trip you take, and

(45:25):
you can use that on the whole system.
So there's tram, metro, and buses.
So you can use that card toget around on everything.
Which I really like.
I love the tram 'cause that kind oftakes you to anywhere that you wanna see.
So it's just one line, but it it goespast all the major tourist sites.
And I also use my feet a lot.

(45:45):
I walk around Istanbul.
That's my preferred way to travel be.
'cause there's just so muchyou can see by foot and.
Even though it's a long distance,it doesn't feel like so far
because you're seeing so manywonderful things along the way.
But public transportation for meis, has always been the way to go.
Yeah, all good tips.
And you're right, Istanbul is ahundred percent a walking city.
I've really been focusing this year.

(46:07):
One of my goals for this year isto get, above 10,000 steps average
per the day for the whole year.
And it has not been a problem in I 10,
No.
the bigger problem has just been thatmy feet sometimes do get tired here,
as you say, especially with the hills.
But walking is a great wayto get around the city.
Okay.
So as I mentioned several times, Catherinehas a guide to where to stay in Istanbul.

(46:27):
Highly recommend checking that out.
We'll put a link all the places you wouldexpect to find a link, or you can find it
by searching where to stay in Istanbul.
Travel lemming, really,because the city is so huge.
It literally spans two continentsand there's so many hotels here.
I think that a lot of peopleget overwhelmed when trying to
decide where to stay in Istanbul.

(46:48):
So what would you advise them?
You are right Nate.
It can get really overwhelming.
I think just to keep it reallysimple, Sultan, Amme and Belu
are the two neighborhoods thatare perfect for first timers.
Like those are the places that we'll haveyou near everything that you wanna see.
So if you wanna just stay simple,choose one of those neighborhoods.
And so is the main sort of tourist area.

(47:12):
It's where all the main at, not all,but many of the main attractions we're
talking about the Hawk Sophia, the BlueMosque the Bazaar it is the separated
by across the bridge on the southernpart from the main European side.
So it is got water all around it.
You have lots of nice rooftops.
Are there any particular hotels thatyou would recommend in that area?

(47:33):
The ones that I've stayedat have been really great.
I absolutely love my stay at Hotel Amera.
That's a really nice, and allthese are pretty affordable.
'Cause I'm a solo traveler hotel.
Amera is a great choice.
Hotel, ock as well was a great choicewhen I stayed there with some friends.
Those are two really nice ones to stay at.

(47:55):
If you want to blow your budget the FourSeasons Salton Habit is a great option.
It used to be a prison,it was an Ottoman prison.
But that is a really unique place to stay.
And The Seven Hills as well is a greathotel and it has my favorite restaurant
patio as well, so that's a nice placeto consider and check out as well.

(48:16):
Yeah.
Clara actually stayed at the hotelAmira based on your recommendation.
I don't think I told you that a coupleweeks ago she had a couple nights on a
layover on the way to meet me in Kenyafor our safari before we came back here.
And you're right, it's got sucha, it's got an amazing location.
Like you, you really cannot get a betterlocation 'cause it's in all the sites
there and it's got a really good rooftop.
I'll put a couple of her photos up on thescreen on YouTube for folks to look at.

(48:40):
And then the other neighborhood thatyou mentioned was I think where I am
right now, which is ba say it for me.
Belu,
Yeah.
And so describe that for the listeners.
That is the home of is, it's themain shopping area, super vibrant.
Galata Tower is nearby.
And then like I mentioned before,it stretches down into Cari as well,

(49:04):
but just really hip, lots of funrestaurants a little bit more lively
at night than Salt and Hammett.
So if you want a little bitmore of a quiet place salt and
hammett's probably a better option.
But ba is really fun.
Yeah, I'm staying, so I'm stayingjust outside or I think in Belu
here at the Sheraton Istanbul CityCenter which is a really nice hotel.
It's actually really for a fivestar hotel, it was incredible.

(49:26):
You can get incredible value atthe higher end of nice hotels here.
We're paying, I think $120 a night andit's really a five star hotel, so it's.
Been such an amazing stay here.
We were gonna move somewhere elseand just decided to extend here
because it's been such a great hotel.
They have a huge breakfast spread and theyhave a bunch of different restaurants and
they have a spa, and the gym is enormous.

(49:46):
And even though I don't have, youcan't see, I do have a decent view
of the hillside across from us here.
I can't open up thewindows or else the water.
The light will just washout the camera on YouTube.
But I would recommend that one as well.
There's a bunch of hotels that you orI have stayed at or that we've seen.
Go check out Catherine's guide ifyou're planning a trip to Istanbul.

