Istanbul for free

Istanbul literally provides delicious street food on every corner. And grabbing a bite on the street, either straight from one of the vendors there or in a snack place is a typical part of the life in Istanbul. Literally sold on the streets are mainly three typical dishes: Misir, Kestane and Balik Ekmek by the real street sellers with their push-cars. Warm street food in Istanbul Kestane - Istanbul Street Food Kestane - in winter time the street vendors sell roasted chestnuts instead of corn. Misir - sold mainly during the summer time, freshly boiled or grilled corn on the cob, eaten with salt or spices.  Balik Ekmek - the famous fish bread.  Misir - Istanbul Street Food Balik Ekmek - Istanbul Street Food http://www.wittistanbul.com/magazine/istanbuls-street-food-whats-hot-and-whats-not/ Eating street food is very much part of the Istanbul way of life. You can’t walk for over a kilometer without coming accross one or more street vendors and...

Istanbul has a lot of interesting things to see and experience. And a lot of them are not openly advertised or well known to the common traveler. One of those are the often overseen tombs of the sultans, even though those are situated between two of the most visited sights in Istanbul, the Hagia Sophia and the Topkapi Palace. Right in the heart of the old town Sultanahmet, basically in the backyard of the Hagia Sophia. Tombs of the Sultans - Istanbul - Outside Tombs of the Sultans  Underneath tourist-thronged  Hagia Sophia  is an oasis of calm in the form of five sultans’ tombs. Each is decorated differently and there are wonderful examples of Iznik tiling. Beautiful, and free to enter too. How to get there Well, basically just walk around the Hagia Sophia on the right side if you stand in front of the main entrance. Around the corner left hand, after a mere 50m, is the entry to the tombs. Some Impressions  of the Tombs Tiles and Design - Tombs H...

Yet still the best way to experience Istanbul is by foot. Not only due to traffic and the partial closeness of sights, especially because literally around every corner there is something to see or to experience. One of these things in Istanbul are the Ottoman Fountains . For sure everyone visiting Istanbul will pass some of them, at least on the way from one famous sight to another. But they are often to beautiful and interesting to be just passed by. Therefore here some information about the Ottoman Fountains in Istanbul, which apparently are free to see, visit and touch. Important Ottoman Fountains in Istanbul Ahmed III Fountain, Ottoman Fountain, Istanbul In Ottoman Istanbul fountains were often built  with mosques, providing the part of the religious ritual of cleansing before and after prayer. But as often they were used for distribution of water to the public, usually as a charity. These architectural artworks show an almost forgotten part of the rich Turkish culture a...

Travel guide apps are not the only ones which make visiting a city more easy and relaxed. Also apps like dictionaries and guides for public transportations can be very helpful - for travelers and for locals. Here are three free apps which make it easy to get around and along in the beautiful city of Istanbul. With those one you will not get lost in Istanbul and find everything you want to see, while making your way back home. 3 Apps to easily get around in Istanbul Trafi Trafi Türkiye is probably the most useful app when it comes to finding the way by public transportation in Istanbul. And public transportation in this case covers bus, ferry, metrobus, metro/funicular, dolmuş and tram. Always there are multiple routes provided which allows to pick the most convenient one, without buses, with less walking, with ferries - you name it. Once you choose the route, it provides a listing of all the stops along the way with times, including any interchanges if necessary, a map of the jo...

Only a few people know that there is not only the renowned Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) in Istanbul, but also the Little Hagia Sophia (Küçük Ayasofya Camii) . So unfortunately it is often literally overseen by many tourists, even though it is also located in Sultanahmet, only a few minutes downhill from the Hippodrome. And moreover the oldest surviving Byzantine monument in Istanbul. Little Hagia Sophia (Küçük Ayasofya Camii) - free and beautiful The Little Hagia Sophia, Istanbul Being older as the big Hagia Sophia and supposedly a miniature version of the Hagia Sophia, the attribute little makes perfectly sense. It was built by the same architects during the reign of Emperor Justinian I. But actually it differs in terms of architecture and therefore mainly the name stuck, making it the Little Hagia Sophia over times until today.  Nevertheless it is very beautiful and provides an interesting interior design and architecture. Originally build as a church, being th...

