Ten More Hard Truths About Moving to Istanbul
The Little Things in Life Can Make You Crazy Unless You Prepare Up Front
This article requires your common sense. If you do not possess this trait, please do not come to Istanbul.
Use the Bitaxi app or Uber taxi app if you MUST use a taxi.
It’s a known fact that the taxi drivers here in Istanbul are not the most outstanding of citizens when it comes to tourists. You might need to go to a location where public transportation doesn’t go, and you’ll need to take a cab. Words of caution:
Know exactly where you are going and how to get there using your online map.
Get the amount of the fare up front.
Take a photo of the meter.
If there’s no meter, get out of the taxi and find another.
Make it easy on yourself and use Bitaxi.
Or, don’t go. Do you have to go to that particular location?
Double-decker buses on rainy days are claustrophobic and uncomfortable. (Sorry, I have no photos of the buses, but they look like all two-story buses.)
When it rains, most people who walk typically take the bus. It’s just as in NYC, when it rains, there are no taxis.
Be prepared to stand and be squished like a sardine.
Take an umbrella and walk. (My choice always, as I get very claustrophobic.)
The food is fabulous. Try one of everything, just not all in one day.
I’ve heard and read some crazy comments from tourists about the food. This country is one of the best places to eat in the world. Yes, there are others, but while you live here, take the time to try one of everything.
Ask the locals (you’ll be living in an apartment and you’ll have neighbors) where their favorite restaurants are. Flag them on your online map. Go with friends, or go alone. Taste anything and everything that looks interesting.
Do not be afraid to ask someone at the restaurant to help you understand what each dish is.
Many restaurants ask you to choose your food from the counter. You can see the exact food you will eat before you eat it. You can select the precise fish you wish to eat. If you don’t know what any of them are, ask the waiter to find someone who speaks English who can either explain or translate for you. They have always been happy to help.
If you want to know the price to ensure it is something you want and can afford, ask for it. Everyone in this country has a serious budget. Do not be embarrassed to ask the cost of anything. Always keep your currency app open to understand how much you are spending.
Live here long enough to truly learn the city.
Seven days won’t cut it. Honestly, seven weeks isn’t enough. You can get the flavor of the city in a few months, but it wasn’t until I lived here for more than six months that I felt myself change. Now, after being here multiple years in a row, significant things have changed, internally and externally.
I am familiar with my local butcher, green grocer, grocery store, and other local shops. They know I live here, and even though I do stand out as an American, they know I’m part of the neighborhood. Because of this, I’m treated differently.
I know what to expect. I don’t need to check my watch when an ezan starts to know what time of day it is.
Like any other large city, I know when the worst times (and best) are to ride the Marmaray and the Metro.
I know which months now that I will get caught in a rainstorm when I’m shopping (September and October).
I know which weeks are too hot to be here without air conditioning (hint: it’s in July).
Visit all the major tourist sites to get them out of your system. Then explore the city and wander to your heart’s content.
Yes, they are beautiful and historic. Find a local tour guide to help you bypass the long lines of tourists and to explain to you the significance of each site. There are numerous Turkish tourist sites with excellent recommendations. Then you’ll have a solid foundation for understanding the city center, allowing you to explore outward.
Select a different neighborhood each weekend for a few hours and explore. Find a new boutique, a restaurant, or just a cool place by the water for a long de-stressing walk. Istanbul is a walker’s paradise.
Ride a ferry to every place they go.
You can sit on a ferry and take in the beautiful surroundings on a round-trip ride. Have a tea and a simit to get the complete experience.
Take the ferry from the Asian side to the European side (or vice versa) to see the difference, especially if you are apartment hunting. You might change your mind about where you want to live, as I did.
Take a ferry to the Prince Islands and explore.
You can take a complete Bosphorus trip to the Black Sea and back.
Take your lunch and sit on the front of the open ferry and enjoy.
Visit all four big bridges if you have a car.
There's no need to memorize their names; they tend to change. We refer to them as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd bridges, as well as the Yalova bridge.
San Francisco has one Golden Gate Bridge, and it is beautiful. Istanbul has FOUR.
Use Istanbul as your base to travel across the country and to other parts of the world.
Turkish Airlines is a major airline for trips to Europe, Asia, and other locations.
Use the smaller airport, Sabiha Gökçen, since it serves many destinations. It is easy to get to by train and has an extensive roster of flights.
The Polis and Jandarma are not like those in the U.S.
Yes, if you are violating the law, you have a problem. Do you know the rule about not picking up antiquities and putting them in your suitcase? Just because you live here doesn’t mean the rules have changed.
If you’re lost, they will help you. I’ve been lost several times, and it was the police who helped me find my way, and in one case, actually drove me home.
If you’re stopped at a traffic check, they are courteous as long as you are.
Your Passport is the most important document you own.
I live here, and it is with me 24/7. I now have a residency card, which requires me to carry my passport at all times.
I know that many travel sites advise locking up your passport, carrying a paper copy with you, or a photo of it on your phone. The jandarma officer who stopped me for a routine license check wanted the real thing.
Invest in anything that makes you feel comfortable keeping your passport with you. I have been in and out of Türkiye for three decades. I have never had anything stolen. My passport is usually in a double-zippered pocket on the front of my body in the summer or a cross-body purse inside my jacket or in another double-zipped pocket inside the jacket during the other seasons.
Don’t try to navigate anything related to residency or citizenship without help unless you can already speak the language. There are reputable services here to assist. Find one before you pull out your hair from the bureaucracy.
YES, IT IS SAFE—AND OTHER POINTS
If one more American asks me, “But is it safe?” I’m going to lose my mind. I have been to many places in Türkiye over the past thirty-five years. No, I don’t go to places in the middle of the night, nor to business areas after hours. Use your common sense. (Oh, I forgot, there are a lot of people who don’t have any…) It is not any different when I live in the U.S.
Please teach your family and friends geography before you move. With the conflict in Yemen, why would anyone think that Istanbul would be affected? The same holds for Gaza and other current problem areas. Your social circle in the U.S. will ask you questions that will repeatedly make you shake your head.
Yes, there are a lot of things I would change here if I could. But I cannot. But those things do not make me less safe. I do not have to worry about anyone I know being deported, or children having to prepare and train for school shootings. It is far from utopia here, and I have a spouse who is from this country, but I find a level of comfort in having found the best location for me in this city as an American.
Stay in temporary housing, whether an Airbnb-type accommodation or other short-term rental, until you know the city and are comfortable with the neighborhood you have selected.
Move around. Try out different neighborhoods. Live on both sides of the Bosphorus.
Make sure you have someone who speaks the language with you for any legal document discussions or signing. Know what is required as a tenant. It is NOT the same as in the U.S.
Then, enjoy living here. Where else can you hop a ferry, have a tea, and pass the time with beautiful views all around you?
