What should I avoid in Istanbul?

Istanbul taxis have two rates on the meter. Rate 1 (gündüz) runs during the day. Rate 2 (gece) kicks in after midnight. Some drivers toggle to Rate 2 at 2pm, which roughly doubles the fare. A ride from Istanbul Airport to Sultanahmet should cost around 400-500 TRY on Rate 1, roughly 8-10 USD at the current rate of about 48.6 TRY per dollar. If the driver quotes a flat fare instead of turning on the meter, get out. BiTaksi is the local ride-hailing app and it locks in the route before you get in. Better still, the Havaist airport bus runs to Taksim Square for 180 TRY, and from there the T1 tram reaches Sultanahmet in 20 minutes. Load an İstanbulkart at any metro station for 100 TRY and top it up as you go. It works on trams, ferries, buses, and the Marmaray tunnel crossing.

The shoe-shine trick works like this. A man drops his brush near Galata Bridge or along İstiklal Caddesi. You call out, he thanks you, then insists on shining your shoes as gratitude. The 'tip' he expects is 200-300 TRY. Politely refuse and keep walking. The bar scam in Beyoğlu is worse. A friendly stranger, usually claiming to be a student, invites you for a drink at a bar near Taksim Square. The music pounds, the drinks keep coming, and two rounds later a bill for 5,000-10,000 TRY appears while large men stand near the door. This tends to happen on the side streets off İstiklal between Galatasaray Lisesi and Tünel. Walk away from any stranger overly eager to take you drinking within 10 minutes of meeting you. The friendship-bracelet version runs at the same locations. Someone ties a bracelet on your wrist, then demands payment.

The restaurants lining the north side of Sultanahmet Park, between Hagia Sophia and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the Blue Mosque, built in 1609), are the worst food value in the city. A plate of mediocre iskender kebab runs 400-600 TRY there. Walk 10 minutes south to Küçük Ayasofya Mahallesi, where Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi Selim Usta has been serving köfte since 1920 for roughly half the price, and the charcoal smoke from the grill hits you before you turn the corner. At the Grand Bazaar, the stalls closest to the Beyazıt gate are priced for cruise-ship passengers. Move deeper, past the leather corridor, and prices drop 40-60% for the same ceramics and textiles. Never accept a shopkeeper's offer of tea as a buying commitment. Tea is free across Istanbul, at every shop, and 'no thank you' ends the conversation cleanly.

The 'short Bosphorus cruise' boats docked at Eminönü, the ones with touts waving laminated signs, run a 90-minute loop that barely passes the first bridge (the Bosphorus Bridge, completed in 1973) before turning back. The ticket is 200-300 TRY. The city ferry from the same dock runs the full Bosphorus route to Anadolu Kavağı for about 100 TRY on an İstanbulkart, takes 90 minutes each way, and you'll smell grilled fish from the waterside restaurants as you dock. At the Mısır Çarşısı (Spice Bazaar), the stalls in the first 30 meters sell pre-packaged 'Turkish saffron' that is likely safflower, at 3-4× the going rate. The shops on the upper level and the side streets behind the bazaar, around Hasırcılar Caddesi, sell the same sumac, pul biber, and dried mint at local prices. Taste before you buy. Real pul biber (Aleppo pepper flakes) should have a slow, oily heat, not a dusty burn.

Tarlabaşı, the grid of streets immediately north of İstiklal Caddesi between Taksim and Kasımpaşa, is still rough after dark despite years of redevelopment. Stick to İstiklal itself at night and you'll be fine. Solo-travel safety in Istanbul sits at 6 out of 10 (per /research/istanbul/). The city's LGBTQ+ friendliness scores 3 out of 10 (per /research/istanbul/), so same-sex couples should be aware that public affection draws unwanted attention outside Beyoğlu's bar strip. Mind you, most of Istanbul is safe during daylight hours. The more common annoyance is aggressive carpet-shop touts in Sultanahmet who steer you toward 'my cousin's shop' with an opening line about where you're from. A firm 'hayır, teşekkürler' (no, thank you) works. Don't stop walking. Worth noting, September afternoons still hit 28-30°C, and the humidity off the Bosphorus makes the midday heat sticky. Hagia Sophia (built in 532) has no air conditioning, and the interior can feel like a warm bath by 1pm. Visit before 10am.