Turkiye in the winter can be cold, very cold.
However the cold and the largest snow storm in over 50 years did not
stop me from spending as much time hopping from one tourist attraction
to the next. Over a foot and a half of snow fell in Istanbul the week I
was there, and western Turkey is simply not prepared to deal with this
much snow. Snow plows were non-existent, everything ground to a halt and
hotel rooms filled up with Turkish workers unable to
leave the centers after work. Traffic into the city was held to
an absolute standstill. Depending on your
perspective, Istanbul was transformed into
a wintry wonderland overnight. You know you are in Istanbul when you see the great domed mosques their
pointed turrets rising between the buildings and the multitude of
minarets. If you see Istanbul for the first time at night, its a
glittering magical foreign city. The main city of Istanbul with
approximately 15 million people has the unique distinction of sitting on
two continents. The Asian side is referred to as Anatolian Istanbul and
the European side is merely called European Istanbul. These 'sides' of
Istanbul are separated by the Sea of Marmara which runs into the
Bosphorus which is a channel of water that physically divides Istanbul.
The straits of Bosphorus run into the Black Sea - which is located only
about 1 hour from Istanbul by car.
Turkey is one of the most historically significant countries in the
world - its home to many famous historical figures - some real, some
biblical and some mythical. Turkish history starts with a tour of
Istanbul. Must see historical attractions include the Hagia Sofia, the
Blue Mosque, and the Topkapi Palace. If you enjoy historical attractions
and big cities then spend at least a week in Istanbul if your schedule
will permit it, otherwise you can cram the highlights of Istanbul into
about 3 full days.
There are many car rental companies in Istanbul and you can certainly
rent a car to find your way around the city. The streets tend to be
narrow and quite crowded at times. Turkish drivers have their 'own' way
of navigating the roads and it can be quite perturbing and downright
dangerous to those who have no experience driving with a certain amount
of "chaos". I don't recommend renting a car for Istanbul
driving. I would say rent it when you are ready to leave for other parts
of Turkey and if you must rent before you leave, keep it at your hotel
parking lot and utilize public transportation. As mentioned above
driving in and around Istanbul is somewhat sketchy due to the poor/crazy
drivers as well as a severe lack of parking.
There are two main bridges that cross the Bosphorus connecting the
European and Asian sides of Istanbul. They are the mighty Bosphorus
bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. For those people without a
car, using water taxis is the best and cheapest way to cross between the
two sides. Water taxis are regularly scheduled from several ports one
each side of Istanbul.
Dolmus's (minibuses) run on set routes with set prices. They are
relatively inexpensive and easy to use. Istanbul has its own tram, metro
and underground trains. Taxis are my least recommended choice of
transportation unless they are used for relatively short distances. The
reason for this is they are *very* expensive. For example a 25 minute
ride to the airport cost approximately $40 and that was in the low
season.
Istanbul can be quite cold in the winter and usually has periods of a
light snowfall. Heavier snowfalls are rare. Istanbul can have rain and
can be warm in the summer. You should also know that for tourists Turkey
is primarily a summer destination. Outside of Istanbul (which is fine to
visit year round) in the winter time many hotels and restaurants close
down especially those located in towns near water. There are just no
tourists in the winter to support their business. The weather can be
very bad in the winter and because of snow and rain towns east of
Istanbul are often very isolated and hard to reach. Some years finds
most of Turkey east of Istanbul covered in snow.
There are many individual districts in Istanbul. When you refer to
certain main attractions you preface by saying they are in such and such
district. Sultanahmet located on the Golden Horn is one of the most
well-known districts as it contains many of the "must see
attraction". It is Istanbul's main historic district and if you
spend even a little time in Istanbul you will wind up here. The Golden
Horn is the term used to describe the Sultanahmet area and vicinity as
this area is situated on a "horn" shaped section of land.
Beyoglu is located across a waterway from The Golden Horn mentioned
above, and is a very trendy popular area with young Turkish and upscale
tourists. The heart of Beyoglu is definitely Taksim Square which is a
hub bub of activity and often the scene for demonstrations.
