Advice & Info

“Zeytinyağı gibi üste çıkma!” or “Don’t stick out like olive oil!” This time last year, my husband and I were sipping olive oil at a...

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl with shiny blonde hair that ran down her shoulders and sweet hazel eyes which sparkled...

So you've decided to move to Istanbul. Hoş geldiniz and congrats on a fantastic decision! We're confident you'll love it here just as much...

One of the many seemingly incessant complaints I hear from other yabancılar is a disdain for Turkish wines. Navigating the wine scene in Turkey...

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

Before I left for Istanbul, I had many friends promise that they would come and visit me. Unfortunately - since life gets in the...

We Call It Home: Istanbul Dialogues is a new monthly series showcasing the inspiring contributions being made by Istanbul’s diverse international community to the...

First Encounter, September, 1964 I arrived at Sirkeci Station on the Orient Express — the real Orient Express, a train that was anything but express...

Istanbul beats Paris any day when it comes to experiencing romantic moments, as far as I am convinced. Even logistically it is superior to...

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...

Pera Museum is currently hosting a thought provoking exhibition exploring critical issues in science, culture, and politics in the last 150 years, curated by...

Your child deserves a better future, and nothing can help them change and improve quite like a high quality education that meets international standards....

Turkey is one of the few countries in the world where the rate of HIV/AIDS cases has been increasing in the past decade. Despite...

Rent increases are an unpleasant but inevitable part of adult life. However, as rent prices have spiked by an unprecedented degree over the past...

Learn Turkish, to explore a very interesting culture while living in Turkey and get integrated easily in the Turkish community. Notting Hill Turkey is providing...

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...

So you’ve found somewhere to live in the urban jungle of Istanbul – congratulations! Opening utility accounts is not that difficult but can be...

cold, dark, eerie leather soles staccato along pavements avoiding cracks and stray van İstanbul becalmed, again street lamps whisper through hüzün diesel engines growl like kangal buses ready to depart north...

I'd be hard pressed to think of a more wholesome group activity I've taken part in these last few years, than when a group...

“İnek var!” an alien called to the driver. “İnek mi var?” I replied to her great surprise then suddenly as if by pure magic inek appeared in...

Start the new year by learning and practicing the Turkish language with Notting Hill College Turkey, while easily becoming integrated in the Turkish community...

Longing for Istanbul doubles as a sociological reflection on modernization processes in Turkish culture and a personal memoir that articulates what it means to...

Phoenix Ancient City near present day Taşlıca lies far from the touristic bustle of Marmaris. This semi-isolated site is a treasure trove of archaic...

We all know that Istanbul has a plethora of activities for foreigners. Whether it's concerts, stand-up shows, spoken word events, or even trivia nights!...