Ask Google about Istanbul? Ask Fairlie!

This post is part of a regular series of weekly “Ask Google? Ask Fairlie!” posts. Today I ask Google about Istanbul. I type the start of a question into Google and based on the Google auto-completion suggestions, I find out what most people are wanting to know. Then I answer those questions myself. Who needs Google when you can ask Fairlie? ask google about istanbul

 Where is Istanbul…

Where is Istanbul Turkey?

Well, yes. Istanbul is in Turkey. The largest city in Turkey, in fact. But it’s not the capital of Turkey. That title is held by the city of Ankara. There seems to be a lot of confusion about where Istanbul is, given the top search terms all relate to its location.

Where is Istanbul located?

Istanbul is the only city that straddles two continents (Europe and Asia). It is located on both sides of the Bosphoros Strait, a narrow body of water that links the Black and the Marmara Seas. You can stay in a hotel on the European side, wake up, head across one of the two bridges over the Bosphoros (or take a ferry) and have breakfast in Asia. Fabulous for bragging rights…’Where are you going for your holidays?” “Oh, you know…just spending a bit of time in Europe and then we’ll stop by Asia before we head home.”

Where is Istanbul on a world map?

Istanbul is located in the north-west portion of Turkey. Most of the northern border of Turkey is formed by the Black Sea. To the north and west, Turkey shares a border with Bulgaria and Greece. The eastern borders are with Iran, Armenia and Georgia, while Syria and Iraq are on the southern border. So you could say, Turkey has a few troubled neighbours.

What is Istanbul…

What is Istanbul currency?

Turkish Lira is the currency of Istanbul (and the rest of Turkey).  One Turkish Lira is currently worth about 0.50 Aussie dollars (0.47 USD).  Turkey is not yet a full member of the European Union, and still has its own currency. However, nearby Greece is an EU member and the currency is Euro. If you happen to be coming to Turkey from Greece…or anywhere else in Europe for that matter, you can bring your left-over Euros, and they will be accepted at many places (but you probably won’t get a great exchange rate).

What is Istanbul famous for?

The Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, The Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace, the Ottoman Empire, steamy hamam, delicious kebap and pide, Turkish delight and other mouth-watering desserts, magic carpets…take your pick.

What is Istanbul main airport?

The main international airport in Istanbul is Ataturk Airport (IST) which used to be called Yesilkoy International Airport. The airport is named after Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who was the founder and first president of the modern Turkish republic.  It is on the European side of Istanbul, about 24 kilometres west of the city centre. The taxi ride from the airport into the city at 6:00am on a Saturday morning was speedy, but the return journey, around midday on a Saturday two weeks later, was initially slow and stop-start.  Our driver turned off the main route and using a network of back roads skipped the worst of the traffic, pulling back into the driveway to the airport at the last minute. Excellent stuff. 

What do you want to ask about Istanbul?

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