As Europes biggest city and the only city in the world that is separated on two continent, Istanbul is a must -visit with AMAZING things to see. Here is everything you need to check out and know before visiting the city!
Where to stay:
The city is a great place for all budget travelers out there! I stayed at the Central House. A hostel located near the famous Galata tower! I recommend this area to you, as it’s a very modern area, full of life, shops and cafés!
The hostel was great, everything was very clean, the stuff was nice and the beds had curtains (I paid 13€ per night).
How to get around:
Getting around in Istanbul is very simple. Public transport works very well and is easy to understand. There are trams, metros and busses. You buy an Istanbul Card and charge it at a train station with money. Then you can use it until the money is used and charge it again. One ride is about 30 to 50 cents.
Day 1:
After I checked into the hostel, I relaxed a bit. I would recommend you to use your first day to explore the city and your area a bit and get to a feeling of the culture and the city.
I went through the … Street, where you can find a lot of shops for literally anything! here you can eat something for lunch and also explore the smaller streets around.
Afterwards I took the bus over the … bridge to Otaköy.
From there I walked to the Egyptian spice bazaar.
Afterwards I went back to Ottaköy, where I watched the sunset and got a fresh fish bread and a corn (which they sell everywhere there).
Day 2:
I woke up at 8am, got ready and decided to have a Simit (a typical bread ring) with Nutella for breakfast. You can find those anywhere.
My first step this day was the Blue mosque! It’s free, just be sure to cover yourself appropriately (Hair and body fully covered). This place was one of my favorite spots from this trip. It`s so impressive!
For lunch I wanted to take the boat to go the Asian side. There I went to „Say Cheese“ to have cheese pasta from the cheese wheel (it only costed 2.80€), so I can definitely recommend this job. I also waked through the asian streets and shops in the afternoon and sat down at Kadikoy in front of the water.
Before dinner I checked out the Galata Tower (near my hostel).
The entrance to go up the tower is kinds expensive (around 30€), because the entire museum is build like a museum.
For dinner I had a Falafel dürüm (because I am vegetarian) from a shop called Falafel koy. Great place!
I walked back to the hostel and found a bakery with really good looking dessert. And let me tell you! I had the BEST cheese cake of my life. The bakery was called Asmali bakery.
Day 3:
Day 3 started with another highlight of my trip. The grand bazaar! Here you can find anything you like! I even bought one of the oriental lamps for 13€!
I think it is impossible to see every small alley there, because it’s a huge market. For lunch I had a Börek.
As an afternoon plan, I recommend you to take the tram to Topaki palace. The palace where the sultan lived for… . The entrance fee is 30€.
In the evening (for sunset), look for a rooftop bar and enjoy a drink or a nice dinner. There are many great rooftops there, but I can recommend you the … one.
Day 4:
Breakfast at Galata Tower! This breakfast spot was great and also really affordable, I can highly recommend it. The café is called: … .
You probably wondered when I finally talk about this… but after breakfast I finally went to the famous Aya Sofia. The most famous church in Istanbul. The entrance is free as well and it’s a really impressive old building.
The afternoon I decided to walk through the colourful area of Balat.
Here are the two most famous locations to check out:
cheese pasta + Kartoffeln
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