 | Istanbul Tourist Traps | Tips 81 - 90 of 146 |  |
Popular Tourist Traps | Other Tourist Traps Tips | All Tips (146) We were dragged to a Turkish nightclub, with belly dancing and turkish performers. They were really bad, and the food and wine was also dreadful. Sorry, I can't remember the name, but it had a huge sign identifying it as a Turkish nightclub.
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The Water Sellers!!!!
Boy, what a rip-off!!! I took a picture of my boyfriend with a water seller and he asked for money for the drink and the picture! He wanted the eqivalent of US$ 3 - what I thought, was a little overprized!!! But since I was not familiar with the Turkish bank notes - he helped me AND TOOK A 30$ BILL
(in Turkish money, of course) instead!
When I found out later - I was soooooo mad, I refused to do any further sightseeing and started looking for that guy!!! And I found him!!! Of course he denied ever to have done anything like that!!!
When I threatened to call the tourist police (fortunately the water sellers have to wear ID-tags), that guy agreed to do 50/50 - so at least I got 15$ back!!! But 15$ for a picture and a drink of cheap juice is still way tooooooooo much!!! So please watch out!!!
My boyfriend has never seen me soooooo mad before and really was VERY impressed by my performance!!! He married me 2 years later..!!! Leave a Comment
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Dolmabahce Palace was are truely only bad experience in Istanbul. This palace was build in 1853 and was the last residence of the Ottoman Empire Sultans. VERY EXPENSIVE for entrance fee. Also extra charges for using your camera and video camera's are also charged. If you don't pay the fee you have to check them in. I don't know how you feel, but I was not to hand over my camera and video camera in a foreign country. Also, the people at the ticket counter were very unhelpful. The palace may be worth seeing, however, we never made it past the front gate.
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They believe in the hard sell !
You will be treated as a great friend and be on first name terms in no time.
Say NO and keep saying NO!
Try and drink the free beer !
Buy from the goverment shop.
But still be carefull ! Leave a Comment
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Anadolukavagi became a popular stop for some Bosphorus boat trips because of its fish restaurants. A friend living in Istanbul recommended us to visit there. We crossed the strait with fun, scenery was great, then we landed to Anadolukavagi. Everything was normal till our landing. In fact it is a lovely village with its Genoese Catsle on the top and traditional houses and architecture. However it was impossible to walk freely because of middle men inviting us to their restaurants. Nobody can be against a few invitational phrases from them, but that was a different experience. They frequently stopped us and never leave us with this peaceful atmosphere. I had strict rules for such cases and we went back to city without eating there.
If you are still sure to eat there as a ritual, pick the closest restaurant to the pier or allow the middle men trying to bore you.
If you are ready to pay more, I strongly recommend you fish restaurants in Kirecburnu(Sariyer district in European side). Presentation and seafood are great.
My favourite is seabass in salt (tuzda levrek). Leave a Comment
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Anyone approaching you in the tourist area (i.e. near the blue mosque) is after a quick buck... They will overcharge you for hotels, goods, and anything else that you can imgine. you are much better off staying in shopping district, which is much more enjoyable anyhow, they will offer better hotel prices and that is where the nightlife is.
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At Meydanı
Tel: (212) 518 18 02-5188754
Fax: (212) 518 18 02 Leave a Comment
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DO NOT BUY ANYTHING BEFORE YOU BARGAIN. IT IS USUALLY APPLICABLE FOR GRAND BAZAR AND LOCAL SMALL SHOPS. ON THE OTHER HAND YOU CAN BUY SAFELY WHATEVER YOU DESIRE TO BUY FROM RELIABLE SHOPING CENTERS WITHOUT BARGAINING AT ALL.
TURKS ARE VERY FRIENDLY. SOMETIMES THEY MAY EXAGERATE OR IT MAY SOUND TO YOU DISTURBING. YOU CAN KINDLY GET THORUGH THE SITUATION WITHOUT INSULTING THEM.
IF YOU GET PROBLEMS IN ISTANBUL/TURKEY YOU CAN ALWAYS GET IN TOUCH WITH LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN TERMS OF SECURITY, THEEF ETC. THEY ARE VERY HELPFULL AND RELIABLE.
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Do not trust old, pathetic taxi drivers !!!
If you want to save money, just take my advice !
Of course there were deceitful taxi drivers everywhere, but I guess there is not such a huge gap between young and old.
In Istanbul the old taxi drivers tend to take detours. When we took a tour to Aksaray shopping mall, it took us at least 45 minutes from our hotel. Our return with a YOUNG taxi driver took us 20 minutes. I heard such incidents from other travelers here in Germany, too.
Even my turkish classmates recommend me to take the younger ones, not only because there are better looking.
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Dont get sucked into the carpet buying scheme going on around the old city. Not unless you know a lot about carpets and want to buy one. They lure you in and convince people to spend beyond their means..... Leave a Comment
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