3 Mistakes I Made in Istanbul

As the largest city in Turkey, Istanbul has a ton of beautiful experiences to offer for visiting tourists. Although I enjoyed visiting the city a lot, I wanted to point out a few things that I wish I was aware of before I went.

Taxi Scams

One of the easier scams to fall into is the taxi service in Istanbul. I made a few mistakes when trying to take a taxi to get around the city. Being a foreigner, it was hard to negotiate a price with the driver and therefore I ran into a few situations where they would make up a price at the end. This was a super easy way for them to overcharge you. 

I also had a few drivers that would try to convince me to go somewhere else, especially if where I was trying to go was far away. This seems like it was the drivers way of staying in one neighborhood where all the tourists are without having to go too far. 

A few tips I’d recommend if you plan on using the taxis:

1. Negotiate a set price before you get in the car.
   1. This way you have an agreement and they can’t make up a price at the end of your ride. 
2. Make sure they turn on their meter.
   1. This was also a way to come up with an absurd price if they never turned on the meter in the first place. 
3. Take the Train
   • The public train is pretty simple and easy to use!

Check for Local Holidays

On the other hand, this may be a great time to visit Istanbul if you are looking for local celebrations and events centered around the holiday. Depending on your preference, it’s always good to look into what’s going on in your destination at the time of your visit. 

Haggle with the price of certain goods

I never did much of this when shopping in Istanbul, but in certain areas like the Grand Bazaar, it’s part of the shopping experience. Negotiating prices can be difficult with a language barrier but definitely can offer some fun entertainment if you’re brave enough to try.