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Post by manulike on Dec 27, 2022 16:29:45 GMT
Still a little while to go and no guarentte of it being in Istanbul ... But, can anyone please give some tips about Istanbul? I hope to spend 3 to 5 days there (depending if its where the game is). Places to stay - Euro side or Asia side?
Where is the more ancient / historic walking areas? Souk / old walls etc?
Any nice public ferry routes (not tourist charters)
Thanks!
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Post by cantonwelsh79 on Jan 16, 2023 7:53:12 GMT
I stayed on the European side, near Sultanahmet. It was a bit touristy but still very nice - there's the Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, basilica cistern, grand bazar etc all close by. I've booked this area again for June but I'm toying with the idea of changing to the Asian side (if it's Istanbul)
Also close by is Eminou ferry port - this is where all the local commuter ferries go from. Easy to get over to the Besiktas (got the idea this was a more studenty area, quite lively) and also the Asian side.
On the Asian side Kadikoy and Uskadar were the places I went - they were great. Less touristy full of mosques and markets. The food was lovely and there was a lot less people hassling you to go into their restaurants.
By Eminou is also Galata bridge, this takes you over to Galata tower and another main area also to what seems to be the main shopping area. It's a lovely walk.
Galata bridge itself is fantastic - loads of restaurants on it but the real attraction is watching all the locals fishing off it!
Before you get on the bridge though be sure to go to the Mackerel boat cafes on the Eminou side. The boats deliver freshly caught fish straight to them and they make stunning sandwiches with it.
It's best to get an Istanbul card - like an oyster card and you can use it on the buses,trams, Metro and Ferries. Picked mine up in the airport.
It's a stunning City, I can't wait to go back,even if we're playing elsewhere and it's only for a day. It may be a tad hot in June though!
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Post by bluephill on Jan 29, 2023 17:17:05 GMT
Booked flights for this the other day. £90 return from Luton is cracking value. Just hope the game is in Istanbul now.
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Post by superunknown on Jan 30, 2023 17:18:00 GMT
Wanted to go to this one but it cuts it too close with Glastonbury sadly.
Whoever's going it's a fantastic place, only visited Istanbul so hope it's there for you, a breathtakingly beautiful city and some of the most hospitable people I've ever met. If anyone needs any tips or anything I can try my best. Enjoy!
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Post by felinessex on Jan 30, 2023 21:38:25 GMT
Booked flights for this the other day. £90 return from Luton is cracking value. Just hope the game is in Istanbul now. Done the same, although it means an overnight crash at Luton to be there in time for the 6:50 flight. Reckoning that even if it’s not played in Istanbul, travelling to wherever it is played should be relatively easy. |
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Post by daearegwr on Feb 2, 2023 12:36:11 GMT
Venue just announced as the 19 Mayıs Stadium in Samsun - which is 800Km from Istanbul!
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Post by bluephill on Feb 2, 2023 13:11:49 GMT
Shit the bed mun, over an hours flight. Right pain in the arse that.
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Post by felinessex on Feb 2, 2023 14:36:44 GMT
Shit the bed mun, over an hours flight. Right pain in the arse that. Just booked onward flights from Istanbul with Turkish Airlines @ £80 return. Take care as most flights go from the 2nd Istanbul airport (SAW) rather than IST. Booked a hotel in Samsun city centre, with free cancellation, again cheap as. Samsun doesn’t appear to be the most exotic destination, so will take time to check out if nearby resorts have more to offer. |
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Post by vvm on Feb 2, 2023 15:32:28 GMT
Was quite looking forward to a trip to Istanbul but think I'll probably give this a miss now. 20k stadium so probably would struggle for tickets anyway
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Post by CrackityJones on Feb 2, 2023 15:38:11 GMT
Capacity is 34k
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Post by jbt95 on Feb 2, 2023 16:39:11 GMT
Was quite looking forward to a trip to Istanbul but think I'll probably give this a miss now. 20k stadium so probably would struggle for tickets anyway I thought the same but it seems they knocked the old stadium down and this new one has recently opened. FAW news item says 33k capacity. |
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Post by vvm on Feb 3, 2023 8:57:53 GMT
Oh that's slightly better. I must have had a dodgy source on that one. Still think the allocation may be a little too small for me but the difficulty in getting there might even it out.
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Post by selsigdeganwy on Apr 1, 2023 10:12:07 GMT
Initially I was looking at the cheaper Wizz flights from Luton but was having lots of issues trying to book on their website.
Having given up on Wizz, I finally booked Turkish Airlines from LHR via IST to SZF Samsun.
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Post by cymroircarn on Apr 1, 2023 11:55:01 GMT
Initially I was looking at the cheaper Wizz flights from Luton but was having lots of issues trying to book on their website. Having given up on Wizz, I finally booked Turkish Airlines from LHR via IST to SZF Samsun. How much out of interest? £400? |
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Post by selsigdeganwy on Apr 1, 2023 12:04:30 GMT
Initially I was looking at the cheaper Wizz flights from Luton but was having lots of issues trying to book on their website. Having given up on Wizz, I finally booked Turkish Airlines from LHR via IST to SZF Samsun. How much out of interest? £400? £349 |
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doddo
steve evans
Posts: 26 
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Post by doddo on Apr 3, 2023 11:39:48 GMT
Initially I was looking at the cheaper Wizz flights from Luton but was having lots of issues trying to book on their website. Having given up on Wizz, I finally booked Turkish Airlines from LHR via IST to SZF Samsun. Just so you are aware, we had problems with Whizz last year when flying to Poland & they overbooked the flight to Poznan - apparently they're known for this so be careful about using them. |
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Post by selsigdeganwy on Apr 3, 2023 12:20:08 GMT
Initially I was looking at the cheaper Wizz flights from Luton but was having lots of issues trying to book on their website. Having given up on Wizz, I finally booked Turkish Airlines from LHR via IST to SZF Samsun. Just so you are aware, we had problems with Whizz last year when flying to Poland & they overbooked the flight to Poznan - apparently they're known for this so be careful about using them. Their website didn't give me any confidence at all. I think they will be a last resort in future, based on my recent experience. They used to be good. |
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Post by gwernybwch on Apr 4, 2023 19:55:42 GMT
manulike swears by WizzAir, but I refuse to fly with them now because they refused to give me a refund for a flight during Covid. Shame really as it looks that they are the airline that has the most flights in and out of Yerevan for the Armenia trip.
