Istanbul is known as the city where east meets west. It's spread across two continents:
Europe and Asia. One thing you should know before
visiting Istanbul is that it's big. Really, really big. And there are a lot of different neighbourhoods
to choose where to spend your time, let alone deciding which continent you want to be on. Before visiting Istanbul for the first time, when we were trying to decide
which 'side' of the city to stay on, I wish I'd had a resource to give me a sense of how the European and Asian sides differ. In the end, we decided to stay on both sides - in two very different apartments - to experience it firsthand. My goal in this video is to be the guide I wish I'd had to help you clarify where you'd like to
base yourself during a stay in Istanbul and also just to recommend where to go
when you visit 'the other side.' The European side is where most
travellers end up staying and visiting and it's not uncommon to never visit the Asian side. This has recently started to change more,
but I want to make sure you do not miss out on visiting the Asian side of this incredible city. So in this video, I'm sharing some of
my top Asian picks to explore. But before that, I want to show you why
the European side is rightly so popular and deserving of your time. This is our apartment on the Europe side and it’s right in the middle of the action so it’s been a nice refuge for us to
come back to at the end of the day. And the other thing I love about this place is that there are two distinct spaces
with two different desks, which is a huge treat for Marc and I
because we work as we’re travelling and often we don’t have a desk at all. We’re just sort of sitting on the floor. So this has been the perfect place for us. And I love that my desk and actually his too, is right next to a huge wall of windows so for me, it’s been a really inspiring place too. This space is probably where I’ve spent
most of my time when we’re here curled up on that cozy couch
because there’s all of these windows and there’s always something happening. You really feel like you’re in the middle of everything. And for us, this has been the perfect place
to situate ourselves on the Europe side. We are extremely close -
maybe 2 or 3 minutes walk from the Galata Tower, which is really old. This whole area is known as Galata and it’s one of the most famous
landmarks in Istanbul, period. So we can walk there -- we’ve really enjoyed seeing it
lit up at night because it’s so close by. Lots of restaurants. Istiklal Street is a great shopping street. It’s easy to get to as well. And then when we’re sightseeing during the day, all of the main kind of Istanbul sightseeing attractions are within walking distance, which is really nice. So Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque —
all of them are easy to get to. And of course that’s one of the advantages
of being on the Europe side. There’s lots going on —
a lot of hustle and bustle. The pace feels much faster here and it’s kind of exciting to get caught up in that energy. We didn’t realize when we first arrived
at our Airbnb how famous these steps are but you just walk up here and
we’re basically right at the top. And these were designed in a
special shape so that children — the idea is that children but really anyone, wouldn’t fall all the way down the flight
of stairs if they slipped or tripped or something because of the shape so…
I feel more safe now. I’m standing on the Galata Bridge
right in the heart of it all. There’s boats going underneath
and all over the water. You can see the Galata Tower behind me. One of the main landmarks here in the city. And our Airbnb is like, I don’t know,
2 or 3 minutes walk from there so it’s a nice way to orient yourself. And I just love feeling on this European side
like you’re right in the middle of everything. In my opinion, the best way to cross between
the European and Asian sides of Istanbul is by ferry boat. It's practical with the added bonus of getting
in some extra sightseeing while you're underway. If you're lucky, you'll spy a rainbow in the sky and find yourself on board with
a seagull whisperer like this man. All the birds flew alongside our boat, waiting for him to throw another
fistful of food into the air. I'll never forget when he turned and
looked at me with a huge smile on his face and he saw the huge smile on my face. It was one of those unexpected travel
moments of shared joy that you simply cannot plan for,
which makes it all the more memorable. Whether you’re staying on the
Asia side or the Europe side, or like us splitting your time between the two,
you really need to get yourself on a ferry. It’s an amazing way to get a
