More than 70,000 Istanbul places Num knows, from Fatih lokantas and Beyoğlu meyhanes to Kadıköy's market streets and the ferries that stitch the city together.
Türkiye is a big country and Num, for now, knows one city in it. That city is Istanbul, and the coverage is vast: 70,320 places across Fatih, Beyoğlu, Şişli and Beşiktaş on the European side and Kadıköy and Üsküdar across the water. Cafés lead at 6,148, fair for a city that runs on tea, followed by 5,309 restaurants, 4,446 hotels, 4,429 spas and hammams and 1,695 street-food spots. There are 354 museums, most nowhere near the Blue Mosque.
Istanbul questions are about which side of the water you are on and what time it is. Ask Num for a lokanta in Fatih serving proper home cooking at lunch, a meyhane in Beyoğlu with a free table tonight, a çay garden on the Asian shore for sunset, a hammam in Kadıköy that takes walk-ins, a late pharmacy near Taksim, or the last ferry back from Üsküdar. It gives one place, open now, and tells you how to reach it, including which ferry.
Every destination Num covers here, with how many places it holds in each. Open one for the full picture.
| Currency | Turkish lira (TRY) |
|---|---|
| Languages | Turkish; English common in tourist areas and hotels, less so in residential districts |
| Plugs | Types C, F · 230 V |
| Emergency | 112 for police, fire and ambulance |
| Tipping | Around ten per cent in restaurants is usual and appreciated; round up taxi fares |
One reloadable card covers metro, tram, bus, funicular and the public ferries. Buy it from machines at major stops and top it up with cash or card; you cannot pay on board with cash.
Cards are widely accepted, but many small eateries, bazaar stalls and taxis prefer lira in cash. Prices in tourist areas are sometimes quoted in euros or dollars; ask for the lira price.
Mosques are free to enter outside prayer times. Remove shoes, cover shoulders and knees, and women cover their heads; the big mosques lend scarves at the door. Visitors are asked to stay out during the five daily prayers, and Friday midday for longer.
Insist on the meter and have your destination written down or on a map. Taxis hailed from the street around Sultanahmet and Taksim are the most likely to overcharge; the BiTaksi and Uber apps call the same yellow taxis with a recorded fare.
The Asian side is not a day trip but half of Istanbul, often cheaper and calmer. Ferries from Eminönü, Karaköy and Beşiktaş take about twenty minutes and are the best cheap view in the city.
Message Num the way you would message a friend who lives here, in any language. It answers with one real place that fits, open now, and how to get there. It is free for travelers. Businesses list free and pay only when Num completes a booking for them, so nothing here is ranked by who paid.
Yes, for the most part. Violent crime against visitors is rare. The classic traps are the friendly stranger who leads you to a bar with a huge bill, shoe-shiners who drop a brush for you to pick up, and unmetered taxis. Keep an eye on bags in the Grand Bazaar and on crowded trams.
Yes. Message it in any language and it answers in yours, with one place that fits and how to get there, on either side of the Bosphorus.
April to early June and September to October are mild and clear. July and August are hot and crowded, and winter is cold and often wet, though the city is beautiful under low light and the museums are empty.