Why Now Is the Time to Visit Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey (B)

Two days after I booked my flights to Istanbul, the news broke of a military coup that left 300 dead and over 2,000 injured. In the 48 hours that followed, I contacted KLM to see if I could cancel, but they refused to refund my money or let me change the flights. “Screw it,” I decided; “we’re going anyway”. When I thought about it rationally, there seemed to be as much danger of a terrorist attack in Amsterdam as there was risk of violence in Istanbul; and if there’s one thing these troublemakers want it’s to disrupt people’s lives. I wasn’t going to let them.

A situation that’s been pretty disastrous for Turkey is – ironically – a blessing for the budget-conscious traveller. Despite all instincts to the contrary, this is nothing short of the best time to visit Istanbul.

And so I got on with my usual travel preparations: researching where to eat in Istanbul, booking a food tour, finding somewhere nice to stay. It was business as usual. And when we arrived, that’s exactly what we found in Istanbul too: ordinary Turks just trying to get on with their lives and make enough money to pay the bills. Only it’s pretty tough here right now. In a country that relies on tourism for a significant chunk of its GDP, the diminishing visitor numbers are taking their toll. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).