I originally planned to stay in Istanbul for a month from February 20th to around March 28th, but in the end I only stayed for 10 days. My plan was mainly just to chill, eat some good food, hit the gym, but there were a few factors I didn’t like and ultimately decided to cut my stay short.
The main reasons? It was cold as hell and snowing hard when I first got there – big flakes, big snow. I knew the weather forecast wasn’t great, but I figured Istanbul is pretty far south, close to Athens, so even in winter it would be decent. I was wrong. Plus the inflation has absolutely destroyed the value proposition that used to make Istanbul a digital nomad hotspot.
What Istanbul Actually Is
Istanbul is a tier-0 city – meaning it’s a true metropolis with around 20 million people. It’s ridiculous. The city’s divided into two sides: European side and Asian side. About 90% of the tourism stuff is on the European side, while the Asian side is mostly just normal Turkish people living their lives.
I stayed in Kadıköy on the Asian side, and there are a few tourist spots there plus the boat ride across the river, but mostly visitors stick to the European side where all the major attractions are.
People and Demographics: Complex Mix
Turkish people’s look is pretty interesting and kind of hard to put into words. They’re derived from the Anatolian Turks who took Constantinople in the 1400s and turned it into Istanbul. They’re really just like a mixed people – they got some European, maybe some Middle Eastern, some Greek influence.
You’ll see variety where some look kind of white, others are darker, but it’s not like there’s a massive difference. There are also a lot of Kurds coming into the city and tons of refugees from the Middle East, so that might skew what you see walking around.
The people seemed pretty nice to me. It’s a huge city with tons of people, and in big cities people aren’t necessarily going to be super friendly, but while walking around no one really bothered me. I didn’t feel like a foreigner being targeted – maybe because I don’t have that look where they’re going to extract money from me. They’re probably going after boomer tourists or solo female travelers.
The Weather Reality Check
I was there in February and it was cold and snowing a lot. This determined for me that Istanbul is neither a summer nor winter destination – it just doesn’t work. It gets cold, it snows, you gotta wear big coats and hats.
Maybe I would have had a better time if I went in April, but that means it’s competing with lots of European places that also get good during April. The weather was a major factor in cutting my stay short.
The Inflation Disaster
Pre-COVID, Istanbul was a cheap place to go – Airbnb probably like $500 for a month, meals $3-4. It was as cheap as the Balkans or Albania, which is why it was on the digital nomad radar.
Unfortunately in 2025, the pricing isn’t that great. It’s kind of mid-tier pricing now – not like Denmark or Norway expensive, but not good either. Albania is way cheaper, Serbia is cheaper, Thailand is way cheaper.
Current Pricing Reality
- Airbnb: Probably around $1,000/month now
- Restaurant food: Touristy parts up to $15, non-touristy parts $8-10
- Tourist attractions: Most cost $10-20, but mosques/major sites were like $45-50
- Grocery stores: Pricing wasn’t great either
It’s all the inflation – the currency is garbage and they keep printing more. You could see in Google reviews of restaurants that prices had doubled in like three months. All the travelers and digital nomads are saying the same thing – this kind of sucks for everybody.
The tourist pricing is particularly bad. The cost to go into the major mosques was like $45-50, which might be more now due to inflation. That’s more than the Tower of London, and for a supposedly cheap country, that’s ridiculous.
Food Scene: Good But Overpriced
Turkish food is pretty good. I went to some fish places, had nice fish soup. Every place serves bread – they love bread there. There are kebab shops everywhere, all types of food, tons of guys with carts cooking random stuff.
I went to this place that served mussels you had to crack open, which was pretty cool. The food scene is good and Turkish food is decent, but you always gotta factor in the price now. When it used to be super cheap, it was a superstar place. Now that prices are medium, it’s just okay.
The grocery store situation wasn’t great either. I bought some cheese that tasted weird – like these people don’t do cheese properly.
Major Tourist Attractions
On the European side you’ve got the mosques, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Galata Tower, the main walking street, Grand Bazaar (just a bunch of guys selling fake stuff), and I think there’s an Egyptian Bazaar too.
