Better Shopping Outside of Istanbul

My previous article was missing one thing: getting around by bus outside of Istanbul. Well, this article addresses that as well as the central gem of Turkiye (Turkey) for the modern traveller. The following is based on our trip there in September 2024 with the aim to help future travellers...navigate.

Traveling by Intercity Bus

There are quite a number of bus companies to choose from in Turkiye and they all struck me as fairly nice and standard when we got there. We opted for Flixbus. That didn't mean we got a Flixbus bus, though. Pay attention to the actual operator of a given route (fine print on your ticket) so that you know what gate to go to at the bus station (otogar)!!

In terms of amenities, let it be known that all the bus stations we stopped at in Turkiye only had squat toilets! So, we kept our travel legs to three hours or less, which made it enjoyable with the tiny pre-packaged snacks offered by bus companies. (Best to stock up at a bus station (otogar).)

There's better shopping...

In the commercial hub of Turkiye you will find everything in Istanbul and then some because it was and still is the center of influx of goods from across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. It was where the silk road began to fan out across Turkey and beyond. Plus, you don't have to pay tourist prices demanded in Istanbul! Yes, this city feeds the markets of Istanbul.

While there were no actual flying carpets, had we not bought our carpets in a nearby city, we would have most likely bought ours at Nomad Carpets. The proprietor is a very approachable man who speaks English peppered with delightful cultural references, whether you hail from the UK or North America.

But this city offers so much more than a bazaar. It is not overly touristy, but is easy to get around. We used tram, taxi, and our own feet. In fact, the tramway can take you and your luggage (so long as it has wheels or shoulder straps) straight to the part of downtown with the main attractions with relative ease. That is also the part of town I recommend staying in a hotel of your choice.

You will know you are close to your hotel, Rumi's tomb, the bazaar and other places of interest when you pass by Central Hill Park on the tram. We even walked around that hill, which was very pleasant and not loud, which I wrongly thought it would be.

One thing I recommend in this city, Konya, is seeing the Whirling Dervish one-hour ceremony. Be sure to book in advance, which is easy if you are seeing Rumi's tomb. That ceremony will outline a lot of their basic tenants and their meanings in a very artful way.

What makes Konya even more enticing is a variety of intercity travel options. First up, plane tickets tended to be cheaper to/from Konya (at least in early autumn 2024). What's more, the airport is nice and quiet with just a few gates and only one sandwich-y type place, but that is located BEFORE you pass security. The eatery inside by the gates has very little and the only way out of the part of the airport where you wait by the gate is to get on the airplane! (The outdoor airplane museum next to the airport might be nice in summer, but it was closed the entire time we were there. Be prepared for lots of outdoor walking if you go.)

Finally, you can get to a number of destinations by bus from Konya in only a few hours (so you don't have to hold it in for long). To find out where else we went to, check out other articles I have published about this trip, other trips, or other topics, by bookmarking this page. Or, you can subscribe for free below to become notified right when I publish more articles and to see what else in life has caught my eye.