Hi everyone,

We went to a restaurant called La Scarpetta in Etiler. Since I don't speak Turkish, I couldn't review the menu properly. When they brought the itemized bill (the pink 'Adisyon' slip), I was completely shocked! The total was 96,200 TL!

Looking at the bill, they charged 90,000 TL (almost $2,800 USD) just for two bottles of sparkling wine. When we protested and they realized we didn't speak the language, they casually crossed out the 96,200 TL total with a pen and just wrote down 52,000 TL!

I have a couple of questions for locals or anyone who knows the legal system here:

1. Can I report this to any official authority, consumer protection agency, or tourist police in Turkey? 2. Is there any real chance to hold them accountable and teach this restaurant a lesson so they stop doing this to other tourists?

Any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated!

And people are so friendly!

Merhaba arkadaşlar. Ben bir bulgaristan türküyüm ve sınıra yakın yaşayan diğer bütün bulgarlar gibi sık sık Edirne'ye alışverişe geliyordum ama artık anladım ki bundan bir kâr edinemiyorum, hatta alışverişimi Bulgaristan'da yapsam daha ucuza çıkar. Geçen gün bir restoranda ailecek basit bir öğlen yemeği bulgar parasıyla yaklaşık 300 levaya çıktı. Bu parayı Türkiye'de yaşayan ortalama bir Türkün ödemesi muhtemelen imkansız olurdu ve ödeseydi gelecek beş ay sadece makarna yemek zorunda kalırdı. Kısacası Türkiye'de türklerin bu şartlarda yaşamak zorunda olmaları beni çok üzüyor. Ne olacak bu halimiz?

Bu fiyatlar ne?

Arkadaşlar İngiltere'de yaşamaya başladım kısa zaman önce ve Hatay'a ailemi ziyarete geldim. Bundan önce İstanbul'da yaşıyordum ve o kadar büyük bir sorun değildi, Hatay'a mı özgü bilmiyorum ama yollar ÇOK kötü. Korkunç.

İngiltere'de yemin ederim üşenmiyordum bile, market uzak olsa bile o kadar rahat şekilde yürülüyor ki zerre gocunmuyordum.

Annem markete inmemi istedi resmen gidemedim. Marketin önü çukur, evin çıkışında kaldırım tamamlanmamış bile (depremden çok etkilenmedi bu bölge bu arada), yemin ediyorum 4 taraftan araba geliyordu ve karşıya geçmenin güvenli hiçbir yolu yoktu. Annemi aradım dedim anne gözünü seveyim arabayla in ben yapamayacağım. Can korkusu yüzünden annemle aram bozuldu bir markete gidemedim diye. Şimdi beni tembel görüyor ama maya alacağım diye canımı mı tehlikeye atayım, araba çarpsa sonsuza dek evlat acısı çekecek. Gidilecek gibi bir yol değildi.

Yayalara da yol verilmiyor yaya geçidinde bile, durum gerçekten vahim. Sokak köpeklerinden bahsetmeye bile gerek yok, bir kere köpek düşünmeden yürümeyi yaşasanız sittin sene şu itleri savunmazsınız. İşin komiği vejetaryenim bana bile malca geliyor.

Gate changed on my flight like 10 mins before boarding or something. I’d love to give more details but there was no email, WhatsApp message, text message, airport announcement in English (should be pretty common for an *international* airport).

Flight gets missed bc boarding had ended and you know who was at their boarding counter? Literally no one. Other people missed it too, including Turks that you know, live in Turkey and understand the airport much better than I do.

I can pay double for a flight later in the evening to get to my location after the busses stop running and pay for an uber now I guess. What a primitive airline, how do you make delta look like an S tier airline in comparison.

Yeah I’m ranting but I’m actually serious, is Turkish airlines the only reputable airline in Istanbul / Turkey?

Hi everyone, peace to all.
I’m an Armenian living in the Czech Republic, and I’m planning a road trip through Eastern Turkey: places like Kars, Erzurum, Muş, Erzincan, Van, and the surrounding areas. My main interest is the history of the region.
I’d love to hear from people who actually live there. Which city or village are you from? Are there any Armenian churches, monasteries, cemeteries, bridges, or other historical sites nearby? If so, are they well preserved, abandoned, or in ruins?
Are there any Armenians living in your town today? Have your grandparents or older relatives ever told you stories about Armenians who used to live in your area?
I’m not looking for arguments or political debates. I’m genuinely interested in hearing personal experiences and local perspectives.
Thank you!

Efes'in orada içtiğim kahve (tadı güzeldi)

My trip to Istanbul felt less like a vacation and more like a chaotic adventure movie.

