I just got back from a two week trip to Turkey and wanted to share some highlights, tips, and overall recommendations. While it was my first time to Izmir and Eskişehir I’ve been to Istanbul and Bodrum many times.
There are a lot of posts on here about Istanbul with both a lot of negative and positive commentary regarding costs, scamming, and hassling vendors in the historic city. While this post is not focused on Istanbul I’m going to provide tips to hopefully benefit anyone planning a trip there in the future:
• Use public transit and Uber or Bitaksi: transit in Istanbul is robust and easy to use however the hilly terrain and vast size of the city is going to require the use of taxis at some point during a visit. You can get an Istanbul card or tap to pay on the system. Using taxi apps will get rid of any communication barriers or scams.
• Avoid the historic center: while this is a controversial take given all the main tourist attractions are focused here, this is where you will encounter the most hassling, mediocre food, and price gouging. Focus on researching which sites are most important for you to see like Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and focus on those and get them out of the way quickly.
• Do not skip the Asian side and suburban villages along the Bosphorus to the north: neighborhoods like Moda have so much charm, Baghdad street has great shopping and people watching, the Marmara sea waterfront in Kadikoy is a great place to stroll and there are good restaurants nearby and it’s more local. On the European side neighborhoods like Arnavutköy, Bebek, and Yenikoy have the best bars and restaurants and are pretty with long promenades along the Bosphorus to walk and enjoy the view. Aside from the city center many of the most recommended restaurants can be found here and given the next topic you should put your money to quality and go eat at restaurants known to be good. The Michelin guide is a good place to start but many of the best restaurants loved by locals are in these parts of town or inland adjacent areas like Levent, Etiler, and Nisantasi.
• Do not expect bargain prices, forget the old reputation that Turkey is a bargain: while the country is suffering from high inflation prices will be high even by western standards unless it’s something like train and plane tickets or pharmaceutical products. Readjust your expectations accordingly.
• Embrace shoulder season: My trip was early September and there were minimal crowds it was easy to get seated at the best restaurants without a reservation prices were slightly lower and it was overall more peaceful.
Pictures:
I visited Izmir staying in Alacati which is an old Greek town with a pedestrianized town center with lots of bars and restaurants. Of all the locations I’d recommend Alacati the most to stay in but it’s honestly dependent on what you’re looking for. There are resort hotels, Airbnbs, in all kinds of locations so find what works for your needs. I would recommend renting a car because it’s spread out and there’s a lot to see and do in the region. If you did this as a stand alone trip even going into Izmir city would be worth a trip. Alacati is centrally located on the peninsula and you can easily visit Urla and Çeşme by car as they’re all connected to the same toll road. There are beautiful beaches the first two pictures are of public beaches but there are also beach clubs with table service and umbrellas and chairs at all price points. Urla is more rustic with high end hotels and restaurants in the agricultural areas and multiple wineries. The city center is more artsy and eclectic with a mix of old Greek houses, mosques and local centric markets and bars and restaurants. If you visit I would recommend eating at Begendik Abi. The last picture is from Asma Yaprağı which is one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve ever been to. Its an old farm house with beautiful trees and plants all over with an on site farm. You go inside to pick your food from a large communal table and then they bring out your choices plated and ready to eat. It felt like family cooking but farm to table. I wish I could have also shared a picture of the actual setting but wanted to showcase their food.
The peninsula has many small towns and it’s transformed from a sleepy town 40 years ago to a major tourism hub with a large year round population. My family has a summer house here so I grew up going to the area and have seen it transform for the good and bad. It is suffering from overdevelopment but the area still has a lot of natural beauty and while it can be extremely expensive is still worth a visit. There are so many nice hotels and resorts here and if you enjoy boating there are many bays and islands to explore between Turkey and Greece in this area. I recommend visiting the historic center of Bodrum but much of the action has shifted north to Turkbuku and Yalikavak as they arguably have the prettiest bays. Cennet koy (paradise bay) has been left relatively unspoiled but the mandarin oriental property is near by so it’s starting to encroach. That being said the mandarin oriental has shops and some of the best restaurants so I would recommend visiting. Torba in the picture where the man is paddle boarding stays relatively unchanged and has a village vibe. If you’re looking to visit this will offer the most quaint experience. Yalikavak Marina dor shopping and other high end spots like Macakizi are worth visiting. We had dinner at Kitchen at the Edition Bodrum and it was excellent.
10 - 15: Eskisehir
Eskisehir is a great day trip from Istanbul if you want to visit a normal Turkish city. There are high speed trains almost hourly from Istanbul or Ankara that stop here and the trains are cheap and very nice. The city is known for its preserved traditional ottoman era houses, a lively city center with its trams and charming river with gondolas filled with cafes and restaurants. It’s extremely calm and orderly especially compared to the hustle and bustle of Istanbul. It’s worth visiting for its local food culture with Crimean Tatar food like çiborek and balaban kebab, along with some unique sweets like met helva and boza a fermented drink. The historic city center has a new modern art museum designed by Kengo Kuma and does a good job showcasing Turkish modern art and is probably one of the best art museums in the country. The population is young and educated since it’s a college town so you will see a lot of young people going out if you visit the city.
This post was kind of front loaded with Istanbul tips but now for the pictures I wanted to highlight what makes Istanbul so great. The waterfronts of the Asian side and Bosphorus are so relaxing, you could stroll or sit and take in the views for hours. There are long parks and walking and biking trails along the water on the Asian side. The European side has them too but they’re more disjointed. Hang out in places like Moda or Cihangir for cool bars restaurants and people watching. Beyoğlu and the historic peninsula have amazing historic architecture but that being said minimize your time there. Some of the same stores in the grand bazaar and spice market are in malls so if you want a more calm shopping experience you could go to Istinye Park and get some of the same things there while it would be way less authentic you won’t have to deal with any hassling. One of the best activities for Istanbul and my top recommendation is to take a ferry. Even when you don’t need to take a ferry it’s so enjoyable to go from stop to stop and enjoy the views of the historic city and the palaces along the Bosphorus or take one to the islands. While they’re essential transport you can always take one as a pastime. The Bosphorus line is my favorite and you can get a very cheap city tour out of taking the ferry from end to end.
If you’re also considering a Turkey trip I’ve been many times and am happy to answer any specific questions.