Can Any Turkish City Rival Istanbul?
So, you’re thinking about visiting Turkey, but you don’t want to go to a big beach resort, or at least you don’t want to spend all your time there. What else can you do? You can think about spending a few days in the city, that’s what!
Turkey isn’t just about summer beaches, it has some great cities too, such as Antalya, Ankara, and Izmir, to name just three. The biggest of them all however, despite not being the capital, is Istanbul.
Can any other city really rival Istanbul in terms of popularity, history, culture, and beauty? It’s a hard challenge, and to be honest, they’d be hard pushed to achieve it.
Istanbul is the former capital of Turkey, but that title now belongs to Ankara. This was changed for many reasons, but mainly because Ankara is in the centre of the country, whereas Istanbul sits on the northern coast. Istanbul has so much history that it’s downright impossible to go into it in such a short space of time, but think about the Ottoman Empire and its long and sometimes bloody rule, and you’ll have an idea of the type of history and culture we’re talking about here.
Istanbul is a city that sits on two continents, which is also a major claim to fame, and something that no other city can claim to have. Some of it in Europe, some is in Asia, and when you cross the Bosphorus Bridge, at some stage you have one foot in each! The huge Bosphorus waterway is an extremely important shipping route through history, and today you won’t be able to sit for more than 10 minutes without seeing a huge tanker or battle ship passing through, as they cross from or to the Marmara Sea.
The other thing about Istanbul is its old versus new kind of feel. The architecture and buildings are stunning, and they are so well preserved that they look almost like they did when they were built! Yes, other cities such as Izmir and Ankara have history too, and they have buildings which look stunningly beautiful too, but if we’re being honest, they certainly don’t rival Istanbul in terms of opulence. The palaces and gardens you’ll find in this city are some of the best in the world.
A Modern City With an Old Edge
Izmir is a big university city, and it has a great vibe about it. Sitting on the Aegean, Izmir has a pavement cafe, clubby, and shopping type of vibe about it, but it lacks the major history that Istanbul has. This is where it falls short.
Ankara has many old buildings, and of course, being the capital city, it has the Government centres in situ. Aside from that, there isn’t much else to consider. It is far from the sea, it takes a while to get to, and it lacks major entertainment hotspots, such as nightlife and shopping.
So, does Istanbul win the battle?
For me, hands down, yes.
Istanbul is also the place where all major flights head to, in order to get somewhere else in the country or to another part of the country. This makes it an important transport spot too.
A city break in Istanbul is something which has it all. You have shopping, and there are some majorly huge malls, alongside some ancient bazaars an markets. There is nightlife in abundance, especially if you head to the touristic spot of Taksim. There is food that will have your mouth more than watering, leisure activities in abundance, and the chance to visit various different neighbourhoods and regions around the city, thanks to a very easy to use Metro and bus system that runs across and through the city.
So, can Izmir, Ankara, and the likes ever rival the wonder of Istanbul? Not really, but they’re worth a visit too!
