Istanbul - the place to go

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I just visited the exciting city of Istanbul. It was a great experience. So for all you doubters out there, this is my story for you: Lately, the street riots in Turkey have people wondering whether they should book a holiday to this destination, or cancel the one already booked. There are several stories circulating in newspapers and blogs, many of which depict a worrying picture of Turkey's streets, the protests and safety of tourists. Despite this tour operators are not flinching and it is business as usual.

What happened

The street protests hitting Turkey began on May 31, sparked by redevelopment plans for Gezi Park. Around 2.5 million people took to the streets peacefully, but were met with police using tear gas, plastic pellets and water cannons to disperse crowds. More clashes between protesters and police occurred on the 20-21 July, in the Beyoglu region.

Do you need to worry?

Despite the unrest, tourism appears to be unaffected and tour operators are still offering much of the same deals to tourist destinations in Turkey. Monarch's managing director Hugh Morgan stated that the riots were not having any effect on holiday resorts or hotels in Istanbul. In fact package holiday sales were said to have increased by 2%! (MISSING)If you are still doubting, for losses because of disturbances any holiday compensation claims are applicable.

Official Information

Turkey is a large country and the tourist areas are safe, although the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) have advised tourists to stay away from Akcakale and Ceylanpinar. They have also urged tourists not travel to areas within a 10 mile radius of Turkey's border unless essential. Areas in south-eastern Turkey are also said to be dangerous at this time and best avoided. Many demonstrations across Turkish cities over the weeks have been peaceful although selected local transportation services have experienced delays and disruption.

Why it is a Great Idea

After we found out that Istanbul is not a place to avoid if you consider the security advises, now let's have a brief look what to expect there.

First of all, Istanbul is the only city located in two different continents. The Bosphorus separating the occidental and oriental parts is not a river, it is a strait. Connecting the Black Sea with the Marmara Sea.

Two massive bridges are crossing the Bosphorus. The more traditional way is to move from one side to the other with one of the numerous ferries available. A fantastic experience watching some of the most precious (and expensive) villas and sultan palaces in the world.

One interesting sight in the middle of the Bosphorus is the Maiden’s Tower (Kiz Kulesi), also known as Leander’s Tower. It is situated on the oriental side of the Bosphorus. A legend says that is was build to hide the Sultan's daughter and separate her from society. The reason behind this was a oracle prophesying that she will die on her 18th birthday. Unfortunately this is exactly what happened, she was bit by a snake that was hidden in a in bouquet of flowers and died as predicted.

Another part of Istanbul which is not in all the tourist guides is Beyoglu. The main shopping street in the western part of Istanbul starts at the infamous Taksim Square. From there all the way down to Tünel (one of the oldest underground lines in the world) you have an tremendous amount of shops, restaurants, bars and street hawkers. If you leave the main road to explore the by-rads you find plenty of bazaars and traditional tea houses like in the old days.

From Taksim Square down to the Bosphorus, for me there is no way to have a more authentic Turkey experience.

Images: Flickr.com (ush, eorus, debraj)

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