The mosques, tower, bazaar, and main street are basically what most people do. There’s definitely a lot to see if you’re really into it, but I’m not a big tourism guy.
The Grand Bazaar was just vendors selling knockoff stuff for inflated prices. Nothing particularly impressive about the shopping experience.
Public Transportation: Actually Pretty Good
Public transport is honestly pretty good. There’s the Metro which I took on the European side, plus a tram that seemed pretty modern. Both are very modern actually.
You gotta buy an Istanbul card to use them, which is a little annoying because in other places you just do tap to pay. Here you had to figure out the card system, which wasn’t super easy.
There are also ferries for a few bucks – they’re kind of fun and that’s how people get between European and Asian sides. People commute on them too, and they’re pretty cheap.
Taxi Warning: The taxis in Istanbul are very bad. They will rip off anybody. I met some Turkish-American guy whose dad was Turkish, and they even ripped him off – their own people. So if they’re gonna rip off locals, they’re definitely gonna rip off foreigners even harder. Don’t use taxis unless you absolutely have to.
Safety: Generally Fine
For myself as a white, tall man, I’d say Istanbul is pretty safe. No one bothered me. I think if you’re a woman, especially if you’re attractive and alone and don’t look Turkish, there’s gonna be dudes coming up to you – maybe trying to get you to buy something or get your number.
Their culture includes talking to people on the street, which isn’t like Europe where it’s against the culture to approach strangers in public. Overall I think it’s a safe place – it’s a Muslim country with strict laws.
Nightlife: Didn’t Experience But Heard Sketchy Stories
I didn’t do nightlife when I was there. It was cold out, English isn’t great, I was alone, and I felt like it’d be hard to meet people. I was in Kadıköy where there are tons of bars, but I didn’t know which ones were good for meeting people.
A lot of these countries don’t have “meet people” places – it’s literally just bunches of people sitting at their tables with their friends all night.
I think on the European side there are some nightclubs. Even though it’s a Muslim country, they don’t really care about alcohol and nightlife – they’re pretty chill Muslims and turn a blind eye to that.
Scam Warning: I’ve read about lots of nightlife scams. A friendly guy approaches you on the street, says he knows a good club, takes you there, then big guys sit next to you and say your bottle costs $500. Or girls talk to you and ask you to buy drinks that cost $50 each.
The Gender Ratio Problem
The gender ratio in Turkey seems messed up. For every one girl I saw walking around the street, there were like four dudes. There’d be cafes full of dudes drinking those little tea things.
Maybe all the girls are Muslim and stay home, or they have kids already, or wear burkas and don’t go out. There just weren’t many women visible in Istanbul. Turks are famous for going to other countries to find women – they go to Ukraine and other places.
Dating Reality: Didn’t Really Try
I didn’t really try dating since I was only there for 10 days. It’s too big a city – I don’t even know how you would date here with so many people.
I went on Tinder for two seconds and matched with some girl from Iran who was on the European side. The problem with these big cities is if they don’t live within 10 minutes of you, it’s probably not happening – it’s gonna take like an hour to get to them through traffic and hills.
There weren’t many people on Tinder, and there seemed to be a lot of prostitutes on there for some reason. The ratio was probably like 1,000 guys to every girl, so you wouldn’t have a chance anyway.
Digital Nomad Assessment: Not Great
I came here initially as a digital nomad and just really didn’t see it. The price and weather are the two biggest factors, and both are problematic now.
Internet Issues: The internet was okay, but Discord is banned there, and I think Twitch is banned too. The Turkish government responds quickly when something bad happens on a platform – their strategy is to ban the whole platform for months. If your job involves anything tech-related, it runs the risk of being banned.
Other Factors:
- Inflation has destroyed the value proposition
- Weather is unpredictable and can be harsh
- Language barrier is significant
- Big city means everything takes forever
Digital Nomad Rating: 2/10
There are just better options now. It’s close to Europe and outside the Schengen area, so you can hop back into Europe pretty quick, but that’s about the only advantage.
Visa Situation
As an American, Turkey recently changed to visa-free travel, so if you’re American it’s easy – just need a valid passport. It used to require pre-buying a visa, so that’s an improvement. My theory is that with inflation, fewer Americans were going on holiday to Istanbul, so the government removed the visa requirement to encourage tourism.
