Travelling to Turkey

Drifter

Drifter

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We are planning a trip to Turkey - One of the Club Med's around June.

Who has been and what kind of weather can we expect? Stuff do do besides drinking.
 
That sounds really awesome - Enjoy it!

We did a stopover in Istanbul on the way to Bulgaria - I have never experienced such cold in my life, this was late March.

Absolutely beautiful, lots to see and tasty food. Bulgaria is very close to Turkey, so we also visited various Turkish places and ate at Turkish restaurants. Let us know how it all went, I want to do a proper holiday in Turkey next, still looking at the deals.
 
Google the weather for the area you are going to and for the month that you are going.

That's what I always do for any planned destination.
 
I will do that when we have set dates, was trying to get a general idea of what to expect.
 
Depends where you go.. if in Istanbul remember that the train system works, is cheap and effective. It’s like the Gautrain but for like R2 last I went every time you hop on. (At airport they will tell you it’s broken, not complete.. ignore, walk to the far right of the airport.. buy a contactless card)

I suggest getting familiar with maps and enjoy. I went in summer there so not sure how it will be this time of year. Lots of sights, sounds, tastes and walking if you go to all the places.
 
I went to all the Mosque (there are a few, make sure it’s outside of prayer time else you have to wait.. had to once), palace, tower, market, cbd, university (old and new tech where I had a course for a week), catacombs/tunnel, walk across the bridge (scary post 2015s coup fail), take a train to Asian side,

Turkish delight is awesome at that one famous shop.. meh, can’t remember, notice the cats (Istanbul has a lot of them)..
 
Went 2 years ago in July. Was fukn hot!
Stayed in Istanbul (New part of town), public transport is great. The cards work on rail, bus trams etc. Also went to cappadocia, Ankara, kalkan and one or 2 other places. All were great, lots to see and do.
 
I went to Istanbul January. It was ridiculously cold. But sights and vibe were awesome. Food was amazing and cheap outside of the malls. They told me in summer its very hot
 
I had a long layover in Istanbul last month. I went to the Grand Bazaar and the Mosque there (I forgot the name). It was chilly but not too cold, the views and historical buildings are amazing. The old city wall goes on for miles.

Oh and my tip, you can use your Uber app to travel around the city.
 
Topkapi Palace is also a must.

Get the museum pass which will include Topkapi Palace and a few other places.
 
If you're going to Istanbul, you're going to have a freakin awesome time.

The weather is still cold as feck there so take warm clothes.

There's so much to see and do. That city has an abundance of history and architecture and culture and food and massive malls if you're into that.

We stayed in Taksim, which is close to the metros and İstiklal street (shopping).

Maaaaan I wish I could go again :P
 
I was in Istanbul last year during June.
Stayed in Taksim. Really enjoyed the historical sites and architecture.
Fair warning though.. be on the lookout for scam artists. Taxi drivers will try to con you. They like the old note switcheroo trick, so make sure you watch for that. Also, if you are going to buy turkish delight, avoid the shops close to the tourist sites, they will try to charge you double.
In the mornings I would recommend going to the local franchise coffee shop, and having Menemen (similar to Shakshuka), served with fresh bread.. great way to start the day.
The kebabs at Zubeyir Ocakbasi ... are amazing. One of the best restaurants in the Taksim area.
 
KingBel said:
I was in Istanbul last year during June.
Stayed in Taksim. Really enjoyed the historical sites and architecture.
Fair warning though.. be on the lookout for scam artists. Taxi drivers will try to con you. They like the old note switcheroo trick, so make sure you watch for that. Also, if you are going to buy turkish delight, avoid the shops close to the tourist sites, they will try to charge you double.
In the mornings I would recommend going to the local franchise coffee shop, and having Menemen (similar to Shakshuka), served with fresh bread.. great way to start the day.
The kebabs at Zubeyir Ocakbasi ... are amazing. One of the best restaurants in the Taksim area.
Click to expand...

Yip.. if you do take a taxi always, always make sure the meter is running. They try and get away with it and then charge you double hence me saying check for subway and tram as it’s very affordable even with ZAR.

Price wise the food is more or less the same tho on the upper end of price brackets.

I stayed at the Hayat on the other end near the technical/IT business park/area. Man I need to see if I can find a training or conference company will sponsor. When I went last time company just sent me and figured these things I mentioned on the fly.. plus it was fasting time for locals in summer 4yrs ago so weird as a lot of tourists around.

Uhm.. my only regret is not exploring more outside city I guess but I saw most of the sights + sounds and Syria issues made me worry.

Every Mall has hectic security (X-ray, baggage, vehicle checks ) and everything always on sale (not, they claim so to drive sales). Markets are filled with Syrians.

Alcohol and beef is pricey.
 
krycor said:
Yip.. if you do take a taxi always, always make sure the meter is running. They try and get away with it and then charge you double hence me saying check for subway and tram as it’s very affordable even with ZAR.
Click to expand...

Yeah.. I was there during Ramadaan as well.. found the locals to be slightly unfriendly in some parts. Friends explained that since Istanbul is very much a trading hub, most of the people there are merchants looking to make money and won't really be overly friendly.. just pushy.
 
krycor said:
Yip.. if you do take a taxi always, always make sure the meter is running. They try and get away with it and then charge you double hence me saying check for subway and tram as it’s very affordable even with ZAR.

Price wise the food is more or less the same tho on the upper end of price brackets.

I stayed at the Hayat on the other end near the technical/IT business park/area. Man I need to see if I can find a training or conference company will sponsor. When I went last time company just sent me and figured these things I mentioned on the fly.. plus it was fasting time for locals in summer 4yrs ago so weird as a lot of tourists around.

Uhm.. my only regret is not exploring more outside city I guess but I saw most of the sights + sounds and Syria issues made me worry.

Every Mall has hectic security (X-ray, baggage, vehicle checks ) and everything always on sale (not, they claim so to drive sales). Markets are filled with Syrians.

Alcohol and beef is pricey.
Click to expand...
I went in Jan. Told the taxi driver where I wanted to go. He punched it into Google and gave me a price. Took 4 people in the taxi too. Was cheap
 
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