Istanbul Through a Local's Eyes: Districts, Cafés and Places Off the Tourist Trail

Most visitors to Istanbul spend their whole trip within a mile of the Blue Mosque, which is a bit like visiting London and never leaving the Tower. The city that sixteen million people actually live in starts at the ferry pier, and it costs less than a pound to get there.

I should say at the start that I am not from Istanbul. What follows comes from repeat visits in different seasons, and from asking people who live here where they go on a day off. The answers were rarely about palaces. They were about which side of the water to have breakfast on, and they were remarkably consistent.

Think in ferries, not trams

A resident's Istanbul is organised around the Bosphorus. Ferries run from Eminönü, Karaköy and Beşiktaş on the European side to Kadıköy and Üsküdar on the Asian side, taking about 20 minutes. People commute this way, feed the gulls and drink tea from the on-board vendor. Buy a rechargeable transport card from a machine at any big stop, which works on ferries, trams, metro and buses. A ride comes to well under £1 at the time of writing, and it is some of the best value sightseeing in Europe.

For a longer trip, the public ferry line runs up the Bosphorus to Anadolu Kavağı, near the Black Sea, which takes about 90 minutes each way with a long lunch stop. It usually runs once or twice a day, so check the timetable the day before. Skip the touts selling private boat tours at Eminönü unless you want a commentary.

The districts worth your time

Kadıköy and Moda

If you have only one day away from the sights, spend it here. The market lanes behind the pier sell pickles, fish, spices and coffee to people who are doing their actual weekly shop, and prices tend to be fairer than at the Spice Bazaar. Then walk 15 or 20 minutes south to Moda, where the streets fill with independent coffee shops and record stores. Finish at the tea garden above the sea, or with a takeaway on the shoreline rocks at sunset, as half the neighbourhood does.

Balat and Fener

These two old quarters on the Golden Horn are home to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the iron Bulgarian church of St Stephen and some very steep streets of painted houses. Balat has become popular for photo shoots, and some residents understandably tire of it, so do not point your camera through anyone's window or at their washing. Come on a weekday morning, have a coffee in one of the small places near the top of the hill, and walk on to Chora, now the Kariye Mosque, at Edirnekapı if your legs are willing.

Üsküdar and Kuzguncuk

Üsküdar's waterfront is a good place to look back at the old city at dusk. A short bus ride or 30-minute shoreline walk north is Kuzguncuk, a former village where a synagogue, Greek and Armenian churches and a mosque sit within a few streets of each other. There is a community vegetable garden in the middle and wooden houses along the main street. There is very little to do here, and that is rather the idea.

Beşiktaş and the upper Bosphorus

Weekends in Beşiktaş start with breakfast. Look for the street of breakfast places just behind the market, where a full Turkish spread of cheeses, olives, eggs, honey and bottomless tea can arrive for the table. Allow around £8 to £15 a head and do not plan to do much for the following hour. Walk it off through Yıldız Park, or take a bus up the shore through Arnavutköy and Bebek to Rumeli Fortress and Emirgan Park. The park is at its best in April, when the city's tulips are out.

Cafés and tea gardens: the local habit

Coffee and tea do different jobs here. Tea is an all-day social event, served in small tulip glasses, and it often costs well under £1 in a neighbourhood tea garden. Turkish coffee is an occasion, served after a meal with a glass of water and something sweet. Modern speciality coffee is now everywhere in Moda, Cihangir and Karaköy, usually at prices much closer to London's.

The city that sixteen million people actually live in starts at the ferry pier, and it costs less than a pound to get there.

• Tea gardens: pick the plain ones with plastic chairs, a view and someone doing the rounds with a tray. The ones along the shore at Çengelköy and on the hill at Pierre Loti above Eyüp are both popular, the latter by cable car.
• Simit: the sesame bread ring from a street cart is the perfect ferry breakfast and costs little. Feeding the crust to the gulls off the stern is optional and very much encouraged.
• Meyhane evenings: a long meal of small plates and raki with friends. Prices vary wildly, so check for a menu with prices before you sit down, especially around Nevizade and İstiklal.

The big sights: keep them, but shrink them

You should still see Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and most people want to. Give them one early morning. Foreign visitors now pay a substantial fee at Hagia Sophia, roughly £20 or more, and are limited to the upper gallery. The Blue Mosque is free, but avoid prayer times. Women will need a headscarf and everyone will need covered legs. Then, for a far less crowded view of what those mosques are about, go to the Süleymaniye Mosque on its hilltop, and walk around the back of the terrace for the city view.

• Shrink: the Grand Bazaar. Worth an hour for the buildings, but you will find fairer prices elsewhere. Our guide to avoiding tourist traps covers the patter and the dropped shoe-brush trick.
• Skip: the queue for Galata Tower, which is expensive. Look at it from the street, then walk down the hill to Karaköy.
• Skip: İstiklal Avenue at peak times. It is crowded, chain-heavy and mostly the same from end to end, so use it to reach somewhere else.

When to go, and what to know

April, May, September and October are ideal, with mild days and comfortable ferry decks. July and August are hot and humid, while winter is cold, wet and quiet, with cheap rooms and a beauty of its own if you are prepared to be rained on. During Ramadan, restaurants generally stay open in the main districts, and the evenings have a lovely atmosphere. Just be discreet about eating in the street during the day in more conservative neighbourhoods.

Turkey's prices have risen fast, so any figure in lira goes out of date quickly, and Istanbul is no longer the bargain it once was. Budget about £70 to £110 a day per person for a mid-range double, food and transport, and pay in lira rather than pounds or euros. UK visitors can currently come for short stays without a visa, though passport-validity rules are stricter than you might expect, so check GOV.UK when you book. Three or four nights is a good length, and it pairs well with our thoughts on going more slowly, as well as a city without a plan, which could have been written about Kadıköy.