How Is It Like To Live In Istanbul: Full Review!

Istanbul is a very big beautiful city! It is full of beautiful sights, places and things to try And do. It is always full of tourists from all over the world! You would find all types of people in there and it’s best known for its beautiful mixture of both western and eastern traditions and vibes.

If you're planning to travel to Istanbul for the purpose of a holiday or for living and working or studying there, then this article is definitely for you.

Based on my own personal experience in Turkey, I'm sure you will find this pretty useful and helpful.

Istanbul is a great place for tourists from all over the world, it has such a rich and a beautiful history, it's full of great views, places and people.

Don't hesitate visiting it because you surely won’t regret that.

Taksim

Also known as the heart of Istanbul, it's such a great and a very crowded place! It’s probably the most crowded place. The moment you walk there, yoI’ll rapidly notice that there’s tourists from all over the world. It is just insane how crowded this city is but I personally find this great!

If you're planning to find your accommodation there, then please take into consideration that you will have to pay relatively more than when you try finding accommodation in other cities.Why? Due to the simple fact that it’s full of tourists and that it’s best known as a touristic city that millions of people visit each year, which brings us to think of the term: “Demand”. There is simply a high demand for accommodation in there.

Istanbul is the city where the statue of Turkey's great independence is built in, precisely in Taksim's square.
I was personally living very close to that area in there, that's why I have gathered a few accurate info regarding it.

Don’t worry if you don’t speak Turkish as a tourist in Istanbul because there’s plenty of locals who already speak English.

You can find many people who would also know how to speak Arabic, so if you don't speak Turkish then Taksim and other popular touristic places are probably the best for you to visit!

I advise you to pretend that you have lived in Turkey before in front of locals - especially sellers - so you can avoid having them over-charge you for products that are usually sold for cheaper prices for locals/Turkish speakers.

Hagia Sophia

Another great touristic place where pricing overall is approximately similar to that in taksim, it's also very close to it (Taksim). Hagia Sofia is typically known for its long lived Aya Sophia's mosque that used to be a church before having it remodeled to a mosque (at least that's what I heard about it).

You will find plenty of tourists in this area too and no worries about language barriers because Hagia Sofia, just like Istanbul has many locals who can speak English.
The Hotels there can be relatively expensive though, but the same thing goes for other popular and crowded touristic places.

Sultanahmet:

Sultanahmet is another attractive location for tourists that is very close to both Hagia Sophia and Taksim.

It is full of great views and everything that you would need to go to, such as entertainment places, restaurants and general touristic trips.
The blue mosque is also found in this area and it's what Sultanahmet is mostly known for. People usually go to this area to enjoy its historic buildings and learn about the culture.

Other touristic places include:

Topkapi, Dolmabahce palace, Bosphorus, Spice bazaar (“ eminonu“ for shopping), Grand Bazaar Beyazit), Ottoman empire and many others.

Anything that has a “Bazaar” name in it simply means “Shopping”.

You can find plenty of restaurants and cafes that would serve all sorts and kinds of foods from everywhere, however, I cannot recommend you which is which because everyone has different interests, thoughts and tastes.

In my opinion, the food there can still not compete with that in Lebanon (capital : Beirut) and I can say that because of my own personal experience, I don't know, maybe because I'm more used to the Arabian food style. This is your decision to make though. Turkey is known for its delicious Kebab, so go ahead and try this meal!

If you're a nargile smoker (Hubble bubble/Shisha) - like me - then you can find good places to serve it, I would recommend places in Ortakoy, mecidiyekoy and some others places in between, as well as in bayrampasa. Those are some very nice, modern, clean and tourist-friendly places.

When it comes to the pricing for accommodation and finding the most comfortable high quality places to stay in, I would totally recommend hotel stays!

But if you wanna choose the average pricing but still can’t opt out from high quality, then you can try finding yourself rental private studios and apartments. The average day pricing ranges between 20 to 40 dollars a night.

If you prefer to stay on budget and go with the cheapest kind of accommodation, then hostels and shared rooms can be your choice. Istanbul is full of everything you’re looking for, regardless of being on budget or not.

The Turkish Lira price has dropped significantly over the past few years starting in 2014. This is an advantage for tourists because it means that you can do and buy many things with just 100 dollars (approximately 800 Turkish Liras).

What I personally like about Istanbul is that it’s a city that never sleeps, this means that its transportation means barely sleeps as well. It is full of transportation means including metro stations, metrobuses, dolmus and taxis.

