One of the most practical things in Turkey is TAXI services: the most practical thing undoubtedly in Istanbul and in many cities across the country is the taxi (taksi in Turkish), it is impossible to wait for one for more than 5 minutes, it is an incredible chance in a big city to simply have to raise your hand, so that the taxi stops and goes where you want it to go without the driver grumbling, but usually it happens. Taxi is one of the most practical things in Istanbul.
Taxis are very numerous for our greatest joy, at the exit of a restaurant, a cinema, a theater, a nightclub, a hospital … they are really everywhere, even sometimes where we expect them the least. They are recognizable by their yellow color and recently new blue taxis became popular, these are the most comfortable ones.
Each taxi has a taximeter which starts at 5 tl but if you make a trip less expensive than 5 tl you have to pay 15 tl (this is a minimum price for taxis in Istanbul, if you go through the bridge from Asia to Europe or conversely, be ready to pay an extra 10 tl for the bridge.
The ISTANBULKART master card: the Istanbulkart transport card is really very practical, it is used in a lot of public transport (boat, metro, bus, tram, Marmaray, funicular, metrobus) but not only, italso comes in handy if you want to use a public toilet in subways and outside.Just top it up as you go out, nothing could be simpler, it is availlable in several languages such as English, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Arabic …
Toilets: who has not looked in vain for public toilets in a city? in Istanbul and in many cities of Turkey, there are public toilets everywhere in the metro stations, near the piers, in the streets, the mosques, the Grand Bazaar, the spice market, the parks, the stations service, supermarkets.
That is a real joy! Often very clean with a lady or gentleman at the entrance who will take the payment, give you paper (AllTourstoTurkey advises to always have a pack of kleenex when traveling through Turkey, there are no paper everywhere in the most distant places, especially at the countryside). You can pay 1 or 2 tl with your Istanbulkart, it is very practical and useful. Thank you Turkey!
Home delivery and service: in Turkey, everyone delivers, out of an obligation to remain within the margin of trade, anyone who does not deliver cannot work. From the pharmacy, to the butcher, the bakery, the supermarkets, the restaurants, the fast food restaurants… the service is excellent, fast and so convenient. Many online applications exist for meal deliveries, the best known of which is Yemeksepeti. The hairdresser, the beautician, the groomer, the veterinarian … come to your home, in one click you are served! This is a very developed sphere here, totally of of the most practical things in Turkey!
The health protocol: during your first visit to the hospital, the medical secretary will take your handprint, so that you no longer have to provide your additional health or insurance. With a simple identity card, your entire medical file will be visible.
All of your medical history, what doctors you’ve been to, what treatments you’ve had, blood, x-ray, any hospital results are all legible. No more, I forgot my X-rays, I can’t remember what medicine I took, how long ago, everything is there.
So convenient and quick to diagnose for a doctor who has to act urgently! No more prescriptions, the doctor will ask you which pharmacy you are going to take your medicines from, he will give you a number, which you will have to give to the pharmacist who will have already prepared everything, with the labels stuck on each medicine to tell you the prescription to follow.
The vast majority of hospitals, even the public ones, have all machines in all departments. They don’t require you to go to another hospital for an examination. Well equipped hospitals are among practical things in Istanbul.
The diversity of public transport: what a joy to be able to move where you want, however you want in a big city. Istanbul has a very practical and useful public transport scheme: The metro / The boat / The tram / The dolmush (yellow collective seated minibus) / the minibus (blue collective bus, standing and seated) / the metrobus (bus on private route to avoid traffic jams) / the funicular / the bus / the coach (to go to other cities) / the shuttle (collective bus for airport transfers) / the transfer (collective mini van of the coach companies) without counting the taxis, the water taxis, the helicopter taxis. A pleasure to be able to travel everywhere by transport, the mayors of large cities take seriously the fluidity of public transport in the region.