Istanbul

By air

Istanbul Airport (IST)

IST to Sultanahmet: one taxi or ride-hail car, 45–100 minutes depending on traffic — the airport is 40 km out, so the risk is the evening peak and the walk from the door to a narrow street.

Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW)

SAW to Sultanahmet: one taxi or ride-hail car across the Bosphorus, 60–120 minutes — the airport is on the Asian side, and evening traffic decides whether you arrive at 22:30 or after midnight.

Passes

No pass needed: an Istanbulkart pays for itself after a few rides; museum passes are worth it only with three or more paid museums.

Late at night

Trams and the metro run to about midnight; ferries stop earlier; taxis and ride-hailing run all night.

Karaköy Güllüoğlu

Walk-in baklava and tea, standing or at a few tables; go before 11:00 or after 15:00; buy by weight and ask for the price first.

Karaköy and Galata

Cafés, galleries and the ferry piers; steep streets, a lift in the better hotels, and a 10-minute tram to the old city.

Sultanahmet (old city)

First-timers: Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are a walk away; pick a hotel with a 24h desk and a street the car can reach.

Etiquette

• Greeting: Handshake; 'Merhaba' (hello) or 'Selamün aleyküm' in conservative areas; cheek kisses between friends of the same sex; avoid: Offering a hand to a conservative woman first — wait for hers
• Mosques: Covered clothing, headscarf for women, shoes in hand, quiet voice; avoid: Walking in front of people praying; visiting during Friday midday prayer
• Hospitality: Accept tea or at least a sip; bring sweets or pastries to a home; avoid: Refusing food repeatedly; showing the soles of your feet
• Politics and history: Listen; let hosts raise it; avoid: Opinions on Atatürk, the Kurdish issue, Armenia or Cyprus with people you just met
• Ramadan: Eat discreetly in conservative towns during the day; avoid: Eating, drinking or smoking in front of fasting people in small towns
• Gestures: A slight upward head nod with a tut means 'no'; avoid: The OK hand sign (can be read as rude) and a thumb between fingers
• Dress in town: Shorts are fine in Istanbul and resorts; longer clothes in the interior and east; avoid: Swimwear away from the beach
• Names: First name plus Bey (men) or Hanım (women): 'Ahmet Bey'; avoid: Using the surname alone

Red lines

• Mosques: shoulders and knees covered, shoes off, no photos of people praying.
• Do not follow a stranger to a 'friend's' carpet shop or bar.
• Do not drink from a glass or bottle you did not see opened in nightlife streets.

Scams (Türkiye (Turkey) page)

• Shoe-shine brush drop: A shiner 'drops' his brush, you return it, he shines your shoes and demands money. Walk on.
• Friendly stranger bar bill: A new friend suggests a bar; hostesses order drinks and the bill runs to thousands of lira with muscle at the door. Pick the bar yourself.
• Taxi meter and note swap: Meter on at the start; say the note aloud as you hand it over (₺200 swapped for ₺20); use BiTaksi or Uber.
• Carpet shop detour: A guide who 'just wants to practise English' ends at his cousin's carpet shop. Say no thanks; buy carpets only with a receipt and certificate.
• Fake e-Visa sites: Only evisa.gov.tr is official; US, UK, EU and Canadian passports need no visa at all.
• Restaurant menus without prices: Ask for the price per kilo before the fish is cooked; check the bill for unordered meze and bread.