Impressions of Istanbul

I am just back from a week-long visit to Istanbul.

It’s apparently not the capital of Turkey (I knew that of course…) but I am not sure its inhabitants have really accepted that. It certainly was the capital of vast Eurasian empires for 1500 years, and that leaves a mark.

Like Venice, Istanbul is dominated by the sea. And somehow it feels so weighted down by history that one wonders if it is not really in danger of sinking.

The modern city is on such a scale that it is impossible even to begin to grasp it during a week-long visit. I had the impression I would need many years. Wikipedia says the population is 12.4 million, but I have heard 15 or even 20 million – apparently, no-one really knows.

Used to the Turkish districts in Brussels and other Western European cities, I thought I knew something of what to expect. There were a few points of contact, of course, but that was overall not really the case. Although men clearly outnumbered women in the street, the vast majority of women whom one did see wore no headscarf and dressed in quite a Western way. In the prosperous districts north of the Golden Horn, they shopped in a Western way too.

But overall, Istanbul was an enigma, and the guidebooks we used (TimeOut, hg2) were largely useless, at least for our purposes. So were sites like Tripadvisor. So here are a few notes of my own trying to make sense of the place.

SIGHTS

These at least you will figure out with a standard guide book.

Try to go to Hagia Sophia when there aren’t too many tourists, as the queues can be very long.

The archaeology museum next to the Topkapi palace is superb, especially the gorgeous sculpted mausolea from the Sidon necropolis, which are in an extraordinarily good state of preservation. An amazing fusion of Egyptian and Hellenistic styles.

The Yerebatan Cistern (Basilica Cistern) was well worth it; as was wandering around in Pera (Beyoglu).

SHOPPING

To buy something worthwhile at a normal price in one of the bazaars is almost impossible; at best, a few souvenirs can be picked up there. North of the Grand Bazaar there are many shops selling much humbler produce. Little of this would seem worth taking back though – it’s the kind of garments and other trinkets they sell here in Belgium in Turkish shops and on markets. Prices in the posh shopping districts offer little advantage, if any, over those in Europe.

However, there is one district in the old city that offers what appears to be quality fashion at reasonable prices. Some items carry the famous European brands and look like them too. Others carry local brand names, fantasy Italian brand names or are unbranded. This district is situated to the South of Ordu Caddesi near the Istanbul University.

Be prepared to bargain there too – but from a more reasonable starting point often known in advance. Being able to speak Russian is a huge advantage – especially if you don’t speak Turkish… Many shops actually refuse to sell you single items, they appear to cater to who-knows-what kind of small post-Soviet shopkeepers. Occasionally they bear the word “wholesale” in the window but more frequently the russian word “optom”.

What’s authentic there and what is not? I have no clue. Are the items genuinely of the quality that they appear? Not always in any case, so buyer beware – but I think we picked up lots of bargains: leather items, fur coats, shoes… We also avoided serious rip-offs (goose down comforters with almost no weight of down in them). Who shops there – can it really be JUST for Russian tourists? And isn’t that a bit odd?

There are also some normal shopping malls out of town (Cevahir in Mecidiyeköy, Akmerker in Etiler, Kanyon…), these we didn’t reach so I can’t say what the shopping experience there would be but I imagine it would be more reliable and organized, prices presumably would be at least similar and probably lower. But maybe I’m wrong. Russian-language assistance would probably not, though, be provided (I do speak enough Russian to communicate).

If you want to buy carpets and kilims in Istanbul, it surely isn’t the best place but it may be an opportunity you don’t have at home. It is absolutely indispensable to be really clued up on all the technical details in advance. There are buyers guides available – you can order them on Amazon, but there is also an English-language bookshop near the Blue Mosque at the beginning of Divan Yolu which is well stocked in all sorts of interesting material with a local slant – it will cost you much more but it’s convenient and pleasant browsing. Anyway you’ll certainly save from having these guides if you do intend to make a purchase.

For some reason all those carpet stores are unable to provide any evidence for their long stories about the carpets they try to sell. I wonder why…

Shops in the touristy districts displaying prices were a rarity. Unsurprisingly, those few who did, were doing great business. Elsewhere, we found all the hassling really tiring and it put us off the shopping experience, so we ended up buying almost nothing other than clothes in the district mentioned earlier.

