Breakdown of how much I spent on a 10 day trip to Istanbul and some other tidbits that didn’t fit in anywhere else.
I kept very diligent notes on how much I spent and had a total budget of $1500 for this trip. At the time, the lira to dollar exchange rate was around 3:1. I ended up walking away about $75 under budget, and you could do it CHEAPER. Please note how much shopping I did and how you can have a great experience without doing so.
Travel: $830 RT flight with Turkish Airlines from San Francisco International to Istanbul Ataturk Airport.
Stay: FREE! The best part, always take advantage of international friends. My friend lives in a residential area rather than the city center which made the stay feel more authentic.
Food: $160
Public Transit and Taxis: $43
Museum stuff: $40
Other (clothes, makeup, gifts, hammam): $283
Complete list of posts on Istanbul:
- Istanbul In Film
- Istanbul in One Day
- Things I Ate – Istanbul
- “The Asian Side” – Istanbul
- Shake Shack Istanbul
- The Best Hot Chocolate & The Road Less Traveled
- Hagia Sofia & Topkapı Palace – A Visual Tour
Restuarants not mentioned previously:
Ehlitat Lokantasi – A pick and choose resturant in Taksim. Super cheap and really good.
YeniGun Doner – The link is kinda crap but it shows you the location. I was a little tipsy but this falafel…the absolute best I have ever eaten. Our friend also ordered a plate of fried chicken which blew me away.
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Other notes:
Everyone who goes to Turkey brings back Turkish Delight (Lokum), I would advise against getting 4 boxes like I did. Turns out not everyone thinks its the best thing ever.
Buy EVERYTHING outside the Grand Bazaar, every single item in there is overpriced. Those super cute cai glasses you want? They are everywhere and far cheaper.
THE CATS AND DOGS – Stray cats and dogs are given standard shots by the government. Cats will have a triangle clip in their ears and dogs will have a toggle, try to avoid those who don’t. Check out this link.
Istanbul Spoken Word – If you are feeling a little lonely check out this event.
Ximena.
Ximena. 
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