The Cat Situation
Istanbul has cats everywhere – fucking everywhere. Almost every corner has stray cats, especially in Kadıköy but also in the center. The cats are taken care of by locals who make little makeshift houses and leave out food for them.
The cats didn’t seem to be doing well when I was there because it was cold and wet. They’re sleeping outside and seem pretty scared. There were some friendly ones – one crawled on me and I pet it – but another one that looked friendly scratched me.
I would not touch the cats – you might get scratched and they’re dirty enough to potentially give you a disease. But I like that the cats add ambiance to the place. It was cute seeing cats sitting in cafes and restaurants where no one cares, while in Scandinavia you never see animals anywhere.
English Level: Not Great
The English level is not that great. Older people won’t speak English. Maybe a decent chunk of people under 25 might speak some English from social media or video games, but overall be ready to use translator apps.
I tried to learn a little Turkish but couldn’t learn anything. “Thank you” is like “teşekkür ederim” – way harder than Spanish. English level gets maybe 2 or 2.5 out of 5.
Airport Experience: Massive and Annoying
There are two airports – Istanbul Airport is new and huge, probably the biggest I’ve ever been to. Walking through that airport took forever after landing. Massive lines for immigration with tons of travelers.
The airport isn’t super close to the city – like a 30-minute ride. I took a bus for about $7, which was convenient. Don’t take a taxi – you’ll get charged $100.
Coming back, I had to go through like three different security checkpoints, which was incredibly annoying. I hate airports already, and this made it worse.
Practical Stuff
- Water: Don’t drink the tap water – it’s suspicious
- Air quality: Seemed okay because you’re on the water so wind blows pollution away
- Cash/Card: Need cash for some places, though cards work in most places
- Quality of life: Feels like a second world country – not first world but definitely not third world
Geographic Location: The Main Advantage
Istanbul is between Europe and the Middle East – it’s the gateway city on both continents technically. Easy to get to Europe, easy to get to the Middle East, North Africa, Russia. The location is pretty good and it’s pretty far south geographically.
Who Should (And Shouldn’t) Visit Istanbul
Maybe Good For:
- History enthusiasts who love Byzantine and Ottoman heritage
- Foodies interested in Turkish cuisine
- People with Turkish or regional roots
- Travelers already in the area (Greece, Balkans) who can hop over
- People who don’t mind crowds and big city chaos
Skip It If:
- You’re looking for digital nomad value (that era is over)
- You’re visiting in winter (too cold and wet)
- You want good English communication
- You’re on a tight budget (inflation killed the value)
- You prefer smaller, more manageable cities
My Honest Bottom Line
Overall Rating: Would I go back? I don’t think so.
Personally, it just wasn’t my type of place. I felt that as soon as I got there – immediately I was like “not the place for me.” Having said that, a lot of people do like it. Millions go there for tourism, so what do I know?
Maybe you’re a big foodie, maybe you love the history. The thing is, it was cold outside and I really didn’t want to walk around and see all the history when I was freezing.
My Advice
Do not go in winter – even if it’s cheaper flights or whatever. It might snow and it’s not worth it. Go when it’s warmer.
For digital nomads, it’s just not very good anymore. For short-term tourism it’s okay, but I wouldn’t recommend it for Americans flying in from America – there are better places that are closer.
I’d only go if you’re a historian, have Turkish roots, or you’re already in the area traveling through Greece and can hop over easily.
Final Verdict
Istanbul used to be a budget traveler’s dream, but inflation has destroyed that value proposition. It’s still a massive, historically significant city with decent food and lots to see, but the combination of unpredictable weather, language barriers, inflated prices, and big city hassles make it hard to recommend.
The cats are cute, the history is real, and the location is strategic, but unless you have specific reasons to be there, you can probably find better European experiences elsewhere for similar or less money.
Have you been to Istanbul recently? Did you experience the same inflation shock, or did you find ways to make it work budget-wise? How do you handle destinations that have been ruined by economic changes? Share your Istanbul reality check in the comments!
