How to Live Like a Local in Istanbul
Photo: Flickr - Herve “Setaou” BRY
Istanbul has something for every kind of traveller. While its tourist sights are certainly astonishing, they are only a tiny portion of what the city has to offer. An intensely cultural place, you can be here for months and not have tried each unique café, art gallery, or bar – even in your own neighbourhood. It’s not hard to work out what to do in Istanbul – new culture, art and music pop up all the time but, simultaneously, traditional Turkish ways of life go on undisturbed. This creates an intoxicatingly vibrant mix, so there’s a lot to gain from heading off the well-worn path and living like a local.
Built around people, not cars, Istanbul is a walking city; furrowed with steep, cobbled streets. Walking around, you constantly chance upon tucked away bookshops, cafés, or stores with antiques spilling out onto the sidewalk. Skip the big sights (or try to condense them into one day in Sultanahmet), and spend the rest of your trip on foot around the city. Explore the different areas while making frequent stops to try different restaurants in Istanbul, or to sit and drink çay (tea).
Photo: Flickr - \Ryan
Where to eat in Istanbul…
A local’s favourite is Çelebioğlu Sokak in Beşiktaş; a cobbled street lined with delicious, cheap all-day breakfast cafés.
Pişi Breakfast & Burger is a highlight, with lovely staff and a full Turkish breakfast spread that is surprisingly inexpensive. You can also order separate dishes – eggs done in a variety of ways or Pişi’s namesake – a piece of dough about the size of a bread roll, fried and filled with a choice of ingredients; most delicious fillings include Nutella, sausage or cheese.
For dinner, go to Bodrum Mantı & Café; situated in Arnavutköy. A well-loved Istanbul restaurant, it specializes in mantı - small tortellini-like parcels of dough which are usually served with a garlicky yoghurt sauce – and are served fried here to incredible effect.
Photo: Flickr - gsz
Where to shop in Istanbul…
After your bargain breakfast in Beşiktaş, it’s well worth checking out the market there. Sprawling across two stories; the ground floor is a kaleidoscope of colourful fresh produce – fruits, vegetables, olives and cheeses; the top is full of clothes, shoes and household items.
Turkey is a big production centre for European fashion brands, and any items that don’t make the grade end up at markets just like this one. You might recognise clothes from Topshop, H & M and Zara, which sell for 10 lira each. While the odd thread might be loose you can find bargains here, and you might even find yourself walking away with bagfuls of clothes.
Photo: Flickr – g-squared
Where to stop in Istanbul…
In a city of 13 million people, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but Turkey’s café culture means there are plenty of opportunities to chill out.
An unlikely but deserving candidate for the top Istanbul coffee spot is the Starbucks branch in Bebek. Located right on the edge of the Bosphorus, and open till 1am, it’s lovely to sit on the rear terrace to gaze at the beautiful view. Watch lights gradually illuminate on the opposite shore, while boats softly hum past you.
Istanbul’s tea gardens are another great place to relax. Take a commuter ferry across the Bosphorus to Kadıköy, and then jump on the historic tram. Rumble through the cobbled, narrow streets that are lined with tall buildings, and get off at Moda, an old, quiet neighbourhood overlooking the sea. Find the tea garden here, a place for çay, backgammon and nargile, lined with greenery and situated on the edge of a headland looking out on to the Marmara Sea.
Photo: Flickr – serhatto