Turkey, Istanbul: A Great Place for Kids

Istanbul is a city that sits on two different continents. An inner waterway called The Bosphorus runs between Asia and Europe, dividing the city in half. Istanbul is full of history and culture, and the magnificent architecture of the palaces, museums and mosques will mesmerize the kids.

Our illustrious Istanbul Mombassador Elif Dogan is the creator and author of Blogcu Anne, one of Turkey’s most popular blogs on motherhood and women’s issues. Elif is also the creator of a social movement which aims to raise awareness on the importance of breastfeeding in Turkey. Born and raised in Turkey, Elif spent in 10 years in the United States and now lives in Istanbul with her high school sweetheart and their two boys.

Getting to Istanbul:

Istanbul in its strategic location in Asia and Europe is easily accessible via direct flight from many cities in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Most airlines fly into Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IATA: IST) from where you can take a cab, express bus or metro into the city. Citizens of many countries, including the US and some European nations need to purchase visas upon arrival. You can also access Istanbul by train and boat from Europe and Asia.

Getting Around Istanbul:

Traffic is a big problem in Istanbul. People are quite tense when it comes to traffic, and putting children in car seats was just recently legalized. In general, it is not surprising to see children sitting freely in the back seat (or sometimes in the front seat) of a moving car. Public transportation might be the safest alternative when it comes to travelling with the kids, since taxis and most car rental companies do not offer car seats.

Fun Things for Kids in Istanbul:

ANATOLIAN SIDE:

• İstanbul Toy Museum
• Hidiv Kasrı and other historical mansions (Unfortunately the web site is in Turkish).
• Maiden Tower: Erected during the ancient age and constructed by renovations from the ages of the Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman Empire, Maiden’s Tower sits in the middle of the Bosphorus and serves as as a café – restaurant during the day time, a special restaurant in the evenings.
• Princess islands – A mere 20 minute ferry ride from the Anatolian side, the Princess islands are a popular daytrip destination from İstanbul during the summer nights. Kids especially enjoy the carriage rides, as motorized traffic is not allowed on the islands.

EUROPEAN SIDE:

• Rahmi M. Koç Museum - Strollers are provided for visitors
• Miniatürk - The miniature park of Istanbul. The park contains 120 models of historical buildings and structures, 57 of the which are from Istanbul, 51 are from Anatolia, and 12 are from the Ottoman territories that today lie outside of Turkey.
• Topkapı Palace- Residence of the Ottoman sultans, the palace is a must-see for those who want to learn more about the Ottoman culture.
• Istanbul Archeological Museums -Located in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet neighborhood, it operates three different museums under one administration: The Archaeological Museum, the Ancient Orient Museum (Eski Şark Eserleri Müzesi) and Tiled Kiosk Museum (Çinili Köşk Müzesi).
• Galata Tower – One of the oldest and most important towers of the world, Galata Tower offers the panoramic view of Istanbul from its cafes and restaurants open from 9 am to 12 am.
• Pera Museum – Located in Tepebaşı, the Pera Museum is an historical structure which was renovated in 2005 and now serves as a museum and cultural center.
• Santral Istanbul – An international platform for arts, culture and learning, inspired by a comprehensive, multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary vision which promotes urban regeneration. Located on the Golden Horn, santralistanbul organizes science, arts, technology and cultural workshops for children, teenagers and adults within santralatölye.
• İstanbul Modern- Founded in 2004, İstanbul Modern was the first private museum to organize modern and contemporary art exhibitions in Turkey and it occupies a large site on the shores of the Bosphorus, encompassing 8,000 square meters. The Museum offers a wide array of services including permanent and temporary exhibition galleries, photography gallery, library, cinema center, restaurant and a design store. In addition, the Museum also offers video, educational and social programs.
• Harbiye MilitaryMuseum – English website is not available. Strollers are checked in at the reception
• Topkapı Sarayı – The residence of the Otoman Sultans, as well as the administrative and educational center of the state, the Topkapı Palace was constructed between 1460 and 1478. The palace consists of an imperial gate, four courtyards and the Harem, which is ticketed separately. An online brochure is available at http://www.topkapisarayi.gov.tr/pdf/brosur.pdf. Strollers are not allowed indoors.

