What I appreciated most about going to
Istanbul was how different the culture was than
mine. It’s always nice to see how people live in
such different environments from your own.

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Istanbul is one of the largest cities in the world. You will find anything and everything
you need.

When we arrived at the airport we found out that Americans need a visa to enter the
country. Luckily for us, we had a Colombian passport so we didn’t have to worry. My
cousin, who we were with, is Colombian American and had left her Colombian passport
at home, just bringing her U.S one. We were worried that she wasn’t going to be
allowed in the country, but turns out they were flexible with her and had her pay a fee in
order to get in the country. I’m sure everyone checks if they need a visa to travel but
Americans are usually good to go… not in Turkey I guess!

In Turkey, it is always good to have cash on you because there are a lot of street
markets, local stores and restaurants that are cash only. So you will need to exchange
your cash to Turkish Liras at the airport in order to move around easily.
It was easy to communicate in English, most people speak it.

It is a very big city, one of the largest in Europe, very hectic, there’s a lot of traffic so it
took us a while to get to the hotel; be prepared for that.

The food there was delicious, you will find a restaurant in every corner. As I mentioned,
there are a lot of local markets where you can buy beautiful handmade ceramics ,
jewelry, species, etc.

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The mosque has a very specific call to pray that you will for sure hear throughout the
day. It is very interesting and I recommend having the experience of going inside of a
mosque.

The highlight of our trip was going to for dinner and drinks at Les Ottomans. It is a
beautiful hotel by the Bosporus, you can have drinks after dinner at the bar and it is has
amazing view and vibe.

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I have so many recommendations for your time in Istanbul. Enjoy!
 

Restaurants ,Bars:

• Le meridien: etiler

• Lucca: in bebek

• Mangerie: in bebek

• Sunset: in bebek

• Emirgan terrace: la boom

• 29 lounge and restaurant

• Emine Ana tantuni

Hotels:

• İstanbul Four Seasons bosphorus is amazing

• Bebek hotel: in Bebek

• Zorlu mall: it’s great if it is too hot to walk around the city