The Arasta Bazaar near the blue Mosque is much more hassle-free than the Grand Bazaar and an altogether more pleasant experience, though real bargains are unlikely.

Don’t let the hotel take you by car to shops or restaurants, that’s yet another tiresome scam. For some reason, they can’t just tell you the address and let you go by yourself.

Obviously the Turkish government has little vision or desire to reform the tourist experience, which is a pity as the city has great potential without any need for scams.

EATING

We found some really nice and high quality Turkish restaurants in Ticarethane Sokak near the Basilica Cistern and Blue Mosque. One of the few places they don’t hassle you. There are also others in other side streets of Divan Yolu that looked nice. We recommend “The Cure” (despite the name). Rumeli was less good.

There are great grilled fish sandwich available in a variety of places, not just at the quay in Eminönü – for example we also found one next to the Gedirpasa bath. TL 3.50, a bargain.

In the event you get out to the City shopping mall in …, which sells only Western labels at high prices, there is nonetheless an absolutely amazing restaurant on the top floor called “Itś a Joke”. Astonishing design down to the last detail, a feast for the eyes as zell as palate!

After a while we got tired with all the kebabs. Notwithstanding sometimes good quality and service, and the amazing displays of fresh produce in the markets, there seems to be a real lack of variety in terms of food on offer.

BATHS

For goodness sake avoid Cagaloglu on Yerebatan Caddesi – at least if you are a man it is a total ripoff and an unpleasant experience to boot. Gedirpasa was much cheaper and better: 40TL with massage. The architecture in neither place is anything particularly stunning, but Gedirpasa does also have a small pool. In any event, in neither place will you find anyone speaking even very rudimentary English – which is kind of surprising considering the first place caters exclusively to tourists!

CHILDREN

The Turks love children and our two small ones were constantly surrounded by attention. Pushing them in strollers around Istanbul was a challenge though. The sidewalks are awful, frequently too narrow, blocked by lampposts or parked cars, and frequently with steps. The kerbs are also extremelt high and most of the streets are cobbled. We had to push them in the street most of the time, which is certainly not ideal; but we managed it.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Taxis are cheap and we never had any problem with meters or other scams, though it always pays to be careful. The tram which runs down Sultanahmet across to Beyoglu is also very convenient though. Single journey by token, TL 1.40. Buses run everywhere but it was impossible to figure out what was going on there; in any case they are often crowded so not easy with kids in strollers.

HOTELS

We stayed at Kybele two nights, it was a great location, and worth the stay, though it’s rather expensive and the breakfast buffet was disappointing. Our room had a nice terrace, but no view as a high-rise was blocking out Hagia Sophia.

For the rest we stayed at Aruna which is a new hotel and apparently under the same ownership. It’s location in Sultanahmet was slightly less ideal but still OK. The breakfast buffet was better but still got boring after a couple of days. Unlike at Kybele there is a lift. One guy at reception was very helpful and friendly, the other more annoying. Make sure you use the code on the safe deposit boxes, just with the key it is not necessarily safe.

The hotels around Ordu Caddesi are presumably cheaper and next time we might try them, as the district is ideal for shopping and convenient for the tram. But perhaps they cater only to tour groups. There are so many hotels in the old peninsula and around Istiklal Caddesi.

CONCLUSIONS

My main conclusion is that once you venture a bit off the beaten trail in your travels – and Istanbul really is only a LITTLE bit off the beaten trail – local knowledge becomes hugely important. There is really no substitute, even in the internet age. Next time, I would plan more in advance. Internet cannot be relied on (except this article of course . I would try to contact people on the ground by better exploiting my online social networks to find friends of friends. We really only used A Small World, and that delivered something, but not a great deal.

A week was the minimum to get ones bearings and see stuff, but it was also enough for a first visit as the non-stop hassle became tiring and one realized how little one actually understood of how the place worked.

Istanbul is an obvious place to go at least once in a lifetime for its cultural and historical attractions, but it is also a place that one could keep coming back to if only it would be more visitor-friendly and public authorities made a real effort to rein in the hassle and scams. If one has to tolerate the latter anyway, I guess there are more interesting shopping destinations. But it is surely a place that, in any case, leaves a deep impression on one and a hunger for something more.

The photos are here.