What It’s Like to Visit Istanbul Now
Pack your mask, get your HES code, and the rest might feel like business as usual.
Ortakoy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge at sunrise.
Photographer: Givaga/iStockphotoCagan Koc is an economy and government reporter based in Bloomberg’s Istanbul bureau.
Hectic traffic, street sellers hustling with persuasive hand gestures, passersby crowding in front of colorful shops. If it weren’t for the fact that outdoor mask mandates are still in place, you’d be forgiven for thinking Istanbul was back to pre-pandemic normalcy—with all the tourists who come with it.