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Turkey officially the Republic of Turkey is a parliamentary republic in Eurasia, largely located in Western Asia, with the smaller portion of Eastern Thrace in Southeast Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Syria and Iraq to the south; Iran, Armenia, and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the east; Georgia to the northeast; Bulgaria to the northwest; and Greece to the west. The Black Sea is to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Aegean Sea to the west. The Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia. Turkey's location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia makes it a country of significant geostrategic importance.
Istanbul:
Istanbul is an amazingly beautiful city where you can find all facets of tourism. If you are in the city for religious tourism then you would more than adequate religious monuments to visit (Blue Mosque ; Hagia Sophia and many more). If you are in town to see historical places then this is city is going to be an eye candy for you as at each and every corner you can find an historical monument.
Going from Airport to the City:
Most International flights land at Ataturk Airport , be careful once checking your itenarary as there is another airport in the city (Sabiha Gokcen Airport ) . You can find following methods to reach your hotel from the airport:
1. Hotel Pickup. Most hotels have free pickup from the hotel. If you have already made a reservation then do ask for a free pickup service from the airport.
2. Taxi. If not already made a reservation then easiest and the most convenient way to the hotel is ofcourse using the taxi which is the most expensive as well. If you are heading to a hotel in Sultanahmet area then a taxi ride would cost you around YTL 45-50 (if running on taxi meter) and you can haggle the taxi driver into taking you there in YTL 30-35 (without turning on the meter). Traffic in Istanbul is chaotic so be sure that on a good day you will take approx 45-50 minutes from Airport to Sultanahmet area or 1 Hr - 1 Hr 15 min to reach Taksim Square.
3. Havas Bus Service. Bus services are also available once you get out from the terminal that would take you various hotel areas (charging about YTL 15-20 per person).
4. Metro (Train). There is an underground (Istanbul Metro) station at Ataturk Airport from where you can catch a metro train. If you are in the city for a few days then its a good idea to buy a Istanbulkart (initial cost YTL 6) that is an RFID card that you can top up as required for your travel on Metro (Train, Tram, Bus, Ferries etc). If you have an Istanbulkart then each time you get on metro (train, tram, bus or ferry) it is going to charge you YTL 2.45 whereas if you buy seperate token for travel each time from the vending machine then its going to be YTL 4.0. If you are traveling accompanied then no need to buy separate cards for each traveller as the same card can be swiped as many times (till the balance lasts ofcourse).
What train to take? From the airport board the M1 (red) train and get off at Aksaray station.
Metro Route
Staying at Sultanahmet. From Aksaray the Sultanahmet general area starts and you can walk easily to your hotel. If you are with heavy luggage then there is the tram station nearby that you can catch (use same Istanbulkart that you used for Metro Train) and get off on a station near your hotel.
Staying at Taksim Square. Getting off at Aksaray Station, walk a little and you will find the Aksaray Tram station (over ground). Catch the tram (T1 i.e. Blue) and get off at the last stop Kabatas. From here you can take Funicular Line F1 (an underground tunnel) to land right at Taksim Square. Be aware that this all would require crossing a lot of flights of stairs up & down. If you have more luggage then better catch a taxi from Aksaray Metro Station that should charge you YTL 20-30 to get to Taksim Square.
Where to Stay?
There are two main areas that you want to hang out at:
1. Sultanahmet. All the historical monuments are in a around this area so you can walk your way around to all these places. Hotels are available in all ranges. A typical 4 star should cost between US $ 50-80. Pictures shown the webistes at times vary from the actual room. Its a good idea to book a room online for a day or 2 to land at the place and then you can go around and move into another hotel after physically seeing the room itself.
2. Taksim Square. This is the relatively modern part of the city. All the night clubs and hangouts are in the surroundings where you can spend a lot of time (depending on your interests).
Food.
Turkish cuisine is absolutely amazing. An average meal is going to cost YTL 25-30 per person and fine dining would take you in the regime of YTL 50-70 per person. Burger Kind / McDonald's is abundently available (incase you can develp affinity to the local dishes) and would cost approx the same as the local food cost.
People.
Generally Turkish are more friendlier than any other nation that would find on this earth. Very hospitable, helping and polite. Language is a small factor where most of the population does not know English (or any other foreign language) that might cause communication hurdles. However even though a Turkish who can't speak your language would go out of his / her way to make you welcome and help you out. I would recommend taking Google Translate App updated with offline Turkish Language to avoid getting stuck.
Communication.
Whole Istanbul is covered with 3G / 4G LTE coverage. A GSM mobile sim can be easily obtained (after providing passport) for YTL 50 that is going to work for 4 months after which it is going to blocked unless your handset is registered with the authorities.
Shopping.
The biggest attraction in the city for shopping is the Grand Bazaar. The shops over there are full of souvenirs that seem to be at a good bargain but DO NOT get tempted. The prices at Grand Bazaar as equal or more than the prices of the same souvenirs at other nicer shops in the city. Even if you intend on buying something from here, a lot of bargain is required. The prices are over stated many times more. (e.g. if the shop keeper asks for YTL 60 for an item; bluntly tell him that you will only give YTL 20. He will act angry, then ask you what more can you offer, and as you start to walk away he will give it to you in YTL 20 ;) )
All the International clothing brands are available. However the most eye catching local brand is LCWIKIKI. Good quality and reasonable price. Shop till your bags are full!
TAX FREE SHOPPING.
Remember whenever you are shopping at a retailer store (not Grand Bazaar) you are entitled to a TAX FREE RECEIPT that you can get back on your departure once leaving Turkey at the airport. Pre-requisites are:
1. Single transaction has to be more than YTL 108.
2. Get a TAX FREE receipt from the retailer.
3. At the Airport (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT) before checking in your luggage try to find the TAX RETURN counter(Counter A44 or something) where a TAX representative is going to help you through the process. Remember: The Tax officer is going to ask you to open the bags and show the items for which you are claiming TAX return. So keep those items handy in the check-in luggage. He / She is going to stamp your receipts and after passing through passport control; find the TAX return office again where you will be given your TAX back in the currency of choice ($ , Euro, YTL etc).
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