(50:06):
Lots of great recommendations in there.
You really wanna make sureyou're in a central place.
So be sure to read that before you book.
Now let's talk about budget.
You mentioned earlier thatyou're a budget traveler.
I, one of the things I've noticed, oneof the things that really has impressed
me about Istanbul is how budget friendlyit is, especially compared to the other

(50:26):
major European cities, compared tosomewhere like Rome or Paris or something.
And it has all the history.
It's as big, it's as interestingas those places, but it is
at half or less of the cost.
So it's so budget friendly andevery, you can get the full range
of options, but what would you sayis a reasonable expected budget for

(50:46):
someone planning a trip to Istanbul?
I would say US dollars, 200 to 300 perday, to have a really comfortable time
because like you mentioned, your hotel iscosting a hundred and something a night.
That's typically what I've paid as well.
I can't go much higher than that.
And then, yeah, like foodis really affordable.
I've heard since I've been there.

(51:07):
I think the attractionshave gone up a little
They are, they're ridiculous, to be
but.
you.
Yeah.
Much higher price than otherattractions in other cities.
So as I mentioned, like the HOK Sophia was25 euros, and then they upsold me on the
experience that, so for two people it wasover a hundred Euros, and that was just
one of the things that we did that day.

(51:28):
At the same time, the way I think aboutit is that money goes to support the city.
It's very importantthat they have tourism.
And they, there's a lot of preservationwork that has to go into keeping
all of these sites together.
And so I don't mind paying it, andI just think of it as, as my way
of contributing back to the city.
And I hope that they're using that money.

(51:48):
But you will find a fair bit of complaintswhen people have complaints about.
Attractions in Istanbul.
If you go to look at reviews, one ofthe common ones is that they feel like a
lot of the things are a bit overpriced.
So there's that.
With that said, that there, there'ssome ways you can cut down on that.
There are attraction passes.
There's the Istanbul Pass, which will getyou into a bunch of the different ones.
The museum, Istanbul Museums hasa museum pass that you can take.

(52:11):
We've got some of thosein your guides as well.
So especially if you're going to likea bunch of different sites, you can get
some of those passes and some of them comeeven with a Borus cruise and maybe like
a whirling dervis show included in them.
Getting an attraction pass, especially ifyou're visiting with a family or something
and you want to go to a bunch of differentsites, might end up, I think actually

(52:32):
I did the math the other day on one ofthem and I was like, oh, I definitely
would've saved money had I gottenone of those passes before we did it.
So I, that's one possible tip but forsure you're gonna have a little bit more
on the attractions, but like restaurantsand things are pretty reasonable here.
We're paying.
You can easily find a decentmeal for $10 and you can find

(52:52):
street food for a few dollars.
And I'm talking like, I think the otherday we paid 10 or $12 for a rooftop view
at a really nice Italian restaurant.
So food is pretty reasonable.
Your main expenses will be youraccommodation and like you said,
transportation, you've got lots ofgreat options that are affordable.
The ferries are like incredibly cheap.
It's like a dollar or something to getbetween continents which is amazing.

(53:16):
Any other tips forsaving money in Istanbul?
I'm not always comfortable with this,but haggle at the bazaars so you can
pick up all your souvenirs and your giftsfor your friends for cheaper prices.
Use the wifi.
there's lots of public wifiaround in Istanbul as well.
.Okay.
We're coming to the end ofthe podcast here, but I want
to wrap up with a few tips.

(53:38):
What are your tips for listenersor any particular pieces of advice
or parting words that you have?
And then I'll give a few before we go.
Yeah, I think the biggest tipis just to note the clothing.
Just be mindful of modestclothing and the headscarf.
Istanbul is and Turkey itself is moresecular than other Islamic countries,

(53:58):
there's, it's still an Islamiccountry, so just be mindful of that.
Respect the Islamic culture.
Even if you don't agree with everything.
I don't agree with everything.
They probably don't agree witheverything when they come here,
so just just be mindful of that.
And.
Again, another safety tip, just don'tengage with anybody who approaches.
A lot of the shopkeeperscan be quite aggressive.
Just, you can walk away, just tellthem no they're not gonna hurt you.

