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Travel On A Budget With These Free Things To Do In Istanbul
If our grandparents were willing to spend three days to get here, to begin their journey further east along the hippie trail, there’s no excuse to miss out on one of the world’s most fascinating cities. While Istanbul remains an affordable destination your budget will go even further with these suggestions of free things to do.
Walk around a market
Not just any market, the Grand Bazaar is (consults Wikipedia) “one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops.” While it is possible to just wander around the shops here, any visitor to Turkey will face numerous offers of just looking, no buying. So take this as a chance to practice not buying souvenirs and genuine imitation fakes. Though don’t blame us if you come out covered in Dolce and Gabbana with a carpet on its way home in the post. Our tip? Surreptitiously lurk behind richer looking tourists.
Catch a ferry
Okay, this one isn’t free. But when you can cruise from one continent to another for less than a dollar it feels like it is. The ride is a short one across the Bosphorus from Europe to Asia. Aside from the chance to tick off a new continent from your bucket list both Kadıköy and the residential neighbourhood of Üsküdar are worth a short wander around. Ferries leave every 15 minutes or so from Eminönü.
Pop your head inside a mosque
The Sultan Ahmet Mosque is more commonly known as the Blue Mosque due to the hand painted blue tiles adorning the mosque’s interior walls. It is one of the city’s most famous architectural sites and tourist draws. The Blue Mosque is still a functioning place of worship but is free to enter outside of prayer times.
Go for a swim
The ferries, fishermen and even Russian submarines trying to sneak into the Med are the better known water based activities in Istanbul. It didn’t even occur to us to take a swim the last time we were in the city. But, then, it was snowing heavily so we can be excused for our lack of imagination. Even in summer, these won’t be Turkey’s warmest waters but many public beaches in and around the city are admission free.
Stroke a cat
Yes, technically, you could pet a cat in most places. But Istanbul’s tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of strays have been a fixture of the city for centuries. Residents of Istanbul are happy to make a fuss of them, sharing the responsibilities of looking after the neighbourhood felines. Feel free to join in and give one a stroke behind the ears or, even better, share your kebab.
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