totally different view of the city out on this beautiful, windy, sunny kind of day. And a great way to cross between the two sides. Hello Asia side! God, this is the perfect,
perfect day to be out here. Yeah! And I feel so happy because,
now when I look back at the Europe side, I recognize the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. And I can see the Galata Tower. And I didn’t know where those things were before so I feel like I’m starting to get a better
lay of the land in Istanbul, which is saying something
because this city is huge. I see more jellyfish down there! Really? Yeah! Don’t jump in then! Back on dry land. Yeah. I didn’t get so sick that time. It’s good. Marc’s still working on his sea legs. Exactly. Sea stomach. I can handle short ferry rides. We’ve arrived in Kadiköy! Woohoo! Kadiköy. Kadiköy! The Kadiköy district is one of my
favourite areas on the Asian side and the part of it known as Moda is a must-see. When you get off the ferry here, you'll likely notice right away there are
fewer tourists than on the European side. In Moda, which you'll see more of shortly,
we didn't see more than a handful. Moda is full of cute cafes, boutiques, and book shops that you'll likely want to take
some time looking around. Don't miss the great vintage
and antique stores here too. This is also a perfect place to grab a tea
or Turkish coffee and just people watch. TimeOut magazine named Moda one of the
50 coolest neighbourhoods in the world and it's easy to see why. The part of Kadikoy closer to the ferry terminal
has a laid-back, familiar feeling. People are picking up groceries,
meeting up with friends, all the simple pleasures of everyday life. My top recommendation here is the food market where you'll find fresh fish, olives,
cheese, nuts, honey, and lots more. I love to walk around the market area in Kadiköy. You can find pretty much anything. The smells are delicious. People are so friendly saying hello. If you take the ferry from the Europe side, at the Kadiköy ferry terminal,
if you basically walk straight forward, you will find yourself just surrounded
by all of this delicious looking food. It’s raining! As you can see. But we wanted to tell you about
one of our favourite neighbourhoods to explore on the Asia side. We’re in it right now — this is Moda. And we just love walking around here. Love, love, love it. Yeah. There are so many…I mean,
the stairs behind us are a very good example. Yeah. You find all sorts of colourful murals and graffiti. A lot of creativity as you’re walking around
that’s being expressed. Great barber shops! Tada! Our favourite barber in Istanbul. Marc got a haircut which was…
-He fixed me up. How excited are you to get a haircut? I’m really excited! It’s been months. And I’ve never had a haircut in Turkey before. No. World haircuts. Yeah! International haircuts. Add it to my international haircuts list. He got a massage and they
served us tea and it was amazing. It was wonderful. What do you think? Looks so good! And this area just has the
really nice cafes and restaurants and you don’t see a lot of other tourists. It really feels like a residential
kind of neighbourhood. Super good vibes. Where people are just living their lives. So a perfect place to come and explore. What do they call those things when
the rat’s tails get all like tangled? That’s what I was thinking of too. It looks like that but with pigeons. Yeah! They really looks like they’re all
attached to each other. It’s like one writhing mass of pigeon. It’s a pigeon centipede. Oh! That was traumatic. Okay, we don’t want to get pooped on in Moda. No! Let’s keep going. Okay! This is our apartment on the Asian side of Istanbul and staying here to me is like a holiday on a holiday. It’s really spacious — there’s a second bedroom — and I keep wishing that I could
just pick up the phone and fly over some friends or family because it’s the kind of place that I would
just love to share with them. And I think what makes this place so surprising is that you feel like you’re in a really private place with these expansive views but you’re in a city of 15 million people. And I never expected to have this feeling
in a city that is this big. But when you wake up in the morning, the first view you see from the
bedroom side of the apartment is this lush, green landscape with the Turkish flag reminding you to
pinch yourself that you’re waking up in Turkey. And then you walk out of the bedroom and you walk towards the most
just ridiculous, unimaginable view that takes up one whole wall of this apartment. It’s so expansive but it feels so private and you have to keep reminding yourself,
“I am in Istanbul right now.” So, I’m going to stop talking about the view
