Istanbul is known as the city where east meets west.
It's spread across two continents: Europe and Asia.
One thing you should know before visiting Istanbul is that it's big.
Really, really big.
And there are a lot of different neighbourhoods to choose where to spend your time,
let alone deciding which continent you want to be on.
Before visiting Istanbul for the first time,
when we were trying to decide which 'side' of the city to stay on,
I wish I'd had a resource to give me a sense
of how the European and Asian sides differ.
In the end, we decided to stay on both sides -
in two very different apartments -
to experience it firsthand.
My goal in this video is to be the guide I wish I'd had
to help you clarify where you'd like to base yourself during a stay in Istanbul
and also just to recommend where to go when you visit 'the other side.'
The European side is where most travellers end up staying and visiting
and it's not uncommon to never visit the Asian side.
This has recently started to change more, but I want to make sure you do not miss out
on visiting the Asian side of this incredible city.
So in this video, I'm sharing some of my top Asian picks to explore.
But before that, I want to show you why the European side is rightly so popular
and deserving of your time.
This is our apartment on the Europe side
and it’s right in the middle of the action
so it’s been a nice refuge for us to come back to at the end of the day.
And the other thing I love about this place
is that there are two distinct spaces with two different desks,
which is a huge treat for Marc and I because we work as we’re travelling
and often we don’t have a desk at all.
We’re just sort of sitting on the floor.
So this has been the perfect place for us.
And I love that my desk and actually his too,
is right next to a huge wall of windows
so for me, it’s been a really inspiring place too.
This space is probably where I’ve spent most of my time when we’re here
curled up on that cozy couch because there’s all of these windows
and there’s always something happening.
You really feel like you’re in the middle of everything.
And for us, this has been the perfect place to situate ourselves on the Europe side.
We are extremely close - maybe 2 or 3 minutes walk from the Galata Tower,
which is really old.
This whole area is known as Galata
and it’s one of the most famous landmarks in Istanbul, period.
So we can walk there --
we’ve really enjoyed seeing it lit up at night because it’s so close by.
Lots of restaurants.
Istiklal Street is a great shopping street.
It’s easy to get to as well.
And then when we’re sightseeing during the day,
all of the main kind of Istanbul sightseeing attractions
are within walking distance, which is really nice.
So Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque — all of them are easy to get to.
And of course that’s one of the advantages of being on the Europe side.
There’s lots going on — a lot of hustle and bustle.
The pace feels much faster here
and it’s kind of exciting to get caught up in that energy.
We didn’t realize when we first arrived at our Airbnb how famous these steps are
but you just walk up here and we’re basically right at the top.
And these were designed in a special shape so that children —
the idea is that children but really anyone,
wouldn’t fall all the way down the flight of stairs if they slipped or tripped or something
because of the shape so… I feel more safe now.
I’m standing on the Galata Bridge right in the heart of it all.
There’s boats going underneath and all over the water.
You can see the Galata Tower behind me.
One of the main landmarks here in the city.
And our Airbnb is like, I don’t know, 2 or 3 minutes walk from there
so it’s a nice way to orient yourself.
And I just love feeling on this European side like you’re right in the middle of everything.
In my opinion, the best way to cross between the European and Asian sides of Istanbul
is by ferry boat.
It's practical with the added bonus of getting in some extra sightseeing while you're underway.
If you're lucky, you'll spy a rainbow in the sky
and find yourself on board with a seagull whisperer like this man.
All the birds flew alongside our boat,
waiting for him to throw another fistful of food into the air.
I'll never forget when he turned and looked at me with a huge smile on his face
and he saw the huge smile on my face.
It was one of those unexpected travel moments of shared joy
that you simply cannot plan for, which makes it all the more memorable.
Whether you’re staying on the Asia side or the Europe side,
or like us splitting your time between the two, you really need to get yourself on a ferry.
It’s an amazing way to get a totally different view of the city
out on this beautiful, windy, sunny kind of day.
And a great way to cross between the two sides.
Hello Asia side!
God, this is the perfect, perfect day to be out here.
