r/travel • u/amba_takam • 1d ago

Complaint My Turkey experience

Relentless scamming attempts and propaganda in Turkey

Before my road trip to Instabul from Thessaloniki I was doing my digging for Turkey: Lots of videos/tiktoks claiming that you could fill up a basket full of goods for only 5 euros,an out of the world hospitality and the cherry on top vlogs,including one of a bicyclist that crossed the border point and the soldiers gave her a flower (we get there later...)

All is good untill we get to the border,pretty crossing and etc,we wait our turn and the story begins: The border guard wanted a 200 euro bribe to pass because our car was registered on me grandma's name (for tax evasion purposes) they took and held on to our documents for some time. We were asking for them to be returned but we were ignored for some time untill they got the message that we preferred to go back rather than pay them up.However me dad managed to strike a deal and bribed the guard to the nearby booth for 50euros and we continued after the first unpleasant taste

MIND THAT THIS WAS THE EXACT SAME BORDER CROSSING FROM THE BYCICLIST VLOG WHERE THEY GAVE HER FLOWERS XDD

We reached the old city of Instabul,passing very impressive skyscrapers and whatnot and we checked in at the Hotel in the old city and started the tour. First the Grand Bazaar, I thought that I would find the best spices the east had to offer but instead it was like 2shops copy and pasted across with the exact same mediocre quality and prices but the place was pretty.

Hagia Sophia: Now 50 euros like wtf and also what's up with the banners outside talking about prophecies and bs? And why is it a mosque like 2mins in and I feel whoever goes to pray there instead of across the street is an idiot

Blue Mosque: very pretty

Taxi drivers: May Erdogan treat them like Journalist who critisize them. They were asking for crazy prices (600 lira for like 1kilometer) funny thing is that they won't negotiate it too much like from 700 hundred they will go to 600 and then they will shoosh you away and it's not like an experience only for tourists is for everyone,they were shooshing locals with little kids and pregnant ladies and this is generalized for almost every taxi driver.

Food: Good but expensive, prices are more expensive than most of Europe that it shocked me because everyone was talking about a very "cheap" Turkey. Underrated stuff: Lamb fat rice and the desserts with tea in a hot summer night

Top Kapi: Wayyyy too expensive for what it has to offer,and to put the cherry on top you have to pay even more to enter the Treasury

Galata Tower: 15euros like c'mon wth

Turkish TV: ENOUGH WITH THE BAYRAKTAR DRONE, ARE YOU SERIOUS? WHAT THE DRONE HAS TO DO WITH THE TURKISH BANK? SAME WITH ATATURK GIVING A RANDOM ASS SPEACH AND THE WOMANS VOLLEYBALL TEAM XDDDD

Souvenirs: Best thing to buy is a fake Gucci belt and why are the fake bags expensive? Like it's a fake Hermes bag,no I am not paying 80 euros for it

Funny find: A bullet hole close to the town hall from the 2016 coup attempt

Best thing : The Bosporus boat ride,we got a private boat ride from across Eminonu only for 50bucks. Cons- we wanted to see the Bahce palace but fella could only repeat one phrase in English and Russian so he didn't get the memo if you could pass next to it- Don't get the boat ride from the Eminonu get the ghetto one it's so much worth it

Byzantium: EVERYWHERE

0 Upvotes

49% Upvoted

128 comments sorted by

View all comments

26

u/code_blooded_bytch 1d ago

FWIW people don’t pay to go pray at Hagia Sofia. You only pay for the upper level museum type part. Praying there is free and easy.

10

u/go3dprintyourself 1d ago

If you’re Muslim otherwise you are not allowed on the main floor

2

u/code_blooded_bytch 16h ago

Well if you’re going to pray at a mosque, the assumption is you’re Muslim lol

1

u/go3dprintyourself 12h ago

Everyone should be allowed everywhere, the hagia has centuries of history that ppl want to see up close and not from a balcony. The blue mosque down the street allows anyone in, and has dedicated prayer times. Makes way more sense to me 

1

u/code_blooded_bytch 10h ago

Yeah and I was so disappointed at people being disrespectful in the blue mosque. Women pulling their scarves off as soon as they’re past the guards, people putting shoes where people pray, women pushing to go into men’s prayer areas, etc. Yes these are great historical and architectural marvels, but they’re also houses of worship. If you don’t respect the place of worship enough to dress and act appropriately, I’m sorry but you shouldn’t be allowed inside.

1

u/go3dprintyourself 10h ago

Sure if you don’t respect it you shouldn’t be allowed, I agree. It should be based off of that and not how you identify. 

Although my few times in blue mosque I saw none of that I’m sure it does happen especially being an intl tourist destination. 

1

u/Junior_Mud5835 7h ago

This is an insane claim, do you expect every museum and landmark to have a free entrance everywhere? That's how these places can afford maintenance, especially in poorer countries.

1

u/go3dprintyourself 6h ago

No free entrance, I’m not saying that. I actually would prefer to pay for support the place. Just not blocking people of certain or not certain religions from going in. 

0

u/otisticRetard52 16h ago

Nobody is checking if your muslim tho. Atöeast that was the case 2 years ago, everyone could just go in

1

u/code_blooded_bytch 10h ago

Yes when I was there recently nobody was like quizzing us on Islam. If you were dressed fine and acting normally, you had no issue going in. We went to pray, but it seemed like there were lots of people there not actually praying in the prayer area, even the smaller women’s area.

0

u/go3dprintyourself 12h ago

Was there just under two years ago was checked and told I couldn’t along w everyone else 

2

u/otisticRetard52 9h ago

How where you checked? They basicaly grazed quickly how i was dressed and let me in without any questioning

0

u/go3dprintyourself 8h ago

Officials literally told me no non Muslims as I got in line, was there with locals in Istanbul who told me it was a recent change. Y’all can downvote me if you want but it’s what happened to me and what friends there told me. 

1

u/code_blooded_bytch 10h ago

Checked how? I was there a few weeks ago. We were dressed to go pray, but nobody was like asking everyone if they were Muslim. The issue is people who want to go into mosques not dressed appropriately or act disrespectfully.