r/istanbul_tips

Last night I was in Karaköy with some friends and stayed out way too late. Normally I use the metro/ferries everywhere and it’s been completely fine, but it was like 1am, I was exhausted, phone on 12%, and just wanted to get back to my Airbnb near Taksim. Big mistake.

The second I got in the taxi the guy looked at me through the mirror and asked where I’m from. The moment I answered he suddenly starts tapping the meter and going “broken broken”.

At that point I already knew I was probably cooked but I was tired and didn’t feel like standing on the street arguing with taxi drivers at 1 in the morning.

So I ask him roughly how much and he does that classic vague hand gesture like “don’t worry”.

5 minutes into the ride I notice we’re moving insanely slow. No traffic, empty roads, but somehow this guy keeps taking random turns and side streets. I check Google Maps and we’re literally going farther away from my Airbnb 💀

Then he starts pretending not to understand me every time I point at the map.

The weirdest part was the atmosphere in the car. He kept sighing dramatically, talking loudly on the phone, speeding up randomly, then going super slow again. Felt like he was trying to stress me out on purpose so I’d stop questioning anything.

When we finally arrived he turns around and says “2800 lira”.

I actually laughed because I thought he meant 800 at first.

Then he just stared at me completely serious.

I told him there’s no way a 10-15 minute ride costs that much and suddenly his whole attitude changed. Started raising his voice, pointing at the “broken” meter, talking super aggressively in Turkish.

For a second I genuinely thought he was not gonna let me leave until I paid.

Ended up giving him way too much money just because I wanted to get out of the car and be done with it. Walked into my Airbnb pissed off at myself for falling for it.

What’s funny is today I told this story to a guy working at a café and he goes “welcome to Istanbul taxis” without even looking surprised 😭

Another local overheard us and started telling his own taxi horror story.

That’s the crazy part. EVERYONE here seems to hate them. Tourists, expats, locals… doesn’t matter.

Still absolutely love Istanbul though. Food is incredible, people have mostly been super nice, the city feels alive 24/7 and I already know I’ll come back.

But holy shit the taxi mafia reputation is starting to make sense.

Is this just considered normal here now?

Hi, on a whim I’ve decided to visit Istanbul as a 19 year old girl from England, for 4 days - please give me your best tips, things to avoid, places to see and places to eat!! I was also wondering if there’s any brunch? Thank you in advance :)

Edit: Please do not DM me, especially to meet, it is very creepy and weird. Thank you

Do you think I need to purchase tickets for Hagia Sophia (I’m Muslim), basilica cistern, topkapi palace, dolmabache palace? And if so how do I do this?

May 21st around 5 pm! It's $50 for up to 4 people, I'm by myself so the cab can take 3 more.

Male from USA, just in Istanbul for an overnight layover.

Would also help to know if I should treat Kas as the base for 3-4 days to visit nearby sites and beaches before moving to Fethiye for 4 days

I’m currently in Istanbul, and for the third time I’ve been approached by random people who start with very friendly small talk, usually asking where I’m from. After that, they begin asking strange questions about money in my country, like the color of our banknotes, salaries, and similar things.

What makes it suspicious is that the conversation is almost always identical, like they’re following the same script. I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of scam setup, but I don’t understand what the actual goal is or how the scam works.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Hey everyone, I’m 22 and coming from Armenia for the Ye Concert.
When I was younger I met some Turkish people at an international camp and we became really close friends, so I always had a positive curiosity toward Turkey and the people there.

I’ll be around during the concert days and thought it could be fun to meet some chill/open-minded people to grab coffee, walk around, listen to music, or just vibe. Into art, music, nightlife, random conversations, and meeting people from different backgrounds :)

Hello everyone, me and my gf are travelling to Istanbul in a few weeks and we would love to see the main attractions of the city: Hagia Sophia, the cistern, the Topkapi palace, you know, the classics.

