Advice & Info

Part 2 focuses on Thessaloniki, Greece and is a continuation of part 1. After another three hours of driving, our next stop was Thessaloniki. We checked in...

“Habitash! Habitash!” The unfamiliar deckhand appeared as a silhouette, repeatedly emphasizing this made-up word as though I would finally understand what it meant the sixth...

Summer, fall, winter, or spring, we all want ice cream. Luckily, the ice cream makers at Mua have a flavor for every season. Their...

It hit me a few weeks after moving to Istanbul two years ago. I was stressed and confused by so many things like accommodation...

Being an expat living in Istanbul over the past few years, I often get asked this question: Are you happy in Istanbul? This query...

As the weather has instantly morphed into Fall (literally overnight I have gone from sweating due to the obscene muggy temperature, to sweating due...

Altın günü is not just a get-together of women, it is a culture. So if you have no clue on how to behave properly,...

To be a true yabancı, there are certain skills you have to master... 1. Become a teaholic. Drinking copious amounts of black tea is an...

In the final month of 2019, the first Coronavirus case was recorded in Wuhan, China. The pandemic has since spread nearly all over the...

“Where can I go for a non-chocolate dessert?” Sometimes chocolate is not the sweet you crave. Maybe you fancy something made with honey, fruit and...

In a city the size of Istanbul, it’s definitely understandable that sometimes you just want to get away. One place that would normally not...

Undoubtedly one of the most surprising qualities of Turkey's international community is how few foreigners have taken the time to learn Turkish despite choosing...

For a long time there has been a culture struggling to make itself known, to have its voice heard. Often relegated to the sidelines,...

If you need something new to suppress the bad-weather blues or you just want to get out of Istanbul and into your ski boots,...

Moving to a new city is stressful -- new people, a new job, a new culture, new rules. It can often be overwhelming trying to...

On the morning of February 6th 2023, the citizens of Turkey woke up to the tragic news of a 7.6 magnitude earthquake affecting major...

“Where do I take my Turkish friend who just moved back from abroad out for dinner?” For anyone who loves Turkish food, the approach that...

Personality is a phenomenon which describes the way people behave in everyday life. It’s an essential concept in order to understand and predict our...

Editor's Note: This piece was first published in 2015, and was most recently updated in May of 2022. Important Note: The Covid-19 pandemic had a...

Read the first part of ''A Surprising Way to Improve Your Turkish: Bureaucracy'' here. Buoyed by your success on the phone to the bank you walk for...

İstiklal Caddesi is home to many eateries, stores and coffee shops. Although chains such as Shake Shack have been cropping up, the promenade manages...

C. M. Kosemen is an artist and independent researcher born in Ankara, Turkey in 1984. He studied at Cornell University, Istanbul’s Sabancı University and...

As of 15 January 2021, an Istanbulkart (used predominantly for public transportation within the city) will need to be linked to a HES (Hayat...