Of all the places I’ve visited, there is not one city that’s as charming as Istanbul, and I bet that when you finish reading this u will want to go book a trip.
It all began back in 2022, when my Turkish friend Dilruba and I came up with the idea to visit Istanbul. It was my first real vacation without family, so I was very excited. I didn’t know what to expect but thankfully Dilruba was there to guide me through the city, showing me the city through a local’s eyes. Istanbul quickly became my favorite destination, and I loved it so much that I returned this year with a group of friends. By then, I had practically become an Istanbul guide myself.
Our first impression
If you’re traveling on a budget, I recommend flying to Sabiha Gokcen Airport instead of Istanbul Airport as we did. This way the flight was cheaper and getting to the city was no hassle, thanks to the direct metro line connection from the airport to Kadikoy, a vibrant and trendy neighborhood on the Asian side of Istanbul. I’ll never forget that moment when we took the escalator up from the metro station, how we stood there on the top. Six exhausted yet excited girls with their luggage, completely in awe of the view in front of them. The sparkling blue water, tiny Turkish flags fluttering in the wind, the smell of freshly baked simit in the air and street musicians playing just the right melody. The view in front of us looked just like the perfect movie scene.
Food hotspots
After that magical moment, we took the ferry to Beyoglu, a neighborhood on the European side. Once arrived we immediately dropped our luggage at our Airbnb and went outside to eat fresh fish wraps which were YUM!
During the week that we were there we only had good food. A few places that I would recommend are:
- Kudus Han, a traditional Palestinian restaurant with the most delicious hummus, falafel and za’atar pizzas, located in Uskudar.
- Hasanpasa Konagi, a traditional decorated restaurant with a lot of food choices. Perfect if you are a picky eater.
- Resto Galata Terrace, here they have a variety of meals, but I highly recommend the Turkish breakfast and the shisha.
- Viyana Kahvecisi, this place it perfect if you love a perfect San Sebastian Cheesecake
Sightseeing
Not only did we have delightful food in Istanbul, like the Turkish delights ;), but we also explored the place like true adventurers! From sneaking around the city at 3 am trying to find our Airbnb all the way from the other side of the city, to visiting the largest mosque of Istanbul.
Here are some places that I would say are worth visiting:
- Camlica Mosque, the largest mosque in Istanbul located on the Asian side. It’s so big that I could see it from our Airbnb which was all the way on the other side of Istanbul.
- The Grand Bazar, not the best place to buy a souvenir but I still recommend visiting it because the beautiful architecture.
- Topkapi Palace, if you love history then you should visit this palace. The way that they preserved this palace is like you’re back in the Ottoman era.
- Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, these two mosques are located next to each other and are too majestic to not visit.
So now the big question, would I go back after visiting Istanbul 2 twice? I would 100%, I love everything about that city and would definitely recommend it to others!