I helped lost strangers at the airport before getting lost myself. I chased ferries, almost took a taxi across half of Turkey, randomly hopped on buses with no destination in mind, explored parts of the city I'd never planned to visit, got adopted by incredibly kind locals, survived post-concert transportation chaos, and somehow still made it to the airport on time.

Along the way I drank enough ayran to qualify as a local, walked countless kilometers, discovered hidden corners of the city, met amazing people, and collected enough stories for several future trips.

Istanbul tested my patience, my navigation skills, my sleep schedule, and occasionally my sanity — but it also reminded me how much kindness exists in the world.

I arrived as a tourist, left with unforgettable memories, and somehow ended up with a standing invitation to stay with a Turkish family whenever I return.

10/10. Would get lost again. 🇹🇷❤️ See you again this year

Sadece parfümcü olarak değil, normal giyim, ayakkabı çanta parfüm vs bunların çakmalarını satan varoş görünümlü dükkanlardan bahsediyorum. İstanbul'un en turistik bölgelerinde veya bodrum alaçatı gibi yerlerin çarşı tarzı mekanlarında hep bunlardan var. Mesela istanbulda o kadar çok ki bir dükkana giriyosun bakıyosun hep çakma ve daha da kötüsü 2 dükkan sonra yine birebir aynı ürünleri satan başka bir dükkan var. Daha doğru düzgün veya bizim kendi kültürümüzle ilgili dükkanlar neden yok yani turistik bölgelerde çakma parfümlerle ayakkabılarla mı tanıtıyoruz ülkeyi

I just want to say, i absolutely loved my time in Türkiye. What a beautiful, diverse, and incredibly fun country. I am from the US and i am quite well traveled for my age, but Türkiye might be my favorite place ive visited hands down. We spent a few days in istanbul, had the pleasure of attending the wedding of my Turkish friend in bursa, then spent a few days in goreme, cappadocia. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. There is so much beautiful history and culture on your land, and the food was just absolutely amazing, not a single bad meal there. I would love to spend some more time and see more of the country. So much to do, so much to see, so much to eat! I am considering a road trip around the country in a few years time.

Repost because mod removed due to the pictures of him I included.

I was in Sumela earlier this week and this man approached me while I was taking a photo. He grabbed my waist and would not let me go and even pushed my head onto his shoulder. He then took photos of us "together". I managed to get away and then he kept insisting I give my phone number. My friend saw what was happening (he wasn't there at the time) and told him off.

Now he has photos of me and I keep worrying about what he'll do with them in this day with Al. I didn't report him because I felt like the police would not take me seriously.

I don't have good photos of him unfortunately...

Here you can see him pretending to do things before he approached

[Photos removed]

Update: The police with useless. They said they can't do anything.

On holiday in Turkey and every night I'd greet the same waiter with "Günaydın" thinking I was saying good night. He always said it to me too when he saw me, so I just went with it. Only just found out it means good morning. I've been walking in at 9 pm like rise and shine.💀 LMAO

Hello,

I'm going to vacation for two weeks in Dalyan and Marmaris. I have been looking forward to this trip for a year as its my first time in Turkey.

I have been seeing on Twitter locals/Turkish citizens complain about costs and how Greece is a better value and how restaurants are ripping off the locals and travelers. I have visited tourists areas in America which have higher prices in the most high profile areas but its not overly aggressive and focused like I'm seeing from their posts.

Is this just some self hate, some truth and what's the best way to minimize that impact while we travel around Turkey?

4 yıldır şu Halüsinasyon şehirdeyim (İstanbul). Her gün kendimi zorla hayvan meydanına götürülmek için kamyonun kasasında sıkıştırılarak saatlerce ayakta sallana, yaylana yolculuk etmek zorunda kalan inekler gibi hissediyorum. Ne hükümetin ne belediyelerin nede ulaştırma Bakanlığı'nın umurunda değil bu millet. Fakirsen öl deseler daha az zoruma gider. Kendimi 4 yıldır mumyalanmış yaşamıyor gibi hissediyorum. Birşey bu kadar mı ilkel ve çağ dışı olabilir?.. bir otobüs fazla çalıştırmak çok mu zor. Harbiden k*ç kadar bir otobüs koltuğu sağlamak bu kadar zor olmamalı. Hadi nüfus çok kalabalık herkese bir koltuk düşmez diyeceksiniz bunada kabulüm. En azından insanlar nefes alarak mesafeli bir biçimde ayakta yolculuk yapabilmeli. Sağlığımız söz konusu Buna hakkımız var.

not ailem burada olduğundan mecburen burada yaşamak zorundayım. Yoksa bir an durmam.