(54:21):
It's just more of an annoyance.
With regards to tipping, it's not quiteas generous as it is in the US and
Canada, but tipping is still, appreciatedand a little bit of an expectation.
So I like to tip around 10 to 15% inrestaurants, maybe round up a taxi fare.
If I do take a taxi, if I do take a guidedtour I'll usually give the guide maybe

(54:44):
about $10, which would be about 280 Lyra.
And and then I live a little,a few Lyra, 50 Lyra for hotel
staff per day of my stay.
Learn a few words of Turkish.
It's a tough language, but thelocals appreciate the effort
and find it quite entertaining.
And you can also build a lot ofconnection with locals that way.

(55:06):
So just try, I get a Turkishlesson at the same time.
And then we talked about the street food.
Try the street food but be a littlebit careful with the tap water.
When I first went, I was explicitlytold just brush your teeth and
drink bottled water as well.
I don't know if things have, gotten a bitbetter since my first visit in 2014, but
I still drink bottled water andeveryone I see is still drinking it.

(55:29):
So
Yeah.
I don't, you don't want, you don'twanna get sick on your trip there.
I think it's just more about thepipes in the city being really old
because everything in the city is old.
They do treat the water here andit is generally speaking, Istanbul.
That brings me to my first tip, whichis it's a European standard city.
Half of the city is in Europe.
And in general you can expect that most ofthe things will be similar to many of the

(55:51):
other cities that you'll find in Europe.
Don't be afraid to come.
One thing to bear in mind is thatthere are two large airports,
and if you're looking at flightsdon't forget, there's the Istanbul
Airport, which is airport code IST,but there's also airport code, SAW.
Now it's on the Asian side.
It's farther away.
A taxi will take you a lolittle longer to get here.
But especially if you're planningflights around Turkey or to other

(56:15):
destinations, it's always worth searching.
Both.
When you're going back and forth to theAsian side the best way to go by far is to
take the ferry because it's super scenic.
If you don't do that, youcan also take the train.
That's a good way.
I think the biggest mistake that I'vemade on this whole trip, and I haven't
made many, was to take a taxi back.
We were just really tired.

(56:35):
One night we ordered an Uber back andthe traffic, this was on a Sunday night,
was just jammed up at the bridges and.
Like it would've been so much faster andmore interesting to have taken the ferry.
We spent it up spending an hour anda half and 40 euros to come across.
And the other thing that we didn't do.
What if you do take a taxi is the taxidriver will ask you, do you want to pay

(56:57):
for the tunnel, which is like an extra $5?
And then they'll also sometimes wantyou to pay it for them to go back.
And me being cheap thought Iwas saving money by saying,
no, we'll take the bridge.
It probably would've been cheaperto have just paid for the tunnel.
So if you do pay for, go fora taxi splurge for the tunnel.
And in general, I think the numberone tip is just go to Istanbul.
Don't be afraid of it.

(57:18):
It's a great city.
It has so many connections.
Turkish Airlines is proud of claimingto fly to more destinations than
any other destination in the world.
They're a really world-class airline.
Took them here from Kenya,gonna take them when we leave.
You've got lots of flightsthat got really cheap flights.
If you are into the Points ofMiles game, you can book Turkish.
I booked all my stuff through Points andMiles, air Canada books through them.

(57:40):
They have a bunch of partners.
A bunch of award availability,including upfront.
So it's really a lot of ways to get here.
Turkey really wants you to come.
And my last hit, most importantly,I've said it four or five times.
Check out Catherine's guide towhere to stay in Istanbul because
it's got great information on it.
It really did help me with planningthis trip, and in fact, prompted me to

(58:02):
put together this last minute podcast.
Catherine, I'm so glad thatyou agreed to join and that we
were able to get this together.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
Before we go where can listeners find you?
That was so much fun, Nate.
I I loved it.
Every minute of it.
I could have talked forever.
You can find me on Instagram.
I'm under the handle lady travel cat.
Come check out my photos of my trips andcheck me out on travel Le and if you're in

(58:27):
the Vancouver area, come to our meetups.
They're really fun.
We have a really great groupgoing and lots of interesting
people from all over the world.
So I invite you to come toone of the meetups anytime.
That's it for this episode folks.
We really appreciateyou listening to this.
Remember, no matter you're goingaround the world travel, lemming
probably has a guide for that.
So just add travel lemmingto your favorite search

(58:47):
engines to find our guides.
As Katherine mentioned, we also have
meetups in Vancouver and sevenother cities around North America.
So if you want to come meet us inperson and meet fellow like-minded
travelers, you can do that.
And be sure to check out someof the other episodes with me
and my regular co-host, Betty.
We've got podcast episodes coveringdestinations all around the world.
So we'll see you in the next episode.