istanbul!guide » practical

istanbul during ramadan: party goes on!

guide — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 07:45:11 +0000

Photo of special Ramadan dessert “Gullac” by Jackson Gibbs

You might be trying to decide whether it’s a good idea to visit Istanbul during Ramadan or not. Most probably you are asking some questions to yourself such as shall I find open restaurants during the fasting hours? Will I be able to drink some beer, wine and raki? Should I wear more conservative clothes during Ramadan?

Be assured that Istanbul is a big metropolis that is effected in a positive manner from Ramadan. The restaurants, bars, clubs run as usual, they are as crowded as other times. Dress code doesn’t require any adjustment, so feel free to wear whatever you wear in your own country.

Restaurants get very busy during the fast-breaking time though (sunset time and it is called “iftar” in Turkish). If you decide to fast one of the days and join the crowd for fast-breaking, you’ll be surprised to find out that you have such a big appetite and the food can be so delicious! Even if you don’t fast, you can still join the iftar table and have a unique experience.

During Ramadan, there will be some special food available such as “gullac” (a delicious dessert) and pide (round, thinnish bread) that are not available at other times. So do not miss the opportunity to try them. Ramadan drummers are also something interesting. In the middle of the night you might see some guys walking around the streets and drumming to wake up people for their last meal before sun rises. Yes I know this might not sound so sleep-friendly but it is still interesting and makes a scene!

Simply Istanbul during Ramadan is even a more interesting Istanbul… Come and enjoy!

to tip or not to tip!?

guide — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:01:18 +0000

Tipping called “bahsish” in Turkish and it is expected at a moderate level. Restaurants, hotels, barber shops are some of the places that you are expected to tip. 5 to 10 % of the bill is a normal amount for a tip. If you don’t tip it is fine too! So don’t worry too much and enjoy the service you’ll get. Yes, service level is really high in Turkey. I guess only exception is taxis, unfortunately!

Mobile shops in Istanbul

guide — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:18:33 +0000

Sorry that we’ll not talk about mobile phones here! But, we’ll tell you the story of mobile street sellers. In Istanbul they still exist and they add so much charm and character to the city. Barbequed chestnut sellers, cooked or grilled sweetcorn sellers, vegetable sellers, fruit sellers are only some examples of them.

When women see the fruit or vegetable on the small-lorry, they take their baskets out of their windows and descend them with a piece of string. What a lovely view is this! Money is put into the basket, so the salesman get it and put the fruit/vegetable and spare money in. Another interesting thing with these salesmen is the way that they shout out their products to get people’s attention. They shout out very loud but nearly impossible to understand what they sell only with your ears!

In the past, when I was a child, we had more of them and the variety of the goods they sold was more too. These days it is hard to see milk-man, yoghurt-man, sahlep-man and boza-man on the streets (Sahlep and Boza are delicious winter drinks). The last two belonged to winter nights but they nearly extincted now, at least in Istanbul.

A good Turkish invention called Dolmus

guide — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:51:17 +0000

What is Dolmus? It is a word pronounced as “dolemoosh”, meaning “filled” in Turkish (remember “Dolma”!) and a transportation miracle to overcome over-crowded traffic. Basically it is a shared taxi but they are completely different than taxis. Dolmus has a different license than taxi and they can’t run as a taxi. They are usually bigger than Taxis, so eight passengers can fit in comfortably. They run on some specific routes. They have a start and arrival stop but in between these two stops they can drop you off and pick you up anywhere on the road. So practical! Great isn’t it?

Very important cullinary words that you should know by heart to enjoy Istanbul fully!

guide — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 06:18:35 +0000

Meze: Side dish or starter served together with raki. The most simple and basic mezes are white cheese and melon and they go very well with raki.

Raki: National Turkish drink made of fermented grapes. It has a strong aniseed smell and taste. It contains 45% alchohol. Usually it is drunk together with food although recently people started drink it alone as well.

Meyhane: This is the restaurant you drink raki and eat meze and chat with your friends (paradise!). You should eat and drink very slowly though. The slower is the better! Spending 2-3 hours is very normal, 5-6 hours is not unusual at a meyhane table.

Fasil: This is the Turkish classical music, with some gypsy touch, played at some meyhanes. The band is usually made of gypsies.

Fasil Meyhane: Easy! When there is fasil at a meyhane then this meyhane is called “fasil meyhane”. Don’t miss this experience and try to choose an authentic one where local goes to.

What’s winter weather like in Istanbul?

guide — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:32:45 +0000

Many people think that Istanbul is tropical. This is completely incorrect! Istanbul is cold in winter. It’s often rainy and on some days it’s snowy. So bring very warm clothes and winter shoes/boots! Brrr…

Pedestrian survival kit for Istanbul… and for the rest of Turkey too!

guide — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:06:21 +0000

Cars are king, pedestrians are nothing, cyclists do not exist… so, as a pedestrian, you need to give way to cars and not expect them to give way to you.

Officially cars drive on the right, but you can never be sure! Look both ways all the time.

Zebra crossings are meaningless unless there’s a traffic light in place.

Even if there is a traffic light for pedestrians and you are crossing at green for you, still be cautious.

If you are crossing one way road, still check both of the directions.

Don’t forget that traffic is the biggest danger for you in Istanbul and Turkey!

The above are serious recommendations but take them with a light-heart!

christmas in Istanbul

guide — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:39:27 +0000

photo by marfis75

Christmas is not widely celebrated in Istanbul although you will see Christmas decorations around the main streets in a humble way. These are for New Year and have nothing to do with Christmas in fact! One should not be surprised considering Christians are very few in Istanbul’s vast population. Church services are regularly done and this is correct for Christmas eve as well.

So, Istanbul might provide a good opportunity to be a bit away from fuss of Christmas time whilst not missing it completely.

Is the Bosphorus a river flowing through Istanbul?

guide — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:22:14 +0000

The Bosphorus is not a river but a sea-strait dividing Istanbul in the middle. It’s approximately 30 kilometers long, 1.2 kilometers wide and is salt-water. With its sea-smell, lapping waves and deep blue colours it’s definitely a sea, washing Istanbul with its salty cool breeze all the time. If you go to shores of Bosphorus in the evening, even in the summer you’ll probably need a warm jumper or coat!

The Bosphorus is beautiful and very important for Istanbul. You should definitely spend time alongside and on it, during your visit to Istanbul.

Taxis in Istanbul

guide — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:51:33 +0000

Taxi drivers are one of the very few down-sides of Istanbul. It’s nearly for sure that your taxi driver will not speak any other language than Turkish. It’s likely that they will try to overcharge you by taking a longer route. There will be no seat belts at the back and they’ll drive dangerously. They will not help you with your bags either.

Please don’t be terrified. This doesn’t mean that you should not take a taxi but be prepared for these facts and don’t get stressed about them. Let it go. Concentrate on the great things about Istanbul. There are so many of them, it shouldn’t be hard to find. Take your ride and forgive your driver. The good thing about taxis is their fare. Not very cheap but quite reasonable. A 20 kilometre ride -without much traffic jam- will cost you around 30 Lira, which is approximately 14 Euro, 12 Sterling, 20 USD.

I apologize on their behalf in advance.