How to enter Istanbul.
How to enter Istanbul. It is possible to go to Istanbul, and therefore to Turkey, without a visa. For Italian citizens, the stay for tourist purposes in the Turkish state is 90 days. Given the changing global situation, we always recommend referring to government sites.

Language.
The official language is Turkish. While English is quite widespread in the most touristy places, this cannot be said in the less traveled neighbourhoods.

Currency and exchange.
The official currency is the Turkish Lira. Credit cards almost always work at ATMs, shops in the city center and museum entrances, but for everything else it is better to have some cash. If you want to exchange euros, calmly look for shops with favorable exchange rates and avoid the unfavorable exchange rate applied at the airport. Before leaving, always ask your bank about the withdrawal conditions and daily limits of your cards abroad.

Getting to Istanbul.
We arrived in Istanbul by taking a direct flight from Milan Malpensa with the national airline Turkish Airlines, which serves the Turkish capital daily and makes its fleet available in the main Italian cities. Bear in mind that, starting from Malpensa, the flight takes approximately 3-4 hours.

Internal Travel.
As mentioned in the article in the report of our trip, since January 2023 the fast metro line has been active which connects the airport directly with the city and stops at the Gayrettepe metro station, from which it is then possible to continue with the city lines. The city is well connected by tram and metro, while we do not recommend using taxis in the Sultanahmet area because it is very easy to get stuck in traffic. We preferred to walk every day and discover the city on foot, while we took a ferry to go to the Asian side. We also recommend taking a small cruise on the Bosphorus to see the city from a different perspective.

Safety.
Istanbul seemed safe overall, even in the evening when we went around the historic center.

Eating.
The multicultural charm of Istanbul is also reflected in the gastronomic field, where the raw materials of Mediterranean cuisine come into contact with the spices of the Far East, creating a unique mix. We can divide the cuisine into two main categories: street food and the much more detailed one, based on fish, with side dishes consisting of typical small plates full of vegetables. The advice is always to try both, avoiding restaurants in tourist areas. As drinks, absolutely worth trying are:

• kahve, (Turkish coffee), the country's symbolic drink.

• ayran, a drink made from yogurt, water and salt.

• içay (tea), the most drunk hot drink in the country.

Tastings along the way:

Kebab: The iconic skewered meat, lamb, chicken, mutton, veal. The Durum version is the one served inside a piadina, while the Tandir version is the one cooked inside an amphora

Köfte Ekmek: Sandwich with meatballs, tomato, salad and onion.

Kokoreç: Sheep's innards cooked on a spit, served in a sandwich containing tomato and pepper. With a very strong flavour, a delight for the palate!

Mısır: Boiled and roasted cob corn, served with a drizzle of oil and salt. A must in the city.

Dondurma: Turkish ice cream. It contains salep, a flour obtained from the dried tubers of some wild orchids, which has the function of making the ice cream semi-solid and resistant to summer temperatures, and mastica, a vegetable resin that makes it gummy, the latter obtained from the Mediterranean shrub of the lentisk.

At the restaurant:

Meze: Small plates with many tastings, served as appetizers. They contain cheese, aubergines, hummus, vegetables and seaweed.

Manti: Tortellini typical of Central Anatolia. With a meat filling, they are seasoned with yogurt and spices

Dolma: Rolls filled with meat or vegetables, wrapped in vine leaves and served with oil.

Baklava: Puff pastry dessert rich in honey and dried fruit.

Halva: It is prepared by browning semolina or flour in butter, finally adding sweetened milk or water to create a soft dough. Absolutely our favorite dessert!

Accomodation.
We stayed near the Sirkeci train station, very close to Sultanahmet, the Grand Bazaar and the Galata Bridge. The hotel chosen was away from the main city traffic routes, and for this reason it was not very chaotic even in the evening. Another very popular area is the one between Galata and Taksim, preferred by those who want to spend the night in one of the countless bars and clubs found around the famous nightlife street Istiklal Caddesi.

Climate.
The The climate encountered in Istanbul in August is that which is usually present in Liguria during the summer season, with a Mediterranean connotation, i.e. that of a heat that is not too suffocating, fairly ventilated and with a few clouds in the sky.

What to pack.
Absolutely comfortable shoes, summer clothes, a hat and sunscreen to avoid sunburn. Remember your costume if you decide to spend a few hours regenerating at one of the historic Hammams (to be booked in advance when planning your trip).

Power outlets.
The electrical current is 230V, while the electrical frequency is 50 HZ AC. The electrical sockets are type C and type F, the same as the Italian one. Useful link to power sockets
Useful power sockets.

Telephone / internet coverage.
Given the extra tariff cost of our telephone operator, we did not use roaming, deciding to rely on the wi-fi connection of the hotel and the shops and restaurants throughout the city. To get around the city we used applications that allow you to download the map of the area and also use it in offline mode.