Quick Thoughts

Istanbul is one of the rare cities that checks all the boxes. It’s a sprawling transcontinental metropolis that’s withstood the test of time & humanity, which as a tourist means endless explorations of both the ancient & the modern.

This “City on the Seven Hills” also boasts one of the most impressive skylines which can be enjoyed from countless rooftop bars, cafes, & restaurants. Speaking of which, the food may very well be the highlight for most travelers it’s that amazing.

With that said, the best part for me was *drumroll* chilling with the friendly stray dogs & cats that run the streets of Istanbul. But hey, different priorities 🤷‍♂️🐕🐈

Key Highlights

• Link to my collection of Instagram Stories from the trip!

• Befriending this street dog with heterochromatic eyes.

• You can’t visit Turkey without trying Turkish coffee ☕️

• The moment I landed, I went straight from the airport to Ortakoy Mosque and caught this stormy sunrise just in time!

• Fish sandwich from the boat restaurant near Galata Bridge (Deniz Yildizi Balikci).

• Watching the sunset views of Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia from Seven Hills Hotel rooftop.

• Turkish street food is worth trying, especially roasted chestnuts 🌰And of course, try some Turkish ice cream & enjoy the show.

Things to Know

• For a free rooftop view of Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia museum, check out Seven Hills Hotel.

• There are two major airports, both roughly an hour away from the city so factor that into your itinerary!

• Cheers Hostel - I highly recommend this place! Plus the hostel comes with its own dog (:

• Get ready to encounter street dogs & cats everywhere! But don’t worry, they are treated well & are quite friendly.

• Use Uber.

• Watch out for hustlers. I unfortunately had one taxi driver rip me off, and had another interesting incident. In an elaborate scheme, a shoe shiner walked ahead of me and “accidentally” dropped his shoe brush. I picked it up and approached him to return it. He acted surprised and grateful, followed by insisting in giving me a shoe shine. Luckily, my slow brain finally remembered I read about this scheme prior to my trip, so I hurried along my way. Apparently this is a method used to hook you into buying something. I respect the hustle.

Bird’s Eye View

Trip by the Photos