Over New Years I was lucky enough to visit a friend who is studying in Istanbul. Our mutual Danish friend also flew over and we spent 6 days exploring and experiencing the beautiful city, and wonderful Turkish culture together. Turkey had never been one of the countries on my 'Must Visit List', but I now realise it should have been top of it!
Although I could probably think of a gazillion, here are my top five reasons to visit Istanbul:
1. Multiple times a day while in Istanbul I had interactions with strangers that blew me away. I can safely say that the city is filled with the friendliest people I have ever come across! From being given Turkish baked treats on the public bus, to being taught Turkish phrases in shops, and being offered others' seats on the bus every single ride we had so many amazing interactions with complete strangers; I was honestly blown away!
2. One simple word - Food. When you think of the best cuisines in the world places such as Italy and France come to mind but after visiting Istanbul I think no other food will ever compare. Kunefe, Kebap, Manti, Salep, Baklava, Börek, Ayran, Çay... I could go on forever. Everything we tried was absolutely delicious!
3. It's so affordable! This was the first trip I've ever been on where I left with money in my wallet, not having had to get extra money out of an ATM. It's not like we went without anything either - on the contrary! We were eating out three meals a day with one or two exceptions, ordering various dishes so we could try all the favourites. We paid entrance to tourist attractions, transport and still had money for souvenirs (you can find really lovely cotton towels, blankets etc. at insanely cheap prices!).
4. It's really accessible, and the public transport system is really easy to use. You can buy a rechargeable card which you then use for the buses, trams, trains and ferries. It's a fixed rate per ride (2.15 TL) and when the balance gets low you simply top it up at a convenience store. Taxis aren't expensive either compared to other major cities, so as we were in a group we opted for that option on multiple occasions.
5. It's simply just so beautiful and interesting. The Blue Mosque is incredible to see in person, especially under a blanket of snow as we were lucky enough to witness. The view from the Galata Tower is incredible with views over the city and out onto the water. Even without seeing these more well-known places, simply walking around and experiencing any part of the city is breathtaking. Plus you can even jump from Europe to Asia within the one city!
Turkey was different to any country I'd ever visited, but in the most amazing way. I hope I can return one day and explore other areas in this beautiful country (...and try some more of their amazing food ;) )!
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