While most of the tourists that visit Istanbul prefer the busy summer months, the city has many treasures to offer to winter travelers. The months between December and March are the times when this beautiful city puts on its gray and white coats and cloudy skies and low light dim its famous silhouette. Still, the city loses nothing of its beauty and to witness an Istanbul view totally covered in snow will be one of the most unforgettable sights you have seen. The temperatures can sometimes drop below zero and its hills may be covered in ice, but still there will be many things to do around the city that will make your visit pleasant and rewarding. Here are a few tips that will make you consider a winter trip to a less touristic Istanbul. Who knows? Once you have seen it during off-season, you may fall in love with it even more and actually start considering to buy an Istanbul property to live here all-year-round.

A White Silhouette and the Bosphorus

January is the month, when you’re most likely to see snowfall in Istanbul. As soon as the skies clear and sun comes out after a heavy snowfall, head over to the Galata Tower or Ortaköy and be prepared to be amazed by the winter silhouette of Istanbul and the Bosphorus, with tree covered hills and minarets adorned in majestic white.

The Best Time for Eating Fish 

Winter is also one of the best periods to taste the fresh and daily catches of fish from the Bosphorus, the Marmara and the Black Sea. To try anything from anchovies (hamsi) to blue fish (lüfer), we recommend one of the fancy fish restaurants near the Bosphorus. While enjoying your fish in one of these restaurants, you can also admire the winter view of the Bosphorus, with its historical mansions covered in snow. It is the kind of view and experience that will make you seriously consider buying real estate in Istanbul.

Drink Salep and Boza

Winter is also the best time to taste two traditional, non-alcoholic Ottoman drinks. Salep is made with orchid tubers, hot milk and cinnamon. You can find salep at street vendors carrying Ottoman-style large copper pitchers or pretty much any patisserie in the city. Boza is made from seasonal cereals like millet, wheat, sugar, yogurt ferments and vanilla. The best boza is found in the Vefa district in Fatih at a historical shop called the Vefa Bozacisi. Another way to try boza is one of the numerous street vendors yelling “Bozaaaa” as they walk past your street during nighttime.

Hammams

What better way to escape the winter cold than get yourself a warm and relaxing hammam treatment at one of Istanbul’s many traditional Turkish baths or hammams? Try the Kılıç Ali Paşa Istanbul Hammam in Tophane, close to Karaköy, where everyone is rushing to grab a piece of Turkish property in the area. Or alternatively aim for the Galatasaray hammam located in Taksim. With its proximity to the historical Pera neighbourhood and Cihangir, you will also have the unique opportunity to explore opportunities for real estate investment in Istanbul.

Shopping

Most tourists may not be aware of this, but the real shopping extravaganza in the city happens in winter. Starting around New Year’s, most brands and products start slashing their prices in half and the discount sales go on until early spring. This is also a great time to shop for an authentic leather jacket or coat. For this, head over to the Grand Bazaar. For everything else, we recommend one of many outlets in Istanbul. These mega centers of shopping offer anything and everything up to 90% discounted prices. They are also new attraction centers with residential projects to invest in real estate in Istanbul.