Yeah!
And I feel so happy because, now when I look back at the Europe side,
I recognize the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia.
And I can see the Galata Tower.
And I didn’t know where those things were before
so I feel like I’m starting to get a better lay of the land in Istanbul,
which is saying something because this city is huge.
I see more jellyfish down there!
Really?
Yeah!
Don’t jump in then!
Back on dry land.
Yeah.
I didn’t get so sick that time.
It’s good.
Marc’s still working on his sea legs.
Exactly.
Sea stomach.
I can handle short ferry rides.
We’ve arrived in Kadiköy!
Woohoo!
Kadiköy.
Kadiköy!
The Kadiköy district is one of my favourite areas on the Asian side
and the part of it known as Moda is a must-see.
When you get off the ferry here,
you'll likely notice right away there are fewer tourists than on the European side.
In Moda, which you'll see more of shortly, we didn't see more than a handful.
Moda is full of cute cafes, boutiques, and book shops
that you'll likely want to take some time looking around.
Don't miss the great vintage and antique stores here too.
This is also a perfect place to grab a tea or Turkish coffee and just people watch.
TimeOut magazine named Moda one of the 50 coolest neighbourhoods in the world
and it's easy to see why.
The part of Kadikoy closer to the ferry terminal has a laid-back, familiar feeling.
People are picking up groceries, meeting up with friends,
all the simple pleasures of everyday life.
My top recommendation here is the food market
where you'll find fresh fish, olives, cheese, nuts, honey, and lots more.
I love to walk around the market area in Kadiköy.
You can find pretty much anything.
The smells are delicious.
People are so friendly saying hello.
If you take the ferry from the Europe side,
at the Kadiköy ferry terminal, if you basically walk straight forward,
you will find yourself just surrounded by all of this delicious looking food.
It’s raining!
As you can see.
But we wanted to tell you about one of our favourite neighbourhoods
to explore on the Asia side.
We’re in it right now — this is Moda.
And we just love walking around here.
Love, love, love it.
Yeah.
There are so many…I mean, the stairs behind us are a very good example.
Yeah.
You find all sorts of colourful murals and graffiti.
A lot of creativity as you’re walking around that’s being expressed.
Great barber shops!
Tada!
Our favourite barber in Istanbul.
Marc got a haircut which was… -He fixed me up.
How excited are you to get a haircut?
I’m really excited!
It’s been months.
And I’ve never had a haircut in Turkey before.
No.
World haircuts.
Yeah!
International haircuts.
Add it to my international haircuts list.
He got a massage and they served us tea and it was amazing.
It was wonderful.
What do you think?
Looks so good!
And this area just has the really nice cafes and restaurants
and you don’t see a lot of other tourists.
It really feels like a residential kind of neighbourhood.
Super good vibes.
Where people are just living their lives.
So a perfect place to come and explore.
What do they call those things when the rat’s tails get all like tangled?
That’s what I was thinking of too.
It looks like that but with pigeons.
Yeah!
They really looks like they’re all attached to each other.
It’s like one writhing mass of pigeon.
It’s a pigeon centipede.
Oh!
That was traumatic.
Okay, we don’t want to get pooped on in Moda.
No!
Let’s keep going.
Okay!
This is our apartment on the Asian side of Istanbul
and staying here to me is like a holiday on a holiday.
It’s really spacious — there’s a second bedroom —
and I keep wishing that I could just pick up the phone
and fly over some friends or family
because it’s the kind of place that I would just love to share with them.
And I think what makes this place so surprising
is that you feel like you’re in a really private place
with these expansive views
but you’re in a city of 15 million people.
And I never expected to have this feeling in a city that is this big.
But when you wake up in the morning,
the first view you see from the bedroom side of the apartment
is this lush, green landscape
with the Turkish flag reminding you to pinch yourself that you’re waking up in Turkey.
And then you walk out of the bedroom
and you walk towards the most just ridiculous, unimaginable view
that takes up one whole wall of this apartment.
It’s so expansive but it feels so private
and you have to keep reminding yourself, “I am in Istanbul right now.”
So, I’m going to stop talking about the view and just take you outside.
This is the reason I really don’t want to leave here.
I think this view really speaks for itself.
One of the most incredible parts about Istanbul
is the fact that it’s a city that crosses two continents
and right now, we’re in Asia and across the water is Europe.
It’s so unique
and there are people on the water here doing cruises to get a better look
and we get to wake up this view and go to sleep to this view.
I can hear the water.
I could practically jump in from this balcony actually
although I wouldn’t recommend it no matter how inspired you feel.
But just being able to sit here and see the bridge
and hear that magical sound of the waves lapping
and then look out and see everything from cargo ships
to small boats with people fishing is just… it’s just amazing.
And what I think I love most about staying on this Asian side
is that the pace really does feel slower.
It feels like you’re on holiday.
I mean, this doesn’t feel like you’re in a huge city with a lot of hustle and bustle,
which is amazing to experience, but so is this.
It just feels relaxed.
You get to hear the wonderful sound of the waves
and just try to…try to imagine how you possibly got to be this lucky.
At least that’s what I’m spending my time sitting here thinking about.
We are sitting here in our pyjamas
on this sofa with our morning coffee and drinks.
Just looking over at Europe.
Sitting in Asia looking at Europe while a boat makes its way over there.
I am so happy!
HAPPY!
When our balcony up there doesn’t feel quite close enough to the water,
I’ve also really enjoyed coming down to this patio area,
which is right on the water.
I could practically dip my toes in — in fact I think people actually do swim here.
And the first night that Marc and I arrived, we brought chairs,
we sat up here and it was night
and we sat looking at the bridge, which is all lit up.
Eating Turkish delight.
It was just one of those magic travel memories that I will never forget.
And what I love about this view
is that I can look at the bridge and see all of those tiny little trucks and cars
making their way between two continents.
And looking at this bridge that, you know, bridges two continents
and sitting at the edge of one myself and looking out across the water at the other,
hearing the birds,
watching the boats go by.
I can hear the different music and seeing people dancing and...
people fishing in their small boats and just
feel like I’m part of everything and yet relaxed and also a bit removed from it,
which gives you just a different perspective on everything.
This is also the perfect place to watch the sun go down
and from this view, when I look out at this bridge,
the sun sets pretty much in the centre of the bridge
and at least from this perspective,
it looks as though it’s setting directly between the two continents.
It’s…amazing.
Çengelköy is a little more difficult to get to from the European side
and to me at least, it feels more remote than the Kadiköy Moda neighbourhood.
We didn't notice any other tourists during our entire time staying in Çengelköy.
The locals were extremely friendly and helpful
and made us feel really welcome.
In this area you find cute restaurants and shops
tucked away on little streets
and the glow of lanterns in the trees at night.
I can't overstate how much we loved staying in Çengelköy
and it quickly came to feel like a home away from home.
Our neighbourhood on the Asian side is called Çengelköy.
It’s a really special place
because it’s a little bit removed from the normal places that people go to on the Asian side
like Kadiköy and the Moda neighbourhood,
which we love as well.
But it’s a bit trickier to get to
and so you just really don’t find a lot of other tourists,
which makes it really relaxed, super chill here,
and we’ve just really enjoyed the vibe, honestly.
It’s just a really nice place to come and unwind.
I hope you enjoyed seeing this peak at different parts of Istanbul.
The European side is faster paced
and where you'll find many of the main attractions you'll want to see.
It's walkable and exciting and you'll enjoy getting caught up in the energy of the city.
The Asian side feels more laid-back and local
and removed from some of the hustle.
If you're planning a trip to Istanbul, I hope you'll find this video helpful.
If you can swing it, I highly recommend staying on both continents
and experiencing different neighbourhoods.
We loved both the Airbnbs we stayed in
so I will link them in the description box below if you're interested.
I also have an Airbnb discount code you can find there.
Check out the rest of our Turkey series
for more videos on both the Asian and European sides,
including foods to try and must-see sites and activities.
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Thanks for watching!