Istanbul guide

Notes from the guides on the things people ask us before they arrive. We add to this as we write, so it is short on purpose.

Getting around

The Istanbulkart, and how to use public transport in Istanbul. What the one card covers, where to buy it, how to top it up, why you never tap out, and why the old HES code advice you may still find online no longer applies.

Before you book your dates

Istanbul weather, month by month is the honest version of when to come and what it is like to walk in. Several of the major sights also close one day a week, and those days decide the shape of a trip more than the weather does.

Practical things

Practical Istanbul covers what to wear inside a working mosque, how the transport fits together and which sights shut when. Money in Istanbul covers the lira, cards against cash and where to change money. Turkish words worth knowing is mostly food, which is the useful part.

Ask us instead

If the answer you want is not here, message Salih. Questions about dates, children, walking distances and what a group can manage get a straight answer, and we would rather answer one than have you guess.