Istanbul Basics & Guides

Every single day you spend with a person to make their day better, every moment of teaching someone something new, every step you take...

I am one of those people who never liked running. When I was younger I hated even the thought of it. After I moved to...

So you’ve come to Turkey and plan to stay for a while, or you already live here and have decided to save up some...

Long ago, great explorers traversed huge bodies of water with little more than the stars to guide them. And now? Well, you just need...

If you’re anything like me, or the average Istanbul resident, you probably spend a larger percentage of your life commuting than you’d like to...

If you have lived in Turkey for a while, you’ve probably got an account with a local bank. It is easy enough to open...

“Metrobüs” is a word whispered in dark corners of the yabangee community in İstanbul. So what is this so called Metrobüs? How does it...

Well, hello there. Chances are you are leaving Turkey with your pet, and you’ve stumbled upon this page looking for advice. Don’t worry, we're...

We live in a great time to be stuck in traffic! Especially if you live in Istanbul, you’ve been given the greatest gifts of...

Is living on a budget a choice or an obligation? In my case, unfortunately, it had to be an obligation. I’ve moved to Istanbul...

A few days ago I was waiting for the bus in the ridiculously long line at Beşiktaş Square - some mornings the line turns...

The end of this semester is approaching quickly. Along with it, come final projects, papers, tests, presentations, and a number of other things, which...

In the first part of this series, I spent the day browsing through Beyoğlu’s record shops. A few days later, once the gloomy weather had...

Turkey maintains strong foreign relations with most countries around the world, and many have dedicated missions to foster diplomatic relationships and provide services to...

One day, after having heard our neighbor's son practicing his guitar almost daily, I went to her door and asked in piecemeal Turkish if...

With its own attraction and magic this game seems to appear everywhere, may it be in the çay evi or at home, tavla is...

When I first came to Istanbul in October of 2014, I was completely bewildered by the recycling system. I found almost nothing on the...

Who rules Istanbul? If you have been here for longer than a day, you already know the answer is obvious: CATS. They are everywhere...

IMPORTANT NOTE: As of Friday 07 October, the Interior Ministry has made the decision to close several districts in Istanbul entirely to any new...

As an animal lover, one of my favorite aspects of life in Turkey can also be one of the most challenging: seeing cats and...

Expat life can get dull, eating the same kind of food every single day. The lack of foreign food in a cosmopolite city like...

Being a foreigner studying or residing in a different country and a different culture makes one tend to seek for psychological help for various...

If 'enjoy Istanbul more' is among your list of resolutions in 2019, you are not alone! Each year, we decide to be more active,...

So you're visiting or moving to Turkey and you want to bring your foreign mobile phone with you to happily use here. Great! Let's...