Istanbul

The quality and service associated with Airbnbs tend to be hit and miss throughout Turkey, and Istanbul is no exception. Given the scale of the city, general availability is sub-par, compounded by the insatiable appetite for accommodation from both year-round tourists and the 15 million people who call it home.

Supply comes nowhere near meeting the high demand, so finding a good deal, especially during peak seasons, requires some persistence and a good chunk of luck.

A core contributing issue is the historic building stock in many of the popular areas around Beyoğlu. More modern commercial units are likely to be found outside of the immediate tourist areas, in the more residential neighbourhoods towards Osmanbey, Beşiktaş and Şişli.

Due to this incredibly high demand, the chances of finding an outstanding deal are close to zero. If booking via Airbnb, expect to pay around £1,200 per calendar month for a reasonable quality, renovated one-bedroom flat in a central location. New-to-market apartments come up frequently, so you may be able to grab a relative bargain on an unproven unit.

Occasionally you may see some cheaper deals in Fatih on Airbnb and especially in hotels, but if it's your first time visiting the city, I'd avoid any temptations to book in those more conservative areas to save costs.

If you are sensitive to noise, pay close attention to reviews on Airbnb regarding this, especially if staying close to Taksim. I stayed on Süslü Saksı Street on one trip and whilst it was incredibly convenient to get around the city, being routinely woken up at 3AM Thursday through Monday by a techno party in the middle of December somewhat hindered the experience.

Due to all the above, book well in advance and pay close attention to where you plan to work from. Whilst public transport is generally efficient within the city, some journeys can take far longer than you may anticipate, so plan ahead if you intend to commute across the city to a co-working space.

It's worth noting that Istanbul is situated in a highly active seismic zone and has an unfortunate history of devastating earthquakes which have caused immense damage. It's only a matter of time before the next major event occurs, and you may see newer properties carrying 'earthquake-proof' tags as features.

When looking at the immense mass of the metropolitan area of Istanbul, at face value there's a reasonable selection of sites spread across both the European and Asian sides of the city.

Whether or not you find Istanbul good or bad value in 2025 will largely hinge on your personal tastes. Importantly, it's worth noting that for Turks earning locally in lira, there is only one answer. The lira is low, inflation remains high and local purchasing power is weak.

I've read plenty on prices skyrocketing over the last couple of years across Turkey, but Istanbul seems to have avoided the worst of the excesses, with beachside resorts on the coastline like Bodrum more susceptible to eye-watering inflation. Prices are higher than they were in 2023, but for most of my day-to-day expenses, not in a significant manner.

If you are bringing external currency, in many ways it remains excellent value. A rapidly served, tasty meal consisting of a meat and vegetable dish, rice and a side can still be had for under £5 in one of the city's many casual lokantas. A freshly charcoal-grilled kebab, bulgur, salad and bread can be found for a similar price. A 50cl domestic beer in a bar in a popular area around Taksim or Kadıköy costs around £3.50, and even cheaper at the nightly happy hours. Public transport is uniformly cheap, around 50p a journey, and local produce from markets is less than what you would expect in Western Europe.

Should your tastes become more refined however, costs can mount. Speciality coffee and cakes from coffee shops are similar to what you would expect in London. International cuisines in more refined restaurants can begin to exceed expectations. Cocktails, wine and craft beers in high-end areas like Nişantaşı can rapidly surpass what you might pay in premium European cities.

Prices often feel like they don't make sense in Turkey. In general, I would suggest budgeting as you may do in any other Western European city.

If you are happy to eat locally and curtail evening extravagances, then you'll likely find some change left over from what you originally planned.

Even after so many repeat visits, Istanbul remains as energetic and captivating a place as I originally viewed it. It has so many facets and nuances to it, a diversity which I can't recall many other cities possessing. Very few cities can legitimately claim to really be multi-polar with regards to hubs of genuine activity, yet that is very much true of Istanbul.

As a city-break destination for a long weekend, you can block out a back-to-back schedule with ease. Visit Ottoman-era historical architectural sites, wade through overwhelmingly busy bazaars, sample an array of local delicacies, take a Bosphorus cruise.

But for a longer stint as somewhere to work from, it still gives you an incredible number of options to explore over the weekend at a more leisurely pace, once you've ticked off a conventional list of tourist items. There's a constant, driving rhythm within the city which makes even just walking around on foot a significantly more entertaining pastime than in many other places. Even after so many visits, there are still places I haven't reached.