What you wish you knew before going to Istanbul ?? ( Turkey in general )

Not so much a "wish I knew", rather a few thoughts. We were in Istanbul a couple of weeks ago. Was intended to be a two night stop onward to Tashkent, but ended up staying for a week. It is an incredibly beautiful city - we enjoyed the usual tourist sights (Blue Mosque, Haggia Sofia, Kariye Mosque, Bosphorus cruise etc) but also just loved walking around and seeing things.

Probably what surprised me was that I expected it to be hectic, and it wasn't. It was pretty laid back, and people very friendly.

I would definitely go back, and in fact our daughter has just been accepted to a university exchange there, so we'll have an opportunity.

We’ll be in Istanbul October 25. I usually do a trip report.

That I would love it.

Enjoyed the history, the people, and the food. Fabulous city.

I learned about a food tour here on the forum and signed up for it. I was so glad I did, The company is Yummy Istanbul and the tour name is “a taste of two continents “. Great intro to both Istanbul and Turkish food.

I read CWSocial's trip reports and they were extremely helpful for my planning. They are a bit out of date cost wise, but still relevant:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/3-weeks-to-fall-in-love-with-turkey
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/so-you-re-going-on-the-best-of-turkey-or-best-of-istanbul-tour

And my own personal FWIW:

• use bottled water for brushing teeth and everything else
• if doing a RS tour, look at tour details and take the food tour if offered
• give yourself at least 1.5 days of jet lag recovery on arrival (I flew from west coast USA, needed)
• if you are female, find a head scarf you like before you leave (I didn't love mine)
• try all the food even if you're suspicious (99% is delicious!)
• if you're not a cat lover, work on becoming one - they were a highlight of my trip (and I adopted two when I came back, I blame Turkey!)

You can tap to pay (credit card or phone) on all Istanbul transit, including ferries. The simplicity is worth the tiny bit of extra cost, especially for a short stay.

And ferries are easy and fun for sightseeing.... even if Google Maps doesn't want to tell you about them. Just check the overhead signs at each ferry dock to see where and when the next one is going. Tap, hop on, and enjoy the views as you zigzag across the Bosphorus!

We are also going in October, we arrive on the 27th after two and half weeks in Greece.

I will also do a trip report, as the ones already posted have helped so much with my planning.

As for the transport, I was planning on just tapping my credit card too, the small amount of extra cost is neither here nor there, but I have been reading reports on other fora lately that sometimes this simply doesn't work.

Our hotel said that they could provide an Istanbulkart, so I think now we'll go with that option, it is also useful for public toilets too, so that will be handy.

I agree with what I @Claudia said. I had no idea how much I would love it, both Istanbul and Turkey in general.

Besides not knowing how much I would love this beautiful and multifaceted country, I wish I had learned about Ataturk and the esteem in which he is held by the people. He is described as the "George Washington of Turkey" but that doesn't begin to cover it. As our guide put it, "we don't just admire Ataturk, we love him." You will see not only monuments to him, but portraits in small shops and I remember in Kusadasi his profile was in lights at night on a hillside. He brought Turkey from the Ottoman Empire to the modern age. He still seems like a presence in the country many decades after his death, and despite Erdogan being in charge now.

What CL said. Also that on a trip that also included Germany, our then high school daughter said she liked Turkey the best(despite all her little friends saying she would get blown up). Any place that is as kind to stray cats as Istanbul is quite civilized.