The Best And Worst Of Istanbul

As usual, we like to wrap up the cities we spend a little time in. Previously, you’d find it listed as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. 

However, we honestly don’t find much ugly, so “Best” and “Worst” seem more appropriate.

 

The Best of Istanbul 

Overall, we had a pleasant time in Istanbul; the city is beautiful, with architecture very different from that of other cities we’ve explored.

 

The Culture

We enjoyed exploring Istanbul, including the palace, museums, tombs, and mosques, and we learned a lot about the Ottoman Empire and Byzantine architecture.

 

The Shopping 

Mark especially liked the markets, despite the crowds. We bought delicious pastries and enjoyed them on our ship’s balcony with a cup of coffee. 

 

We also brought home Iranian saffron, Urfa Biber (a Turkish chili pepper), Sumac, a stained-glass lamp, and olive oil.

 

Random Details

Many of the walkways featured beautiful tile and glass details embedded in the sidewalks.

 

 

Fresh Food

We enjoyed the fresh food everywhere. Breakfast, especially, always had plenty of fruit and vegetables, and most kebabs came with salads and roasted vegetables.

 

 

The Worst of Istanbul

At the top of a very short list were the vendors! 

 

Street Vendors

We truly hated them; they were relentless and didn’t take “no, thank you’ as an answer. We tried playing the ‘soy Mexicano’ card, but they all seemed to speak four or five languages and would follow you down the street, trying to sell you something, or walk you into their cafe.

Several women travelers told us they didn’t bother them. But for two guys, it was horrific, so much so that Chuck has no interest in returning to Istanbul.

 

Taxis

Vendors and taxi drivers were present. It seemed unregulated, and they could charge you whatever they wanted. Having our hotel call a taxi gave us a confirmed, reasonable price; return trips, however, were never close.

 

Lamb and Kebabs

The last point isn’t really a ‘worst’ but something that should be known, especially for fussier eaters. Istanbul is very lamb-heavy; even items listed as meat dishes may contain lamb, which Chuck doesn’t eat.

While we both enjoyed the kebabs we ate, every menu felt kebab-heavy. We felt that many places lacked variety.

 

The Hills

For senior travelers, it’s helpful to know the lay of the land. Our hotel seemed close to the major attractions; however, we soon learned it was quite an uphill walk. 

Despite our research, we were surprised to have missed that detail and spent a good bit of time walking up and down the hills multiple times a day. Good leg workout though.

 

Would We Come Back?

Istanbul is beautiful, and we’ve flown through the airport on Turkish Airlines several times since.

Overall, the people were very warm and friendly, except for the street vendors.

If we come back, we would want to stay on the Asian side of the city because we didn’t really explore that area.

But for now, we’re off to board the NCL Pearl for our Greek Isles: Istanbul to Venice cruise!