How many times has it happened to you to find yourself for a long stopover at an airport and not knowing what to do? Indeed, to be honest, as good wanderlusters you actually knew what to do, that is to take, go out and explore the nearest city! With about 70 planes that I take a year now, this opportunity happens to me more and more often and so after Munich and Dubai, it also happened in Istanbul! But it was a great thing to come to my aid here ...
#stopover
I was on my way back from Madagascar and landed in Istanbul at around 6 am. My flight to Milan was at 4.30 pm so I had about 10 hours. Frankly, I was quite devastated by the trip because I flew with Turkish Airlines and the seats on the intercontinental were really infamous: the legroom felt like that of a European low-cost flight, not the best for almost 10 hours of travel! I land, connect to the wifi at the airport (yes because remember that paid roaming is still in force in Turkey!) And I start publishing some stories in which I simply ask those who follow me if they have any suggestions about the city and what to see in so few hours. I immediately wrote to my colleague travel blogger Fabio who suggests that I go to the information desk of Turkish Airlines and ask for information as in the past they offered free tours of the city of Istanbul if one had to undergo a stopover of at least 6 hours.
the Touristanbul
It doesn't seem real to me, but as I step out into the large lobby of the airport I start looking for this information desk. Be careful because when you leave the baggage claim area you will find it at the bottom right while entering from the street at the bottom left. I'm not hitting you by chance, I tell you because you will come across many desks that will offer you dozens of paid city tours, telling you that the one offered by Turkish Airlines is no longer valid. Nothing could be more false because instead, the Turkish national airline offers 4 different city tours which are not only free but also offer breakfast and lunch. It is called Touristanbul and obviously, it is something extremely touristy, in fact, you will find yourself in the midst of crowds of tourists who look like grasshoppers at buffets but the offer will also allow you to enter without queuing and also for free in the Hagia Sophia museum, in the Blue Mosque and various other sites of interest in the city. Where's the catch? Basically, there is no way if you don't stop to shop in the bazaar where they will take you to eat, it is actually a wonderful initiative aimed at stimulating interest in this fascinating capital and ensuring that tourists can come back. In fact, 6 hours are nothing more than a very small taste of the city, but I assure you that it was a really good experience, so applause for the airline for this commendable initiative that I hope will be used for example by other national airlines, first of all, our!