At the beginning of October we were in Istanbul for 5 days and 4 nights. An unplanned, but very welcome holiday, as I haven't been anywhere all summer. Today I will give you tips for a budget holiday in Istanbul, so that you do not miss the highlights.
To be honest, I never thought I would ever go to Turkey. However, when it turned out that way and Istanbul was the cheapest and most suitable option, combined with sun and wonderful temperatures, I gave in. And to be honest, I don't regret it. Even though we were only out for a few days, I thoroughly enjoyed this versatile and above all historic city. The city has countless sights, especially in summer and early autumn, the temperatures are wonderful and the people are friendly. In addition, Turkey is a reasonably safe holiday country and you can enjoy delicious food for little money. The tickets are very well priced, especially out of season (we lost 151 euros per ticket/return). Outside of Istanbul, there are many more places to discover in this beautiful country, making Turkey the perfect summer destination.
To start with, I would like to say:if you really want to get to know the city, get to know the locals and above all:dare to deviate from the tourist paths. We have not made any touristic tours and yet have seen the highlights of the city. And all this with a limited budget.
Do you want to see the highlights of the city on a budget? Then try to find a hotel in the Sultanahmet district. Here you will find, in addition to numerous restaurants, major attractions such as the Grand Bazaar, the spice market, Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and much more. You are also close to the Bosphorus, the Galata Bridge and the Galata Tower. If you have a bit more budget:here you will find countless tour buses, tourist boats that even take you to Greece, etc. We had booked a hotel for 199.00 euros. I will probably devote a separate article to this, unfortunately this hotel was not recommended. The location was great, the staff friendly, but that's about it.
We did not use any vehicles except for a boat during the entire holiday (I will come back to this in a moment). If you really want to see a lot in Istanbul for little money, explore the city on foot. Do not hesitate to deviate from tourist routes. At one point we just turned into a street and walked through a less fortunate area of Istanbul. There were no tourists here, the shops charged different prices and we got a good idea of what life is like for the locals. We did not feel unsafe for a moment, although we did occasionally get surprised looks, but that didn't spoil the fun.
In the row of tips for a budget holiday in Istanbul, the following tip should not be missing. Don't want to walk all day (we walked an average of 6 – 7 hours a day)? Then you can use the tram, bus, metro and boat. You can purchase an Istanbul card for this. This is comparable to the public transport card known to us, with this difference:a maximum of 5 people can be placed on 1 card. It works just like here with gates, only you can then pass the card on to the next person. This allows you to travel through Istanbul with a whole family. You can use the card for the bus, metro, tram and boat. For the card you pay 6 Turkish Lira, which is about 1 Euro. The rides by public transport don't cost that much either.
There is no shortage of tourist boats in Istanbul. The choice is huge and you can really take the most diverse boat trips, if you only pay. The prices are largely indicated in Euros and you can count on 30 – 50 euros per person for a 2 – 5 hour trip. Do you want to sail budget proof, just like us? Then get on a boat for the locals with the Istanbul card. With this you can, for example, visit 1 of the 9 islands off the coast of Istanbul. Converted, we lost less than 3 euros for a trip to Princess Island (TIP!).
The boat trip itself was a great experience and we visited several islands. On the boat you can buy tea, coffee, soft drinks, sandwiches and snacks for a very reasonable price. Precisely because the boat is taken by locals, the prices on the boat are budget friendly. As for safety, the boats look almost the same as the tourist boats and we never felt bored or unsafe. There was even entertainment on board in the form of a local playing music (Turkish music).
Istanbul is full of restaurants. I am going to devote a separate article to all the restaurants where we have eaten. If you are not interested in Turkish food:in addition to McDonalds, you will also find KFC, Burger King and Domino's. Do you like to eat local food as much as I do? Then I can recommend Saray to you. This restaurant can be found in several places downtown Istanbul. This restaurant surprised us, not only in terms of price, but also in terms of appearance and portions. On average you pay here for a main course 4 – 5 euros. In addition to all kinds of typical Turkish dishes, they also have European dishes such as pizza and pasta dishes.
Of course you are now also curious about the must-sees in Istanbul. I will also write an extensive article about this, but what you should definitely not skip:
Have you ever been to Istanbul and do you have any nice tips for a budget holiday in Istanbul for other readers?