Istanbul Energy Museum by C.Kremenak  CC The Energy Museum Istanbul at Santralistanbul is one of the few free museums in Istanbul. And sadly often overseen by visitors as it is not along the typical tourist routes people take while visiting Istanbul. Nevertheless it is well worth a visit. Especially as not only the entry is free, there is even a free shuttle service . Energy Museum Santralistanbul Originally called Silahtaraga it was a power plant providing Istanbul with energy from 1914 until 1983. Being assigned to the Bilgi University in 2004 it was converted into a campus in 2007 and received its new name "Santralistanbul". Becoming a centre for arts, culture and education and Turkey´s first industrial archeology museum. Santralistanbul by P. Sten CC The museum itself is located in the area where once the turbine-generators and the steam boilers where situated. In the Energy Museum one can see turbine-generators from companies like Siemens and AEG, and the s...

One of my favorite viewpoints, and yet most of the times overseen by people, is the Halic Metro Station . Situated in the middle of a bridge crossing the Golden Horn the Station provides a great view up the Golden Horn and down to the Bosporus. Recently it also has two small passenger bridges at both ends inside of the station, which provide an even better view to all sides. Without the need to leave the station at all. Also the Halic Metro Station is a good starting point to explore Balat, Fener or to visit the Süleymaniye Mosque , probably the most beautiful mosque of Istanbul , which also provides a nice view.  View from Halic Metro Station Here are some pictures taken by me at the Metro Station to give you an idea why I think is one of the most stunning viewpoints in Istanbul, especially at night. The view goes from Eyüp with Pierre Loti over the Fatih and Süleymaniye mosque, the Yeni mosque down to Topkapi, the Galata Bridge and the Galata Tower. View from Halic Metro ...

Maiden Tower & Old Town View from Üsküdar, Istanbul Üsküdar provides one of the nicest viewpoints in Istanbul, even though it does not provide a view from above. But therefore it is one of the best spots to see the sun going down over the historical district of Sultanahmet with the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and the Haiga Sophia. And of course the  Maiden´s Tower , another one of Istanbul's famous landmarks, prominently situated some hundred meters off the Üsküdar shore. The most renowned sad legend says an emperor had a much beloved daughter and an oracle prophesied that she would be killed by a snake on her 18th birthday. The emperor, to keep his daughter away from land, had the tower built in the middle of the Bosphorus to protect his daughter until her 18th birthday. On the 18th birthday of the princess, the emperor brought her a basket of exotic sumptuous fruits as a birthday gift, delighted that he was able to prevent the prophecy. Upon reaching in...

Yet another hidden gem in the always surprising city of Istanbul is located on the Asian side, in Kadiköy. There, located in some in the first glimpse normal streets of a standard neighborhood of Istanbul, around almost every corner there is an impressive piece of street art to find .  Backstreet Street Art The street art in the backstreets of Kadiköy mainly features murals  which have been painted during the Muralist Festival   2012 and 2013. For those who wonder what a mural is, a mural is is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. But now some of those impressive and marvelous murals should speak for themselves. Here are three out of eleven wall high murals, not counting all the graffitis which are to be found around the area.  Occupy Antartica from B.Shanti of the artist collective " Captain Borderline ".  Elephant at Night by South African rooted artist Freddy Sam  R...

Turkish Food is well known for its variety and tastiness. That applies to the snacks and the main dishes as much as to the side dishes. Here are the most famous, and eventually the most tasty, ones: Typical Turkish side dishes Pilav - the most plain version of Pilav is just plain rice cooked with oil or butter, called sade pilav. It normally comes in variations. Cooked with eggplants or chickpeas and combined with chicken or other meat. And of course spiced up with pepper, salt or cumin. Another variation is Bulgur Pilav, where the rice is substituted by wheat. Cacik -one of the classic refreshing dishes. Yogurt with a mixture of shredded cucumber, garlic and mint. In the summer time often served with ice cubes, even more refreshing! Mücver - Lightly fried in olive oil it is made of shredded zucchini, eggs and flour, sometimes green onions, mint and white cheese are added - as one likes.  Fried vegetables - those are a lot to find in Turkish Cuisine, basically every veggie...

