A gigantic city blessed with glorious past and natural beauty in one of the geographical centers of the world that would grant an opportunity to live to the fullest to anyone who dares come here. Sounds appealing? Well, that’s an attempt to describe the indescribable Istanbul in just one sentence.
This Turkish metropolis is already home to millions looking for their perfect city. And if you’re contemplating if Istanbul is the city for you too, let us try to tip the scales in favor of the potential move and list some of its benefits.
History
An obvious first factor.
Istanbul is a true mammoth of history. Throughout most of its past and present Istanbul has been one of the largest and most populated cities in the world. Its strategic location could not have let it be any other way.
Many civilizations have been through this place, most notably the Byzantines and the Ottomans. These two great empires mostly shaped what Istanbul is today, leaving its contemporary inhabitants to explore and unveil the history they left behind.
Becoming an Istanbulite means signing up for a very long history tour that day by day tells you the story of this city and its people. Aside from going to well-known historical attractions, Istanbul teaches you about its past unprompted. Maybe you go to get some official document you need and the local government office is located in a old palace of sorts, maybe you are strolling down an unfamiliar street and come across a centuries-old mosque or a church, maybe your new apartment is minutes away from ancient ruins. This what life is like in a city of such monumental significance.
Nature
If history isn’t enough for you, Istanbul can also dazzle with its gorgeous nature.
Seacoasts to the north and south, a kilometerslong strait with picturesque shores and the green hills on either side in between. This is what Istanbul offers at just one glance from any given point on the famous Bosphorus.
Move further inside either Asian or European part of the city and you will find large forests, wonderful parks and natural lakes.
A home for everyone
Istanbul is a city that lives on contrast.
Just like the Turkish people, it’s incredibly tolerant to any lifestyle its residents may want to pursue and proves it by offering quite literally everything in terms of types of comfort, recreation, work, actives, etc.
In Istanbul’s beautiful diversity you are extremely likely to find both places and people that conform to your lifestyle. It’s a bustling city with nights that see no end yet provides relaxation and seclusion whenever needed.
Imagine any type of life you want to begin or continue and you can be sure that you will find the means to do just that in Istanbul.
Affordable and diverse housing
The “home for everyone” from the above can also be taken literally given the variety of housing for rent and sale in Istanbul.
From a place on a cozy narrow street to a luxurious apartment complex, from a historical neighborhood to high-rise buildings, you can find it all.
And it’s quite affordable too. Of course, like in any other place in the world housing prices can differ according to numerous variables. Yet a perfect place for a good value is there to be found given enough effort and perhaps some outside help.
Travel opportunities
Remember how Istanbul is in a “strategic location”? Well, while historically and economically speaking it means one thing, for Istanbul’s residents nowadays it represents another – and that’s unbelievable travel opportunities.
Within six hours by plane you can reach the entirety of Europe and the Middle East, most of Africa, Central Asia and as far as India’s Mumbai. Double that flight time to 12 hours and it’s everything between New York and Tokyo, including all of Africa now, parts of South America and the entirety of Asia bar northernmost parts of Siberia.
To appropriately accommodate to these incredible travel opportunities Istanbul got a brand new airport three years ago, which is soon expected to become the busiest in the world.
And there’s more. Istanbul is not only a hub for international travel but also domestic which should not be overlooked. A flight of roughly two hours would let you reach the farthest corners of Turkey. People unfamiliar with the country would be rather surprised at the variety of touristic destinations it offers. You don’t become one of the world’s most visited countries for nothing.
Job opportunities
Moving back to actually living in Istanbul, this megapolis has also got rich job opportunities.
Though Istanbul may no longer be the capital, it remains a “capital” in terms of the economy, accounting for nearly a third of Turkey’s gross domestic product (GDP).
As such there are lots of jobs in Istanbul with business sectors as diverse as the city’s population.
There are many international companies in Istanbul too, meaning that expats speaking only very limited Turkish could find work with just proficient level of English or even some other widely spoken languages.
Safety
Istanbul is a quite safe city and, as is the case with Turkey as a whole, there is no even remote enmity toward foreigners.
Reputable safety rankings, including from Numbeo and The Economist Intelligence Unit, put Istanbul’s safety on global scale as average and safe. The former, for example, ranks Istanbul higher than some European capitals, including Brussels, Dublin, London, Paris and Rome.
Universal safety precautions like avoiding dark alleys and inevitable for big cities bad neighborhoods at night should, of course, be adhered to.
Public transit
Since the turn of the millennium Istanbul’s public transit system has developed exponentially.
The metropolis’ transport now rivals the most developed cities who have had a yeaslong, or even decadeslong, head start. Efficient, affordable and diverse, the public transit allows you to reach even the most remote areas of Istanbul.
Because the city’s transport made this huge leap in development quite recently, the transport itself is also relatively new.
Developed city
The past two decades have seen Turkey develop greatly in every area. As the country’s largest city, Istanbul spearheaded this progress.
Istanbul is one of the most – if not the most – developed cities in the region and boasts all the proper benefits of a large metropolis.
Any desired products, services, cafes and restaurants, activities and events are easily accessible to the city’s residents.
Let’s hope that by now moving to Istanbul sounds a lot more appealing than it did at the beginning of this text. Because, really, Istanbul is worth just jumping on a plane to begin experiencing the unique life in this city right from the gate.
