Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

Like a Local İstanbul’s 14 million residents enjoy a lifestyle crammed with culture, backdropped by history and underpinned by family and faith. Head off the tourist trails to experience the city as they do. Keyif İstanbullus have perfected the art of keyif (quiet relaxation), and practise it at every possible opportunity. Çay bahçesis (tea gardens) and nargile (water pipe) cafes are keyif central, offering patrons pockets of tranquillity off crowded streets. Games of tavla (backgammon), glasses of tea, nargiles and quiet conversations are the only distractions on offer. The İskele Traffic in İstanbul is nightmarish, so it’s sensible to take to the waters wherever possible. The city’s famous flotilla of ferries transports thousands of commuters daily. Many of these passengers spend time before or after their journey enjoying a glass of tea or a snack at the iskele (ferry dock), making these often ramshackle places wonderful pockets of local life. The Mosque İstanbul’s magnificent Ottoman mosques may be important tourist destinations, but their primary function is religious. Observe these rules when visiting: A Remove your shoes before walking on the mosque’s carpet; you can leave shoes on shelves near the mosque door or carry them with you in a plastic bag.

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