Istanbul - Post Report Question and Answers
Do you have any other comments?
This is the best city in Europe! Great hub for travel to everywhere in the world. - Jan 2010
Istanbul is def better than Ankara to serve in. Having said that one must be prepared for a very congested, expensive city with minimal diversions for dependents esp if lang is an issue. The Turks, and their red tape, are not easy to deal with and one can expect endless hassles when dealing with tax free issues, or other basic necessities. There is no real community at Post or in the city among expats and frankly the food and the "Bosphorous" gets old real fast. Unless one is a major Turkophile I would skip serving here. It is NOT the Turkey of 20 years ago that everyone talks about. - Jan 2010
Having lived in London and Mexico City, I'd say the culture and liveliness are greater than London's at a much lower price, and the chaos and day-to-day hassles are lower than Mexico City, but at a much higher price. Istanbul sits somewhere between Rome and Cairo geographically, historically, and in terms of size and difficulty of living. It is certainly not for everyone, but I recommend it. - Dec 2009
