TurkeyThe Bosphorus is a commute, not only a view
Most of Istanbul lives on the European shore, millions more on the Asian one, and for a great many of them the journey to work involves a boat. Ferries shuttle between Eminönü, Karaköy and Beşiktaş on one side and Kadıköy and Üsküdar on the other, and a crossing takes twenty minutes or so of tea and gulls. The same Istanbulkart that pays for the boat covers the tram, the metro, the buses and the Marmaray line, whose trains run in a tunnel beneath the strait. Which of those is quickest depends on the hour. At rush hour a taxi can sit on a bridge for longer than the ferry takes to cross, while late in the evening the boat timetable thins and the last sailing back to your side becomes the thing to know. Busy waterfronts also have several piers side by side, each serving different routes, so the right one is worth confirming before you queue.
Taxis come by app, and traffic decides the route
Istanbul's yellow taxis can be summoned from an app as easily as hailed, which puts the pickup point, the driver's details and the route on record before anyone sets off. That matters in a city this size, where the gap between the quick way and the scenic way across town can run to an hour. Look at live traffic before choosing between road and water: if the bridges are red, the pier is the better bet.
The Grand Bazaar is navigated by gate
The Grand Bazaar is sixty-odd covered streets and thousands of shops under one roof, and it is built to be wandered rather than mapped. Regulars get around it by its gates, which carry names and numbers, and by the old hans nearby: courtyard inns turned into workshops and wholesale floors. So agree to meet a friend at a numbered gate, not at the lamp shop you both remember. Photograph the card of any stall you mean to come back to, since every lane seems to have a lamp shop. Downhill, the steep and crowded streets towards the Spice Bazaar and the water are easier with a destination already pinned. And remember the bazaar closes on Sundays.
The long distances go by coach
Between cities, Turkey's coach network does much of the heavy lifting, overnight to Cappadocia or down to the coast. Services are comfortable and well organised, often with an attendant bringing tea and snacks, and there are scheduled rest stops along the way. The otogar, the bus station, usually sits well outside the centre, so getting there is a small trip of its own. Inside, dozens of companies keep desks side by side and departures leave from numbered platforms. Keep the booking, your seat number and the company's name on the phone, and allow enough time to find the right bay among a great many identical coaches.