and just take you outside. This is the reason I really don’t want to leave here. I think this view really speaks for itself. One of the most incredible parts about Istanbul is the fact that it’s a city that crosses two continents and right now, we’re in Asia
and across the water is Europe. It’s so unique and there are people on the water here
doing cruises to get a better look and we get to wake up this view
and go to sleep to this view. I can hear the water. I could practically jump in from this balcony actually although I wouldn’t recommend it
no matter how inspired you feel. But just being able to sit here and see the bridge and hear that magical sound of the waves lapping and then look out and see
everything from cargo ships to small boats with people fishing is just…
it’s just amazing. And what I think I love most
about staying on this Asian side is that the pace really does feel slower. It feels like you’re on holiday. I mean, this doesn’t feel like you’re
in a huge city with a lot of hustle and bustle, which is amazing to experience, but so is this. It just feels relaxed. You get to hear the wonderful sound of the waves and just try to…try to imagine
how you possibly got to be this lucky. At least that’s what I’m spending my time
sitting here thinking about. We are sitting here in our pyjamas on this sofa with our morning coffee and drinks. Just looking over at Europe. Sitting in Asia looking at Europe while a boat
makes its way over there. I am so happy! HAPPY! When our balcony up there doesn’t feel
quite close enough to the water, I’ve also really enjoyed coming down to this patio area, which is right on the water. I could practically dip my toes in —
in fact I think people actually do swim here. And the first night that Marc and I arrived,
we brought chairs, we sat up here and it was night and we sat looking at the bridge,
which is all lit up. Eating Turkish delight. It was just one of those magic
travel memories that I will never forget. And what I love about this view is that I can look at the bridge and see
all of those tiny little trucks and cars making their way between two continents. And looking at this bridge that, you know,
bridges two continents and sitting at the edge of one myself
and looking out across the water at the other, hearing the birds, watching the boats go by. I can hear the different music
and seeing people dancing and... people fishing in their small boats and just feel like I’m part of everything and yet relaxed
and also a bit removed from it, which gives you just a different
perspective on everything. This is also the perfect place
to watch the sun go down and from this view, when I look out at this bridge, the sun sets pretty much in the centre of the bridge and at least from this perspective, it looks as though it’s setting
directly between the two continents. It’s…amazing. Çengelköy is a little more difficult
to get to from the European side and to me at least, it feels more remote
than the Kadiköy Moda neighbourhood. We didn't notice any other tourists
during our entire time staying in Çengelköy. The locals were extremely friendly and helpful and made us feel really welcome. In this area you find cute restaurants and shops tucked away on little streets and the glow of lanterns in the trees at night. I can't overstate how much
we loved staying in Çengelköy and it quickly came to feel
like a home away from home. Our neighbourhood on the Asian side
is called Çengelköy. It’s a really special place because it’s a little bit removed from the normal
places that people go to on the Asian side like Kadiköy and the Moda neighbourhood, which we love as well. But it’s a bit trickier to get to and so you just really don’t find a lot of other tourists, which makes it really relaxed, super chill here, and we’ve just really enjoyed the vibe, honestly. It’s just a really nice place to come and unwind. I hope you enjoyed seeing this
peak at different parts of Istanbul. The European side is faster paced and where you'll find many of the
main attractions you'll want to see. It's walkable and exciting and you'll enjoy
getting caught up in the energy of the city. The Asian side feels more laid-back and local and removed from some of the hustle. If you're planning a trip to Istanbul,
I hope you'll find this video helpful. If you can swing it, I highly recommend
staying on both continents and experiencing different neighbourhoods. We loved both the Airbnbs we stayed in so I will link them in the
description box below if you're interested. I also have an Airbnb discount code
you can find there. Check out the rest of our Turkey series for more videos on both the Asian and European sides, including foods to try
and must-see sites and activities. If you enjoyed this video,
please give it a thumbs up and subscribe for lots more
travel adventures around the world. Thanks for watching!
