Plan Istanbul Day 2 Route: Ferry Choices, Bus Confusion & Asia Side Vibes

I didn’t expect my French to come in handy in Turkey. At the Kadıköy bus station, I was trying to find the right bus to Üsküdar - usually easy for me, but not this time. I asked a nearby lady for help, and she gestured that she didn’t speak English. Then she surprised me with, “Vous parlez français?” (Do you speak French?)

That’s how the conversation continued. She helped us communicate with the locals and pointed out the correct bus, which we really appreciated 🥹

Table of Contents

• Istanbul Day 2 Itinerary

  • Actual Route Diagram

• Tips for Logistic

• My experience

  • 1. Kadıköy & Üsküdar

  • 2. Grand Bazar

  • 3. Cagaloglu Hamami (Turkish Bath)

Istanbul Day 2 Itinerary

Actual Route Diagram

Tips for Logistic

1. ⛴️The fastest way to go to Asia side is to take a ferry (takes ~20-30 minutes). You can use either Istanbul City Card or a visa/mastercard! Our hotel staff told us that not all of the transport in Istanbul can use visa/mastercard, but ferry is one of them!

2. ⛴️ It’s a little complicated to identify the right wharf since there are so many, and a wharf can operate multi routes that sometimes reach to the same big area and sometimes not. If you are lazy to look them up, you can refer to these 2 options:

   1. For going to Üsküdar, you can take a ferry here

   2. For going to Kadıköy, you can take a ferry here.

3. 🚌 Bus system in Kadıköy is complicated not only because the stops may not actually be there as Google map guides but also because the station itself is a bit chaotic - no clear sign for direction and bus number. So you may end up walking around the quite big station just to identify the number or successfully finding the number but discovering it’s the wrong direction… Anyway, my point is get prepared and don’t be afraid of asking people!

My experience

1. Kadıköy & Üsküdar

The Asia is actually recommended by a friend’s Turkish friend for the reason that there are more authentic food. (Thanks man!) And when I was there, I realized there are not only food, but also other cheaper things and chill vibe!

About Kadıköy, I would describe it as like Taipei’s Songshan, Sydney’s Surry Hills, NYC’s…I am not sure if this kind of vibe exists there 😂 Anyway, Kadıköy feels like a quiet residential area with a few hidden cafes that each has their own specialty. When I was there at around 11 am, I saw people chatting and reading in a cafe quietly. I like the vibe very much - a bit artistic, a bit laid back and a lot of appealing.

About Üsküdar, there are even more cafe/restaurants there. I could feel it caters to tourists a bit, but not much like Europe side. I still felt pretty relax when I was there. And there are a few things that I want to share when you visit Üsküdar:

1. Go around Uskudar Fishermen's Market and shop for sponge soaps! You may think it’s just soap, can’t I buy in Europe side? You can! But I investigated the price - in Üsküdar it’s sold at 80 lira/each (~2 USD), but in Europe it’s sold at 150 lira. The sponge soap not only smells good but works well. After using it, you won’t feel dry but pretty smooth (not like body soap that you may feel the soap still left on the body and not easy to wash away) I really wish I bought more then 🥺

2. Buy some figs when you see fruit vendors on street. I saw figs are everywhere so I had a feeling it’s a must try. (It turns out Turkey is top 1 fig producer in the world) I approached the vendor, and using my hand to show 2. But for some reasons, the vendor gave me a whole bag with ~10 figs! I remember it costs less than 2 USD.

3. May be able to find a restroom in a Mosque. I needed to go to restroom bad but there are not many public restrooms. I then went inside a Mosque nearby to see if they have restroom and did find one thankfully. It seems Turkey’s Mosque and Taiwan’s temple share some similarities 😊

2. Grand Bazar

It’s an indoor market that sells mainly jewelry (accessory), carpets and some articraft. It’s quite big. So if you like shopping, you may be able to spend 2 hours there. I’m not a shopping person, so I only spent maybe 20 minutes. The thing that caught my attention the most is the carpets. I was fascinated with the pattern that I couldn’t help but stare at them for some seconds. Unfortunately it’s too big to carry home. Needless to say we still had 3 more countries to visit so… I dream of someday when I have a house, I’ll get one like that!

Ohhh another thing that worth to mention (I guess) is that people smoke inside the market. So if you are sensitive to cigarette, probably better to get prepared for it both mentally and physically. I feel like Turkey is one of the countries that have decent amount of smoking population. It’s very common to see men gather together smoking while chatting on the streets.

3. Cagaloglu Hamami (Turkish Bath)

Ooooops! This one is actually skipped when we were there. Reason? The travel pace was good, I didn’t feel like switching to another flow - pausing, changing and taking a bath lol. I’d curious to know if you try!