PARKS TO VISIT:

• Yıldız Parkı in Beşiktaş
• Bebek Parkı in Bebek
• Emirgan Korusu in Emirgan

Dining with Kids:

Most of the following restaurants in Turkey offer a kids menu. Some of them have playgrounds or even indoor play areas with on-site sitters.

ANATOLIAN SIDE:

• Develi Kebap
• Pinhan Restaurant
• Kırıntı – Bağdat Avenue, Moda, Bebek, Nişantaşı
• Sahan -Ataşehir, Caddebostan ve Suadiye
• Yenisahra Adana Dostlar Kebapçısı – 0 – 216 – 472 90 93
• Zuzu Café– Bağdat Caddesi, Bostancı A café specially designed for families with children. Parents can enjoy their coffee or meal while kids are supervised in the play area separated by a glass window.
• NUM NUM – Meydan, Astoria, Bağdat Avenue

EUROPEAN SIDE:

• Kırıntı – Bağdat Avenue, Moda, Bebek, Nişantaşı
• NUM NUM – Kanyon, Maçka, Astoria

Shopping with Kids:

• Bağdat Avenue – Located on the Anatolian side, this is a 14 km. street that runs parallel to the coastline of the Sea of Marmara. The part that runs between Bostancı and Kızıltoprak is a popular place for shopping
• Forum İstanbul, Bayrampaşa – Forum Istanbul, located in Istanbul Bayrampaşa on a total construction area of 495.000 square meters, is both Turkey’s and Europe’s biggest shopping and life center along with its 175.000 square meters of rentable area and its 265 brands, national and international. Forum Istanbul hosts Turkuazoo, a giant aquarium sized 8.000 square meters. At Forum Istanbul, which aims to make difference through its customer services, many details were contemplated in order to ensure the comfort of the families with children and to enable them to spend a pleasant day. There are 8 Family Rooms in Forum Istanbul. In family rooms all kinds of means are offered from milk heating units to diaper places and special toilets for children. In a total of 7 Baby Care Rooms which will render service between 9 AM and 10 PM, there are machines where parents may obtain diapers. Furthermore, in Forum Istanbul, there are approximately 20 baby strollers and also strollers designed for twins. Disabled and pregnant visitors of Forum Istanbul will be able to use the parking lots allocated for them through calling a special phone line.
• Town Center – Located in Bakırköy, this shopping mall has a whole floor dedicated as a children’s activity area
• Cevahir Mall – This shopping mall hosts the Atlantis Entertainment Center for kids.

Children’s Bookstores:

ANATOLIAN SIDE:

İyi Cüceler – Caddebostan

EUROPEAN SIDE:

General Travel Tips for Kids in Istanbul:

People in Istanbul are friendly and loving towards little children. However, the “personal space” concept is very different from that of western cultures where people stand a few feet behind when, for example, waiting in line for the ATM. In Turkey, the personal space is very limited, so don’t be surprised if people get close to you while waiting for something or on the bus. They are used to being close to strangers and it’s nothing personal.

People also tend to offer food to children, so be on the lookout if your child is allergic to anything. He or she might be offered biscuits, fruit or anything else that people think kids like, without considering that it might be harmful.

Turkish to English Translations of Important Words:

Doctor: DOKTOR
Emergency: ACİL
Taxi: TAKSİ
Bathroom: TUVALET

Medical Care in Istanbul:

There are many private hospitals across the city; most with pediatricians around the clock. Acıbadem Maslak and Acıbadem Fulya on the European side, and Kadıköy Şifa on the Asian side are just to name a few.

Klinilk in Ulus (European) is a children’s health clinic that is open 24 hours.

How Kid-Friendly is Istanbul?

In general, the streets of İstanbul are not the most suitable when it comes to strolling around with kids. Most sidewalks don’t have ramps for strollers to climb up or down. On some streets sidewalks are very narrow or sometimes don’t even exist. Similarly, some historic places and museums do not allows strollers indoors so make sure you bring baby carriers with you. That being said, Turkish people are very friendly and are always willing to help. It is not surprising to see strangers helping moms lift their strollers on to the bus.

There are lots of things to do with kids, but accessibility is an issue. The city has many parks, museums that cater to children of different ages and shopping malls. Public transportation does exist but is not the most luxurious, and taxi rides can be expensive for those malls that are a little outside the city.