This is the first post about something which is not free, but might save everybody some money. As local markets are by far the best option to buy fruits, vegetables and cheese cheap in Istanbul. Saying that it needs to be stated that the ones which are Organic Markets are relatively expensive in comparison to the normal ones, but they are still cheaper as all the organic supermarkets in Istanbul.  And at least the unique atmosphere of a more or less packed Turkish Market is for free and nevertheless priceless! List of Local Markets in Istanbul To provide a better overview here the markets sorted by days:  Monday Markets Bahcelievler - Next to Türk Böbrek Vakfi  Göztepe - Next to Selamicesme Özgürlük Park, starting at the Selamicesme railroad bridge Tuesday Markets Clothes Street Market in Istanbul Arnavutköy - Close to the Arnavutköy bus stop Bahcesehir - "Pazartürk", located between Bahcesehir and Esenkent Bakirköy - Zuhurat Baba, Karabal Avenue, ne...

Tulip Festival Istanbul April until the beginning of May is tulip season in Istanbul. Since 2006 the city of Istanbul is honoring the tulip with this festival. And it is totally free, no entry fees, no nothing. As the tulips are literally spread all over the city, providing eye candy, there are some spots, namely parks, which are especially worth visiting to enjoy the colorful tulips. These four spots are the highlights of the Tulip Festival , or Lale Festivali in Turkish. Yildiz Grove, Besiktas The Yildiz Grove is actually located between Besiktas and Ortaköy, and therefore an ideal spot to visit on the way to the market or the mosque in Ortaköy - the Büyük Mecidiye Camii. It is one of the biggest green area close to the city and spreads over the hills above Besiktas delivering beautiful views of the Bosphorus, while inhabiting lots of different plants and an overwhelming amount of squirrels. Easiest reachable by bus from Taksim or Besiktas. Gülhane Park, Fatih/Sult...

Emirgan Park Sign One of the biggest and most known parks of Istanbul is the Emirgan Park. The 452.000 square meter park is located on the European side of Istanbul, between the neighborhoods of Rümeli and Istinye. It is one of the big green lungs relatively close to the city centre.  And if ones decides to take a bus from Taksim, Kabatas or Besiktas to the park, it also provides a nice ride along the shore of the Bosphorus, passing Ortaköy with its famous mosque - possible stop! - and the two Bosphorus bridges.  Emirgan Park: Free views and recreation Emirgan provides not only some spectacular views of the Bosphorus but also a lot of caves, ponds, waterfalls, historic trees and water ponds. Altogether with a mirad of walking paths and three restored Ottoman mansions it creates a pretty unique atmosphere. The three mansions are a prime example for the Ottoman architecture of the late years, and are named in regards to their colors, pink, white an...

Even though Istanbul does provide a lot of museums, the majority of them are unfortunately - for the budget traveler - not free, not even cheap. One of the very few exception is the Turkish Bank Museum - Türkiye IS Bankasi Museum or Isbank Museum.  Turkish Bank Museum Istanbul Turkish Bank Museum Istanbul According to the name of the Museum one normally would suspect it is a museum about the Turkish Bank, but that is only half of the museum. Being situated in an old bank building in Eminönü it is a sight by itself. Built 1892 and used as the Isbank main branch from 1926 to 2005 it is a museum since 2007, and hosts changing exhibitions - about three to four throughout the year. Besides an exhibition about the history of Türkiye IS Bankasi itself and about the technical development of banking over time, this years main exhibition is about Canakkale 1915 . The Canakkale 1915 "From the depths to the trenches" exhibition will run until the mid of August and is also in En...