We are honestly baffled by the prices, 25, 55, 40€ for attractions that in other countries would be half the price. We love travelling and seeing other cities and cultures, but this is borderline a scam. With all that money we could literally almost do another travel somewhere else.

Is there a smart way to get some reduction? Maybe some complete package or some insider discount from some nieche website?

Honestly I’m not even there and I already feel like I’m getting robbed.

Hello I’m bored and I am a local. I like visiting new spots so I am probably somewhat familiar with most places. If you have any questions I’d be happy to answer them.

It’ll be our first time in the city and we’re so excited. We’ve looked at a few websites but couldn’t decide which one to choose. We don’t trust websites like getyourguide or any others. What we need is an expert to show us the things most people miss. Any advice?

(P.S. I’ve only just set up my account and don’t know how to use this website. If you could share your advice in the comments, that would be very helpful.)

Thanks in advance.

As a tourist, do i actually need to walk around with my original passport as ID or will a paper copy and my Australian driver's licence be enough?

Cheers,

Hi, I am 7 weeks pregnant and planning for my first checkup in Istanbul, can anyone guide who has been living here and know a good gynac and hospital who can speaks english and be gentle with patients?

Hello everyone,

I’m getting a rhinoplasty procedure done at the beginning of June. The clinic has already booked and confirmed my stay at Veyron Hotels. I’m planning on bringing my companion and child for just the days before and after my procedure so they can help me in case I have any issues during recovery.

They will not be staying for the full reservation dates at the hotel. My medical consultant mentioned that only my companion is officially allowed to stay with me.

For anyone who has experience with this clinic, would it be a problem if my child is there for a few days after the procedure to help me out? I’d appreciate any insight or experiences. Thank you!

Hiya guys, I’m planning a spontaneous trip to Istanbul (from Dubai) in a couple of weeks - planning to stay for about a week. I’ve now decided to maybe consider doing a trip to Cappadocia - I saw what looks like a good tour from Viator - 2 day trip to Cappadocia including the infamous hot air balloon ride. I’m wondering if this is a good option so I don’t have to worry about organising anything, I just have to show up. Does anyone have experiences with this tour? Any information / tips would be helpful!

In Istanbul, I’m planning to stay in the European side, but should I also book some nights on the Asian side? I don’t like the idea of jumping from one place to the other especially since I’m only there for a week. This is honestly what’s kept me from going to Türkiye this whole time - it’s too big (too much admin 😬). I know I can easily do day trips so there’s that.

I also was thinking of booking one of them pub crawl tours in Istanbul - any recommendations on that would be great too.

I’m not particularly big on just doing very touristy things and checking out all the historic sites - so any fun recommendations would be well appreciated!

Cheers x

Hello I’m bored and I am a local. I like visiting new spots so I am probably somewhat familiar with most places. If you have any questions I’d be happy to answer them.

Hey as the title says me and my dad will be visiting at the end of the month for 4 nights from Ireland. If you could recommend anything at all that might be abit special that we could do id be very thankful! Anything that we have to see or any "hidden gems". Also any good bars, rooftops or restaurant recommendations! Thanks for your help! 😁

Hi everyone,
I’ll be spending some time in Istanbul soon and would love recommendations for really good skincare/facial clinics or beauty spas.
I’m mainly interested in:
hydrafacials
skin treatments
facials
lymphatic drainage
good dermatology/aesthetic clinics with natural results
I’m looking for places that are clean, professional and genuinely good quality — ideally places locals actually trust, not overly touristy spots.
Would also love recommendations for areas where most good beauty/wellness clinics are located.
Thank you :)

Hi everyone,

I’ll be visiting Istanbul from May 27 to June 1.

It’s my first time there, and I’m coming from Baku. I’ll be staying in Taksim.

I’d love to explore some hidden gems and less touristy spots around the city. I’m more into active travel, so I’m especially looking for places or experiences that involve walking, exploring, or something a bit different from the usual sightseeing.

Also, I’d appreciate any recommendations for cool bars, clubs, or nightlife spots.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated!