Hello everybody welcome back to one more video. In today's video we're gonna share
with you the dont's of Istanbul. We totally know that maybe many of these things might sound
quite obvious for some of you but let's remember that not all people have the same
experience as others of traveling to other countries and maybe some of them might
be the first time traveling abroad and visiting Turkiye so that is why this video will be very
useful especially for those people who might be traveling abroad for the very first time.
But before we start with our video, we invite you to check our two digital booklets: The Best of
Istanbul and Capatokia and The Best of Turkey where you'll find useful information on where to stay,
where to eat, how to move from city to city, and other suggestions that we do not share
on our social media, you may find the links in the description box and pinned comment.
Don't eat only in the main touristy areas and we are saying this because of course the closer
the restaurant is to the main attractions, the more expensive it is gonna be so this is why we
we want to encourage you to go explore some other local areas where you can have very good dishes
just as locals do and for a better price. Don't eat only the most popular dishes. We already know that
in Turkiye one of the most famous dishes is kebap but trust me here in this country you will find
many other different dishes to choose from and not only meat also you can find many vegetable
main dishes and these are vegan and vegetarian friendly so don't focus only on eating kebap.
Don't focus only on the main touristy attractions, of course when we are traveling the
first places that we want to visit are the main monuments, for example in Istanbul, which ones are
those? Well, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar but also we want to recommend you that
if you can, spend one or two extra days in the city in order to visit some other local areas
and local neighborhoods, for example on the Asian side, that even nowadays it started to have more
tourists but still there are so many other places to explore and to discover and that way you will
be able to find the different contrast of the city. Don't rent a bike or scooter in the city and we
are saying this because nowadays there are many scooters or bikes that you can rent in the city
but trust me, Istanbul is not bike-friendly or even scooter-friendly there are many cars around
or also motorbikes even riding on the sidewalks and of course, many areas are so crowded that it's
very difficult to move around with a scooter or a bike. For that, we recommend you instead, going
to the seaside, for example, on the Asian side it's very easy to find good places for riding a bike or
a scooter especially in Kadikoy, Moda, Caddebostan, or Maltepe, or if you want something in the European
side you can do it around Bebek, Arnavutkoy or many areas around the Rumeli Fortress, those are
great places to do so. Maybe this one will sound a bit funny for you but really, don't get scammed and
I am saying this because I know many of us where ever we go it's not just in Turkiye
but everywhere we go we tend to be more alert but some people just feel like "okay, nothing
is going to happen to me", so this one is especially for that type of people that are still thinking
like "no, this is impossible, nothing is gonna happen to me" but trust me Istanbul just as in any other
big city things happen as well so just keep an eye open. In case that you don't know what
type of scams are very common in Istanbul, then we will invite you to watch another video after
you finish watching this one about the most common scams in Istanbul and of course how to avoid them,
so just pay attention and don't get scammed. Don't cross the streets without double-checking because
in Istanbul and any other city in Turkiye this is very common, the culture here is very different from
many other countries in Europe or even from the U.S or even from Mexico. Usually when you're crossing the
streets here in Istanbul, the drivers will not stop for you, so please do not cross the streets
without double-checking. Don't confuse Turks with Arabs. Many people have the misconception that
Turkiye is an Arab country but it is not. The only thing that Turkiye and Arabic countries have in
common is the religion that here in Turkiye there is a majority is not a hundred percent but the
majority are muslims, so this is the only thing in common that we have, even the official language of
Turkiye is Turkish it is not Arabic and yeah it is true that in some areas like Fatih for example,
you will find many shops and even restaurants in Arabic but that doesn't mean that we speak
Arabic in Turkiye. Don't expect that everybody will speak English, yeah, actually in the most touristy areas
you will find people who speak very well English and even Spanish especially if you are in the
Grand Bazaar or at any shop around Sultanamet area but that doesn't mean that in all Turkiye
or in all of Istanbul every person will speak English, yeah, it is true that nowadays
especially the young generations they speak very well English and maybe they might be able to
understand you very well. If you can just learn the most common and maybe basic words trust me that
will make Turkish people very happy even if you can learn for example "ne kadar" which means how much is it,
"merhaba" "teşekkürler" which is thank you and these little easy words you will put a big smile on
Turkish faces. Do not drive in Istanbul. Some of our followers, sometimes send us messages asking
us if it's a good idea renting a car in the city and the only thing that I can tell them is
no, do not do it, and this is because besides that the city has a lot of traffic in peak hours also
you will not be able to find a lot of parking lots especially in the historic peninsula or in other
areas like Beyoglu where Taksim area is and you will struggle a lot also many of the streets especially
in the old peninsula are very very narrow so it is very difficult to really drive on them
I wouldn't even dare drive a car in that area so I wouldn't suggest driving a car in Istanbul
but if you want to rent a car for going from city to city then it's a great idea but not in Istanbul.
Don't listen to any people who has never been in Turkiye because more likely those people will have
a lot of stereotypes about the country and as a personal experience as well before moving to this
country when I was telling my friends or some of my family members, they immediately were shocked
and they were telling me things that were not real at all and of course they have never
traveled before to this country so that is why I am telling you that if you want real and good
advice, just ask people who have really been in Turkiye and not those that have never been here
but have been watching only from the western media things, just don't do that. Do not drink tap water
here in Turkiye it's not like in many European countries where you can easily drink tap water but
here we suggest not to do it. Instead you can go to the market and buy some bottles
it will be much better for you. Do not mistreat animals and if you have never been in Istanbul and
in general Turkiye, you will realize once you come here that
in general most people have a big respect towards animals especially cats and doggies
so that is why if you come here, you will realize as well that most cats and dogs
are very friendly to people and that is why we tell you not to mistreat them, instead, you can
bring some cat or dog food and when it whenever you're walking somewhere and if you see a furry
friend you can just leave that food to them. Do not stand on the left side of an escalator and this
one also might sound very obvious for many of you but trust me also we can find that type of people
that are not paying attention a lot especially when they are traveling, so please do not do this
because let's remember that also there are many local people living in that city who are going
to work or from work to home so please, do not stand on the left side of an escalator just
stand on the right side while you are going up and down and leave that left side free for the
people who are in a rush. Another one and this is something that I still remember and that it
happened to me a lot of times so this is why i want to tell you this especially if you're not
used to drinking çay do not drink your chai or tea right away because trust me it is boiling hot
so if you don't want to suffer from small blisters in your mouth and tongue just wait a little
until it gets a bit cold and then you can enjoy it as much as you want but just don't don't drink it
right away. Do not pay at shops or restaurants in a foreign currency and this means in U.S. dollars or
Euro, pay only in the local currency which is the Turkish Lira, we already know that the
Turkish Lira is crashing against these main currencies but we suggest you to instead use
Turkish lira. If you want to find some of the best exchange rates in Istanbul, then we highly
suggest you do it inside the Grand Bazaar and pay attention, INSIDE the Grand Bazaar.
Avoid at all costs doing it at the airport or at any exchange office near the tram line in Sultanahmet
area or even Taksim, they have really bad exchange rates and you want to take care of your wallet.
Also you have the option of just withdrawing some cash from any atm and you can do it
in the local currency or just the easiest way is to pay directly with your debit or
credit card that will be much better than paying in us dollars or in euro in any shop or restaurant.
Another thing and this really bothers me a lot, and not only me but also many other people, do
not mess with the gardens and flowers especially at the tulip festival in Istanbul, you have no idea
how many videos and photographs we have seen online of many people just messing with the
tulips and going inside there and breaking them and taking them just for a photo for Instagram
please, do not do this because also instead of having these beautiful gardens for longer
we are just having them for one or two weeks at most because after that time everybody
is just destroying them taking flowers and so on so please do not do this, respect the gardens
and the places that we have so everybody can enjoy them for a longer time. Do not waste your
money only on taxis, use the public transportation and let's remember that in Istanbul we have very good
transportation system and it is quite affordable, you can move from place to place
very easily which is connecting the main touristy areas and you don't really need to use only taxis.
If you want to use the public transportation, then you are going to need to buy only the
Istanbulkart which is about 20 liras right now per person and you can use it for up to 6 people
and you can use that one for ferries, metro, buses, the marmaray, even the public toilets, and many
other places. Do not call the Bosphorus a river, the Bosphorus is not a river, the Bosphorus is
a strait, it is a natural strait which is connecting two main seas, the Black
Sea and the Sea of Marmara, so please do not call it the Bosphorus river because it is not a river!
Do not buy things without bargaining first, and wait, for this I'm not saying to go to
the first shopping mall or to big brand shops and bargain because there you will not be able
to do it and do not do it but for example if you are visiting the Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar,
even the Eminonu shops or the local markets, there you can do it because this bargaining is
part of Turkish culture and you can easily do it. do not be loud in public transportation, inside
mosques, and any sacred place because for example when we are hooping into the Marmaray or the
tram that are connecting the main touristy areas usually, we hear very loud people and speaking
loudly and some of the locals, not everybody of course, but some people might feel uncomfortable
with that, so just keep that that in mind, of course we are not saying do not speak at all,
no, because we all speak just try to maintain a low level so you will not bother other people and
also at mosques, remember that you are in a sacred place and also many people are praying
while we are visiting the place it doesn't matter that it is not praying time so also
let's be respectful with that and just keep a low voice when visiting that type of places as well.
Do not take photos in the middle of every place and this is not just in Turkiye this is in general.
In every country or city we are visiting we know that we are also excited about taking the perfect
photo for our social media but please just think about it that also there are many locals that are
going to work that are going home and they are in a rush and it is not cool just that you are
walking and all of a sudden the person in front of you stops just to take a photo, that is really
so uncomfortable so just that keep in mind, be more mindful of those situations. Do
not go souvenir shopping in Istanbul on a Sunday and we are telling you this because on Sundays
especially the shops in Eminonu where you can find affordable souvenirs of every kind are closed on
Sundays of course you can still shop at the Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar and even on Istiklal street
but on those places you will find a bit higher prices that normally are so if you
want to really find the best prices, much more affordable, and also where local people buy, then go
to Eminonu shops but not on a Sunday, you can go from Monday to Saturday and everything will be open.
Do not start your day late in Istanbul especially in peak season and we are telling you this because
even though it is not peak season in Istanbul we have seen the main touristic attractions
especially in Sultanament area and Galata area that are super super crowded and there are huge lines
to enter, and another huge line to go through the checkpoints, and another huge line just to buy your
tickets, so if you really want to enjoy the main places, for example the Topkapi palace, or Hagia
Sofia. we recommend you start your day as early as you can, as soon as the doors open to visit
those places and the last don't and this is the most important so pay attention to this one, please
do not skip our videos if you really want to enjoy Istanbul and Turkiye in a different way, as a local
way, so if you are new to our channel, we highly recommend you go check our other videos where
you will find a lot of information about Istanbul and Turkiye such as where to eat, where to stay,
everything, where to buy souvenirs, everything that you're looking for you will find it on our channel.
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