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Post by manulike on Apr 4, 2023 21:10:14 GMT
manulike swears by WizzAir, but I refuse to fly with them now because they refused to give me a refund for a flight during Covid. Shame really as it looks that they are the airline that has the most flights in and out of Yerevan for the Armenia trip. Yes. I've been on them about 35-40 times in the last ten years. Can't say that they were any better or worse than EasyJet or RyanAir. One thing that you are almost certain to find on Wizz is that they seem to change their schedules in about 75% of their flights ... Sometimes it worked out great (if you are flexible - like me) but often it can be frustrating and you might then need to refund the flight and buy another one) if you need to catch a connection...
As for Armenia ... Very much looking forward to going back there!
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Post by selsigdeganwy on Apr 5, 2023 13:41:06 GMT
This might be useful. BA Launches Flights To Second Istanbul Airport British Airways |
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Post by cantonwelsh79 on Apr 18, 2023 11:56:42 GMT
Just looking been looking to try and find out a bit about Samsun and the best area to stay. This page was very helpful: www.flypgs.com/en/city-guide/samsun-travel-guide Looks like around Ataturk park is the city centre, but up along the coast is lively in summer. |
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Post by manulike on Apr 18, 2023 12:37:20 GMT
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Post by cantonwelsh79 on Apr 18, 2023 12:53:22 GMT
Cheers. Yes Google maps doesn't even give suggestions for public transport. www.urbanrail.net/as/tr/samsun/samsun.htmThis is the one tram route in the city. Looks like it links everything along that coastal area / city centre up well. And runs to the stadium. |
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Post by manulike on Apr 18, 2023 13:45:51 GMT
Looks like its a 4 lira tram ride to the terminus at Tekkeköy and then a shuttle from there?
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Post by cantonwelsh79 on Apr 18, 2023 14:04:22 GMT
Looks like its a 4 lira tram ride to the terminus at Tekkeköy and then a shuttle from there? 17p! Bit rich for me that! Not sure why it's hazed out on that map, everything I've read says the line runs Uni to the Stadium. Perhaps it's only open match days? Probably be walkable anyway from Tekkekoy. |
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Post by manulike on Apr 22, 2023 17:36:04 GMT
Was looking into MOBILE DATA plans, as I'm getting into the airport around 11pm and prefer not hanggeling with the local sim stalls at the airport at that time of night ... I understand that VODAFONE is the only UK network that allows (at least some of its clients) to roam in Turkey free of charge. lycamobile have a decent £15 package that gives you 5 GB data when roaming in EU and Turkey (either SIM or eSim) - www.lycamobile.co.uk/en/bundle/aloturka-s-eve/If you already have eSim option on your phone (iPhone/Samsung 10 and later / Google Pixel 4 and later etc) then the two main options are: www.airalo.com/turkey-esim - terrible Trustpilot reviews but might be worth the US$6 ... www.keepgo.com/pages/intermet_options_turkey - KEEPGO get rave reviews on Trustpilot and offer 1gb for €5 Anyone use any other World / Traveller / Global SIM options? Either physical or eSim - but that last for a 6/12 months? The physical option of Keepgo is super expensive after the delivery and their poor Global data rate. SurfRoam also offer 1 year validity - but have very poor reviews ;-(
JUST FOR GENERAL REFERENCE ...
Trip Advisor is saying that you can often get 10gb locally and minutes etc for about a fiver (75 lira)... 25gb for a tenner (150 lira).
The "Official" Tourist SIM card promoted by Turkish Vidafone is VERY poor value at £30 for 20gb (valid 30 days, tho).
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Post by bluephill on May 2, 2023 16:19:20 GMT
No sign of tickets for this yet?
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Post by jbt95 on May 3, 2023 17:17:16 GMT
No sign of tickets for this yet? Still nearly 7 weeks away. I would guess another fortnight at least. |
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Post by steveh on May 3, 2023 21:35:07 GMT
Genuine question and not a dig at the FAW, but why do tickets go on sale so late? The venue was announced months ago so why the delay? I'm fine for tickets as ion 8 of 9 last aways but for those sweating on tickets it's not a cheap trip and some won't risk it, booking late is then normally more expensive so a bit unfair.
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Post by jbt95 on May 4, 2023 7:09:48 GMT
Genuine question and not a dig at the FAW, but why do tickets go on sale so late? The venue was announced months ago so why the delay? I'm fine for tickets as ion 8 of 9 last aways but for those sweating on tickets it's not a cheap trip and some won't risk it, booking late is then normally more expensive so a bit unfair. I’m sure they put them on sale at the earliest opportunity. |
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