HowToIstanbul: For Beaches, Parks, and New Adventures

This summer, all I wanted was a beach.

Istanbul was sweaty hot and seemingly devoid of trees or swimmable water and I just wanted to cool off, kick back, float.

I’d been to one of Istanbul’s beaches before—Kilyos. But I didn’t trust myself to find my way back to this secret beach and I didn’t particularly want to go with the big Kilyos crowd. My solution was to flee the city. Izmir, Batumi, the countryside of Serbia and the coast of Montenegro were the places I swam this summer; my Istanbul swimming was limited to a pool on a roof.

If only I’d had HowToIstanbul then! This recently- launched website is comprehensive and lists every beach in Istanbul, from Kilyos to Caddebostan (which is much closer to my neighborhood).

Even now in winter I want to explore these beaches. Off-season and off-weather beaches can be excellent for photographs— as well as the forests and parks that I never knew existed, all lovingly categorized and listed in this website. I love being outside and especially photographing outdoors, and many of these beautiful nooks of nature in this massive city were completely unknown to me!

Information about Istanbul can be surprisingly difficult to find, despite its reputation as a tourist city.  Many websites write about Istanbul, but finding information that is practical and organized can be a challenge, even for expat residents like myself. In the past I’ve found myself dependent on word-of-mouth, or on the knowledge of Turkish friends, or just guessing and hoping my plans work out well.

What I needed was a resource that had all the information I wanted to find, as well as tips that also opened up a world of possibilities. A beautiful website that has all the information I need? Dreamy. Lists of beaches, parks, and forests to explore?

It’s like a menu of adventures, waiting to be had.

This post was sponsored by HowToIstanbul.com. All opinions are my own.