Turkey 2018

On our way to the US we used the offer by Turkish Airlines to checkout Istanbul and went on a free Touristanbul city tour offered in case of a layover longer than 6 hours. The tour took 2 1/2 hours with 2 stops to get off the bus. The first stop was on one of the bridges overlooking the Bosporus and the other at the Saat Kule Palace. The tour and stops were a bit rushed. However, to get a first impression of Istanbul and learn a bit about the city and Turkey this is a nice option offered by Turkish Airlines. 

We were especially impressed to hear that 3300 mosques are located in Istanbul itself, while there are a total of 86000 mosques all over Turkey. Well, we also learned that most mosques are not really being used for prayers, as only 20% of the 95% muslims living in Turkey actually practise the religious/islamic traditions. There are als 1% jews, 1% christians and 3% of other believers living in Turkey. To us an informative morning. 

To take advantage of this offer by Turkish Airlines you need to be flying with Turkish Airways from an international location to another international location and have a layover above 6 hours in Istanbul. 

To get to the tour you need to go through passport control when arriving, then walk through baggage claim into the arrival hall. From there turn right and you will find the Tour Istanbul hotel desk right next to Starbucks. The staff there will provide further information. Check online for further info under TourIstanbul and also check visa requirements. German passport holders do not require any sort of visa for this tour (2018).