They all have reasonable prices and they can go to almost every place in Istanbul. Once you're in Istanbul you'll learn fast how to go and transport yourself, it's simple and easy to learn. And if you ever feel lost, then you can ask any local for directions. People in there are usually friendly and very helpful.

As mentioned above, anything containing the word “Bazaar” means it’s about a shopping area. Here is a few examples of shopping areas in Istanbul that are almost full of everything you need to buy:

Beyazit ( Grand Bazaar)

Sultanahmet ( Spice Bazaar )

Mecidiyekoy: Jevahir Mall

Taksim ( Istiklal Street )

Aksaray

And many others.

Working in Turkey can be relatively very good when it comes to the rates and the salaries they give and when this is compared to the cost of living. Working as a nomad in there and earning in dollars can also get you to live an almost luxurious life.

Before you think of coming for work purposes, make sure you have the appropriate documentation to work legally and have a work visa prior to traveling and not after traveling, that's what one of my Turkish police friends told me.

If you come for the purpose of a holiday and then suddenly decide to stay and work there, then you would most probably have to travel back to the country from where you came and apply for a work visa there.

This can depend on where you're from and your nationality because as you know every country has specific rules and laws concerning citizens from different countries. Please try to seek legal advice when it comes to this.

The best and accurate advice can be give from the embassy itself and the job owner for which you plan to work.

What happens if we work without a work visa in Turkey?

The owner of the job will be charged a certain amount of money as a penalty tax for not abiding by the laws.

Whereas, the foreign worker would need to see what decision he/she will get from the Turkish authorities regarding his/her situation. In worst cases, the Turkish authorities may ban you from visiting Turkey for two years or more.

There are a few rules that are not applied to certain residents, a good example would be: Syrian citizens (because of the war that started in Syria back in 2011).

Syrians were and are exempted from certain punishments, thanks to the great leader and chief minister of Turkey “Tayyep Edrogan“ who may even legislate more kind laws concerning Syrians in the future.

All Syrians of course, are very thankful for his generosity and kindness but some of them are still complaining and finding it very hard to live in Turkey due to the fact that most job owners are not accepting them. Why? Because they need to make work visas for them.

Although, the Turkish government has made it so easy for Syrians to get work documentation, including that what's known as Sigorta work papers (insurance papers).

Some Syrians were also complaining because Turkey was and is still treating them as "guests" and not as " refugees" to be given full rights for working legally in the country and not to have to have any fear when it comes to being forced to leave Turkey anytime because of any possible new laws.

At the same time, they're still hoping for changes and believe that only the great chief minister “Erdogan“ would be ready to make such changes.

Many rumors claim that there will be changes in the laws concerning the Syrian citizens that will lead for equality between Turkish citizens and Syrians and a better life.

Additionally, I have heard that lots of Syrians have already received their naturalization and became official Turkish citizens!

If you're planning to study in Turkey then you’ve already made the right choice, because Turkey is a very welcoming and relatively cheap country for international students.

There is plenty of official and private schools and universities that teach in many languages including: German, English, Turkish and French.

There are also many workshops that teach other languages such as Arabic and Russian due to the great spread and increased number of Arabian and Russian people living in Turkey.

Moreover, Arabic is the Quran's official language and knowing that Turkey is full of Muslim people, they make sure to teach it for the purpose of teaching respect to their Islamic religion. So, don’t be surprised when you see a lot of locals speaking the Arabic language!

Freedom:

Turkey has signed many agreements and it has been involved in many conferences for the purpose of agreeing to call for freedom of speech and expression, religious beliefs, dress code, same-sex transgenders and many others as long as it doesn't hurt anyone in any way.

Turkey is a pretty open minded and a free country and that's what makes it special, modern and a place for all the people worldwide to come for any purpose they please! Some tourists never even plan to leave it sometimes because of the beauty of the country and the culture in general.

Pricing:

The prices are reasonable if you want to buy groceries, take a shopping tour for clothes, furniture or electronics.

So, if you let's say have a salary ranging from 600 to 800$ and if you live alone then you would never lack a thing and you'd find living there pretty relaxing.

Security:

Wherever you go, you will always find police cars sur rounding and driving all the place, so you feel safe.

Turkish Language Is A Must:

I know I previously mentioned that there are lots of people who speak mostly English and Arabic as a second language besides Turkish, but to keep you away from some people trying to cheat or manipulate prices (during shopping for example), then you must learn the Turkish language.