Travelling to Turkey

Summer time and it’s hot. Always use Uber ( you’ll see those fancy Vito’s all pimped out , some quite funky). If you know how to grill a taxi driver on the charges, you can try your luck. I get away with them since i tell them in advance not to try their schyte with me.

In Istanbul stay at the Hilton double tree it’s the best hotel to move around from to see the best parts of the city.

Antalya is worth the stop to chill at the beaches.

Please keep valuables safe and hidden , They’ll steal in your face, and in quiet areas, they’ll rob you of everything.
 
Thanks for all the tips, we will be staying at one of the Club Meds, all depends where the best deal is going to be. It is a work sponsored trip, so I dont have much say, but it is all expenses paid, all meals all drinks. I only need to fork out for personal items/expenses.
 
eg2505 said:
...and crime there? obviously nothing like JHB, but compared to somewhere like Egypt?
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You make an interesting point. A few years back, I was traveling to Wales and, out of curiosity, I wanted to make a stop in Egypt. My other option was Doha (I flew Qatar). After reading a bit and speaking to one of their travel agents (Mephi Tours), I concluded that (1) it was relatively costly than Doha and (2) more unfriendly to tourists (as in, watch your back everywhere you go); a bit like Jhb.
 
The Mediterranean coast is a very popular location for British holidaymakers. My brother has an apartment in Fetiye and goes 3 or 4 times a year (he lives in Scotland and lots of cheap charter flights). It looks stunning from the photos he sends, would love to go and see one day.
 
The_Traveller said:
Summer time and it’s hot. Always use Uber ( you’ll see those fancy Vito’s all pimped out , some quite funky). If you know how to grill a taxi driver on the charges, you can try your luck. I get away with them since i tell them in advance not to try their schyte with me.

In Istanbul stay at the Hilton double tree it’s the best hotel to move around from to see the best parts of the city.

Antalya is worth the stop to chill at the beaches.

Please keep valuables safe and hidden , They’ll steal in your face, and in quiet areas, they’ll rob you of everything.
Click to expand...


Be careful with Uber to and from the airport though. It is technically banned. I went there Dec 2017, and used the Uber app to get a price estimate and then haggled with an airport shuttle service (also haggling the price down is seemingly how it works there for almost everything, they will give you a price 3x what you expect, and then you have to haggle it down). I am glad i did that , because on my way back to the airport the police stopped my shuttle, asked the driver for his license and asked me how i obtained the shuttle (i.e. had to show how i paid) and told me they don't allow Uber on the airport.

I guess you can get away with Uber between your hotel and some random point, but to and from the airport they might be doing a check. So i don't know how official any of this is, because the app obviously works there, but lets just say the taxi drivers will do anything in their power to block Uber drivers, particularly prime spots like the airport.
 
diabolus said:
Be careful with Uber to and from the airport though. It is technically banned. I went there Dec 2017, and used the Uber app to get a price estimate and then haggled with an airport shuttle service (also haggling the price down is seemingly how it works there for almost everything, they will give you a price 3x what you expect, and then you have to haggle it down). I am glad i did that , because on my way back to the airport the police stopped my shuttle, asked the driver for his license and asked me how i obtained the shuttle (i.e. had to show how i paid) and told me they don't allow Uber on the airport.

I guess you can get away with Uber between your hotel and some random point, but to and from the airport they might be doing a check. So i don't know how official any of this is, because the app obviously works there, but lets just say the taxi drivers will do anything in their power to block Uber drivers, particularly prime spots like the airport.
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I visit Istanbul once a month (since September 2018) as my son is studying there. Always a pleasant experience.

Hope you didn't jinx me now :p
 
If its hot, remember to wear a cap. I recommend this one;

make_istanbul_constantinople_again_embroidered_hat-rc7ab24409f7548c181f07efab86f3977_65f3y_8byvr_512.jpg
 
krycor said:
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)..
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Hafiz Mustapha- https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/Locat...9657-Hafiz_Mustafa_1864_Sirkeci-Istanbul.html
 
The_Traveller said:
Summer time and it’s hot. Always use Uber ( you’ll see those fancy Vito’s all pimped out , some quite funky). If you know how to grill a taxi driver on the charges, you can try your luck. I get away with them since i tell them in advance not to try their schyte with me.

In Istanbul stay at the Hilton double tree it’s the best hotel to move around from to see the best parts of the city.

Antalya is worth the stop to chill at the beaches.

Please keep valuables safe and hidden , They’ll steal in your face, and in quiet areas, they’ll rob you of everything.
Click to expand...

Bitaksi is more popular than Uber.
 
Oh forgot to add my actual impressions of Istanbul. I was very surprised how european/first world the city felt. I expected something resembling Cape Town/SA , i found a city that is far more ahead and functioning than SA. They got trams,busses and actual working public transport . I am sure there's dodgy suburban areas, but where i stayed i felt more safe than in SA and actually felt comfortable walking around even at night.

Either way, there's a ton load of history there, very interesting city.

Also, Turkish Airlines are of the cheapest from SA to europe via Istanbul, if you got the time, do an extended layover , the flight is even cheaper then (i flew from NL to JHB and back via IST for ~ R6k )
 
eg2505 said:
sharia law country? IE women need to cover up ect?
and crime there? obviously nothing like JHB, but compared to somewhere like Egypt?
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No.. I suggest you actually find out about places before commenting.

It’s a secular state, the military coup was to overthrow the gov as president wants to change this at some point but the formation of army is specifically empowered to take out president if they attempt it. It’s quite interesting.. wish we had something like this vs corruption. Ie make it a free for all to kill corrupt gov officials

That being said there is a mix of people. Never really felt scared or vulnerable when I was there walking alone or with colleague, a tall black guy.. reason I mention this simple.. African people are few and far between. Kept wondering wtf is wrong with the place till we saw another guy from Africa and then we both realized haha. Was awkward as kids find it interesting .

Anyway I reckon there is crime but usual precautions prevent the petty ones. Bombings have happened past but not while I was there and usual outside city where less checks hence me mentioning the plethora of security checks even just at the mall. The thing about crime is this.. you only expect it based on your radar and coming from Cpt & Jhb by radar was out of tune but do watch out for street kids.
 
So I've decided to go to Istanbul this year for Heritage week :)
will keep an eye on this thread for now :)

Still looking at flight prices - cheapest I saw so far is R7 100 (Emirates)
 
Just got off a Turkish Airlines flight an hour ago. I booked these ones a few weeks ago and they were by far the cheapest for Cape Town-Istanbul-Dalaman return. Only annoying thing is you pay in pounds, euros or dollars and not rands so there is a conversion fee from your bank that is unknown at the time of payment.

Otherwise, direct to Istanbul from CT is a big plus and the flights were decent.
 
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