Lauren Tabbron shares her favourite things to do in Manchester
Jess Astbury regales tales of festivities in warmer climates.
It is amazing what one city has to offer, so much so that all your senses can’t take it all in at one moment. Istanbul is packed to the brim with an exotic but welcoming culture that has more than enough to keep your eyes wide open. And even with the sensational overload it has to offer, it isn’t as desperately out of reach as many think. It has a deeply rooted unique culture, different from anything another European country has to offer, yet its friendly residence and its inexpensive living should pique the interest of any adventurous student.
Istanbul is on many tourists' lists of places to visit, so keep that in mind when you are planning out your trip. Summer is usually really busy, and hot, so spring might be a better time to plan to travel there. Although, keep a look out for the rainy season! I went for Spring Break, and it was perfect because the owners had just opened shop in many cases, and were quite happy to see the first tourists of the season.
The key to getting the best experience out of Istanbul is to not hurt your wallet too much in getting there, so that you can feel free to go crazy at the grand bazaar and spice bazaar. I found a very cheap ticket via Easy Jet, which truly was why I went to Istanbul in the first place. Keep your eyes open and it will happen again –take advantage of all those cheap airlines to fly where ever you want to! One hint I would like to give you is to bring 10 pounds or 10 euros to get your visa upon landing, there are no cash points before the visa checkpoint at the Istanbul airport. Once you're there, travel is relatively cheap.
Finding a place close to the sights is ideal because there is so much to take in at Istanbul. I stayed at a basic hostel called the Sultan’s Inn, which was clean and had a decent breakfast, so you definitely get your money’s worth. It is extremely close to Haggia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, two of the key places to visit. To search for other cheap hostels and hotels, I would recommend searching on some of the different sites such as trav.com, hostels.com, hostelbookers.com, or hostelworld.net, and you can always get recommendations from tripadvisor.com.
There is a plethora of activities that will keep all your senses busy throughout the day. A good way to start off is seeing some of the major sites in the area, the two most famous being Haggia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Haggia Sophia is an ancient marvel that will leave your jaw on the floor for sheer awe of the amazing size of the dome, and leave your mind reeling trying to figure out how the ancient Byzantine’s built this giant cathedral. Even though it has seen a lot of strife and been converted from a cathedral to a mosque and finally to the museum it is today, it still remains in a wonderful condition and still has the glittering mosaics from over 1000 years ago. It does cost a bit to get in, but it is completely worth it. Straight across a beautiful garden from the Haggia Sophia lies the Blue Mosque, the most stunning piece of architecture that is a still practising mosque. Inside you will find a site that will dazzle your eyes as you stare at the intricate ceramic tiles covering the entire interior with amazing turquoise designs.
For a different taste of Istanbul, walk to the Grand Bazaar and barter your way until you get rich fabrics, detailed ceramics, or even a hookah…and it's your skills at bartering that will get you a nice fair bargain! You can walk through the Spice Bazaar and have your nose explore the exotic spices that Turkey has to offer, or taste some Turkish Delight from all flavours and colours! The city is huge and there is only a number of things that you can do in a day, but grab a map and just explore the city…it has a million and one different things to offer!
If you are going for the cheaper route, there are an innumerable amount of kebab stands offering their food for less than a pound, and you can get a very tasty snack out of them. Although it isn’t the healthiest way to go, my friends and I tried many different stands to test which ones we liked the best – everyone likes something different, so try a few, and you’ll start noticing the different tastes! Truly you can’t really go too wrong, but keep your ears open as you walk by restaurant doors, they will offer you a number of deals which you just might want to take advantage of! I’ve heard that bars in Istanbul aren’t a recommended place to go, but there are plenty of things to do in the day that will keep you quite happy until late, and many restaurants turn into hookah bars of all different flavours if you so desire that sort of taste!
If you want to dazzle the senses in an exotic surrounding, look no further than Istanbul for your next exciting and sensational getaway!
You must log in to submit a comment.
