Tips for those travelling to Istanbul

[1968claret]

As a hardy few Clarets make the first of what will hopefully be many forays to the far flung corners of Europe, I thought it might be a good idea to have a place where we can give travel tips.

Having spent some time working in Turkey I thought I would start things off.

To avoid Turkey tummy,

Don’t have ice cubes in your drink
Don’t drink straight from the bottle
Only drink bottled water, same goes when ckeaning teeth (if you bother to do so)
Pack plenty of Imodium

If you follow these tips but still fall foul of the trots,
Remember that many of the public loos will be of the traditional (squatting) variety. Not ideal in the circumstances, watch out for splatter!

It might be wind. But dare you take the risk? Probably best to play it safe and keep it in

Safe trip

[Adidas1961]

I was in Bodrum in '93 and encountered " the hole in the floor" and I had the 2 Bob bits!! F**k my life it was horrendous!!!

[piston broke]

When squatting do NOT keep checking if you are over the hole. You’ll end up crapping down the back of your leg.

[pushpinpussy]

be careful of affection in public. i once got a big fine for shagging an irish bird on the beach in Marmaris. apparently not considered approriate in Turkey.

[Andingle]

Don't they like the Irish??

[1968claret]

If gettting a taxi anywhere, where a seatbelt.
If the taxi driver starts watching a DVD while driving(yes this really does happen!) hold on tight

[ElectroClaret]

Don't fall foul of the Turkish Old Bill.

"They don't mess about" would be completely understating things.

[mrgomez]

taste turkish breakfeast, mixed kebap, fıstıklı baklava

also maraş dondurması (kindda ice cream), turkish coffee and turkish tea if possible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_jX5ulgOc4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ecc]

'Don't fall foul of the Turkish Old Bill.

"They don't mess about" would be completely understating things.'


If you're not a Kurd or Armenian you've got over a pretty huge first hurdle.

[IanMcL]

Say hello to the Turks wonderful people.

[IanMcL]

Hang on to all your valuables tightly. Pickpockets rmrife and teams work over the tourist area.
Women visiting the mosque don't let any helpful women cover your head for you. Earrings, necklaces will be gone.

Otherwise - Bask in the wonders of the most outstanding world city, steeped in the History of empire.

[Ooogeorgeorgeoghani]

As a hardy few Clarets make the first of what will hopefully be many forays to the far flung corners of Europe, I thought it might be a good idea to have a place where we can give travel tips.

Having spent some time working in Turkey I thought I would start things off.

To avoid Turkey tummy,

Don’t have ice cubes in your drink
Don’t drink straight from the bottle
Only drink bottled water, same goes when ckeaning teeth (if you bother to do so)
Pack plenty of Imodium

If you follow these tips but still fall foul of the trots,
Remember that many of the public loos will be of the traditional (squatting) variety. Not ideal in the circumstances, watch out for splatter!

It might be wind. But dare you take the risk? Probably best to play it safe and keep it in

Safe trip

Just done 2 weeks in Turkey drank effes straight from the bottle as it is so hot it's boiling by the time it hits the glass , drank raki with ice , Turkey is not how it used to be the public loos are a better standard than here , the shwind nearly caught me out though !!!

[IanMcL]

Pie eaters will survive ok!

[69 WALLOP]

Watch Midnight Express, the evening before you go.

[mrgomez]

eat yummy meat at first nusret restaurant ever (saltbae) @ istinye park

[Gandalfs pole]

I’m flying into Diyarbakir on Tuesday and then getting train to Istanbul on Wednesday morning

[mrgomez]

I’m flying into Diyarbakir on Tuesday and then getting train to Istanbul on Wednesday morning

i strongly suggest you to take a plane from diyarbakir to istanbul.

wait for wednesday? stay one night at diyarbakir? getting *hell* tired by traveling with the old and slow train?

you can easily find a plane at tuesday from diyarbakir to istanbul for ~ 50 pounds

note : btw it seems there is no train to istanbul from diyarbakir at the day you plan to travel

[scouseclaret]

As a hardy few Clarets make the first of what will hopefully be many forays to the far flung corners of Europe, I thought it might be a good idea to have a place where we can give travel tips.

Having spent some time working in Turkey I thought I would start things off.

To avoid Turkey tummy,

Don’t have ice cubes in your drink
Don’t drink straight from the bottle
Only drink bottled water, same goes when ckeaning teeth (if you bother to do so)
Pack plenty of Imodium

If you follow these tips but still fall foul of the trots,
Remember that many of the public loos will be of the traditional (squatting) variety. Not ideal in the circumstances, watch out for splatter!

It might be wind. But dare you take the risk? Probably best to play it safe and keep it in

Safe trip

When were you last in Turkey. 1968?

[1968claret]

To be fair, it was nearly 10 years ago

I’m sure the taxi drivers are still maniacs though.

Great country, the locals were incredibly friendly.

[dibraidio]

I was in Istanbul for work about 15 years ago and got hassled ALL THE TIME by shoe cleaners, carpet sellers, post card sellers etc. They were all very friendly and very insistent. I think I stood out to them because I was dressed for office work and have blonde hair and blue eyes but I didn't have any trouble though and I walked all around the city centre.

It seems that the further south you go the less they respect the rules of the road. If there are two lanes expect them to be three abreast if it's busy. I don't think I'd want to drive there to be honest and I've driven abroad a lot. The taxi drivers seem to be flashing their lights all the time, whether it's to offer their services to people walking or to say hello to their mates, I can imagine you could think it's for you if you're driving there for the first time. It's worse than Italy or Greece just because there are so many cars on the road.

I found that there was a massive disparity in prices between the hotels and the rest of the city. Better off going out for a beer than paying hotel prices.

Plenty to visit if you're into your history.

[scouseclaret]

I hire a car on holiday in Turkey every year and find it ok.

Wouldn’t fancy it in Istanbul though, although that’s probably true of most big cities.

[IanMcL]

Not for the faint hearted!

[thedmcistanbul]

Hello all,
We are contacting to you with regards to your land arrangements needs, especially shuttle bus transfer to/from Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium for the game on 09 August 2018, Thursday. We are The DMC Istanbul, specialized in hosting football teams and related parties in Turkey for the international tournament games. Sorry if some of them are real rivals for you, in past we handled many supporters groups from the UK, Liverpool (1000 supporters) back in 2005 for the CL final, Leeds United, Tottenham, Bolton, Man United, Chelsea, St Johnstone.... If you look at our website http://www.thedmcistanbul.com/sports-tr ... ement.html you can see more details about our services.
Basaksehir stadium is far off city centre, such as Taksim square or Sultanahmet (old town) areas are within 30/35 kms distance. The kick off is at 21:45 so at the end of the game, public transportation from that area to city centre will not be an option. Considering the number of Burnley fans coming to the game, amount of taxis - sorry to say this but most of them will be asking more than taximeters' charge as it happens in every metropols - may not be enough at that time of the day.
As a travel agent, and we have dealt similar occasions in past, we would like to offer you city center - stadium - city center bus transfer services. If you want to book any services through us, please contact at thedmc@thedmcistanbul.com or on mobile 00905337085197
Wish you safe travel to Istanbul and good luck for the game, and please do not hesitate to contact us for any further information.
Kind Regards,
Sinan Erkul

[Longsider]

Never trust a fart.