Istanbul · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
Two continents, a ferry system that doubles as sightseeing, and food that costs almost nothing.
Sultanahmet or Beyoğlu
Sultanahmet's hostel row sits among the monuments with rooftop terraces; Beyoğlu and Karaköy put you nearer the bars and the ferries.
What a day costs
About $25–45 a day, quoted in dollars because the lira moves too fast to trust: dorm $10–18, street food $8–15, transport and a mosque donation $5–12.
Getting around cheap
One Istanbulkart covers metro, tram, funicular, bus and ferry. The Eminönü–Kadıköy crossing costs the same as a bus and is the cheapest Bosphorus cruise going.
Free by day
Süleymaniye and the Blue Mosque ask only for modest dress, Gülhane Park is open to all, and Balat's painted streets cost nothing to walk.
Where travellers meet
Free walking tours form up at the Hippodrome each morning; the hostel roof terraces above Sultanahmet handle the evenings and the onward-travel advice.