Why Now Is the Time to Visit Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey

Two days after I booked my flights to Istanbul, the news broke of a military coup that left 300 dead and over 2,000 injured. In the 48 hours that followed, I contacted KLM to see if I could cancel, but they refused to refund my money or let me change the flights. 鈥淪crew it,鈥� I decided; 鈥渨e鈥檙e going anyway鈥�. When I thought about it rationally, there seemed to be as much danger of a terrorist attack in Amsterdam as there was risk of violence in Istanbul; and if there鈥檚 one thing these troublemakers want it鈥檚 to disrupt people鈥檚 lives. I wasn鈥檛 going to let them.

A situation that鈥檚 been pretty disastrous for Turkey is 鈥� ironically 鈥� a blessing for the budget-conscious traveller. Despite all instincts to the contrary, this is nothing short of the best time to visit Istanbul.

And so I got on with my usual travel preparations: researching where to eat in Istanbul, booking a food tour, finding somewhere nice to stay. It was business as usual. And when we arrived, that鈥檚 exactly what we found in Istanbul too: ordinary Turks just trying to get on with their lives and make enough money to pay the bills. Only it鈥檚 pretty tough here right now. In a country that relies on tourism for a significant chunk of its GDP, the diminishing visitor numbers are taking their toll. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).

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Guide Name: Why Now Is the Time to Visit Istanbul
Guide Location: Turkey » Istanbul
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Article (B))
Author: Vicky Hampton
Read it on Author's Website:
Sight(s) Featured in This Guide:

Van Kahvalt谋 Evi
Lades 2
Norm
1 Kahve
脟颈测补
Ziya Bey Sk.
Osmanli Kebap莽谋s谋
Mavi Hali莽 Pidecisi
Aliye Mehane
Fasuli Lokantas谋
Taksim Square
Caf茅 Feride
Otto
Parantez Deli
Cezayir Soka臒谋

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