Top 5 Most Popular Activities to Shoot in Istanbul

 

Istanbul is one of the world’s most fascinating megacities. The bridge between Europe and Asia. It stretches across two-continents, its culture a rich mix of East and West. With over 15 million inhabitants, Istanbul is a sprawling, evolving and vibrant place to come and film. 

At MA Productions, we’ve facilitated over 50 shoots in this beloved city we call home. 

BBC, Civilisations (2016). 

Mary Beard at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

 

We have been lucky enough to work with some of TV’s most popular presenters: 

 

With each programme’s producer looking for their own unique angle, we have always been encouraged to find diverse and exciting activities for the presenters to immerse themselves in. 

Yet, of the hundreds of Istanbul activities we’ve set up for shoots, some are just so popular that international audiences can’t get enough of them. Crews keep coming back for more!  

TG4, Bothar Buck. (2016) 

Famous Irish musician Rossa Ó Snodaigh presents a travel show in Istanbul. 

 

What are the Top 5 most popular activities shot for TV in Istanbul?

  1. Getting a Shave at a Turkish Barber

Oh yes! This is a classic experience every man with stubble should add to their Istanbul agenda. A trip to the barbers is a Turkish man’s spa treatment complete with a slice of local gossip and a cup of tea. There are countless traditional barber shops scattered across Istanbul, most of their interior design still dating back to the 80s. Good neighbourhoods to find these traditional barbers are Balat, Pera, Fatih and the Old City. Generally, these snug little shops have 2-3 seats often run by an old barber dressed in a white doctor’s coat modelling an impressive moustache of his own. ‘The shave’ is a very popular TV experience for male presenters visiting Istanbul. The presenter may be the only one that gives it a try on screen, but usually all the men in the crew will go back for a shave in their free time, returning with shiny smooth cheeks, shaved, waxed and massaged! 

Soccerbible x adidas, Branded Content (2020). 

A recce photo of a local barbers shop in Fatih, Istanbul. 

 

  1. Making Baklava at the famous Güllüoğlu factory in Karaköy

Baklava is often regarded as one of the most scrumptious delicacies in Turkish cuisine. With its paper thin ‘crisp’ pastry and multiple layers of walnuts or pistachios drizzled in sweet syrup, it is immensely popular with the flocks of tourists visiting Istanbul. Making baklava takes years of experience to master and so it is the perfect challenge for international chefs to attempt while visiting Turkey. The process is so intricate and complicated that we even filmed an episode of the Discovery Channel series How Do They Do It? at the Güllüoğlu baklava factory in Istanbul.

Discovery Channel, How Do They Do It? (2016).

A pastry chef thinning a layer of baklava dough at Karaköy Güllüoğlu. 

 

  1. Bartering for an Anatolian rug at the Grand Bazaar 

The Grand Bazaar is one of the most filmed locations in Istanbul. It is an historic location that reflects the vibrancy and the oriental character of the city all under one roof. Although it is the most popular, it certainly is not the cheapest place to film. The Bazaar Association has an hourly filming fee depending on the area you want to film in the Bazaar and the time of day. It is vital we speak to individual shop owners in advance about filming in their shops so we can work out how long you plan to spend on location. We have filmed at the Bazaar so many times, we have great contacts there, carpet dealers, jewellers, artisans, antique dealers as well as the best workman’s cafes when you’re ready for a quick bite. 

Travel Channel, Rev Runs Around the World (2015).  

Reverend Run barters for a rug at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul’s old city. 

 

  1. Visiting a Turkish Bath for the Scrub of Your Life

Istanbul is home to some of the most beautiful and historic Turkish baths in the world. A Turkish bath or hammam is a wet steam bath experience dating back to the Ottoman Empire. A trip to the local hammam is the perfect way of travelling back in time during a visit to this megacity. Once inside, you get a clear sense of what it must have been like back in the 16th Century. You sweat and rinse your body before you are vigorously scrubbed to remove all your dead skin, which can be a very funny experience on screen, especially as men’s hammam experiences are infamously rough, with a lot of hard slaps thrown in by the “tellak” (hammam masseur). The steam can be tricky for camera lenses and so we advise crews to bring a spare camera in order to carry on filming straight after the hammam segment is shot. For a hefty fee, Istanbul’s Aya Sofya Hürrem Sultan Hammam allows filming outside of working hours. It is a newly renovated building worthy of Ottoman sultans and well worth the unique experience. There are of course a variety of hammams available to shoot in – some cater to a much more local crowd and some offer something ‘new’ by allowing mixed genders in at the same time. 

E4, Made In Chelsea (2019). 

Harry Barron and Melissa Tattam enjoying a Turkish bath in Istanbul.

 

  1. Crossing Between Europe and Asia: A Trip on the Bosphorus

This is the Istanbul experience we will never stop filming! The Bosphorus is always a winner on screen. Nowadays, you can travel between the two continents by driving along the bridges. But, before 1973 when the first bridge was built, the only way of crossing was by sea. Today, you can still cross by ferry, car ferry and fishing boat. These nostalgic forms of travel are still essential means of transport for millions of Istanbulites who live and work between Europe and Asia. 

 

The iconic old ferries travel between a variety of city ports on the Bosphorus every 30 minutes. 

 

The classic white and yellow passenger ferries are by far the favourite aesthetic for productions that can afford to pay the hourly filming fee. 

Every shoot on the Bosphorus is unique. Be it at sunrise, sunset or the hazy mid afternoon, there are magical GVs and details to be captured at any time of day. The iconic Bosphorus bridges, the waterfronts scattered with Ottoman palaces and modern megastructures, the tiny fishing boats bobbing back and forth in the wake of immense tankers.  The views of the European side and the Old City are exceptional at sunset, a beautiful backdrop to a travel sequence. 

Channel 5, Eight Days That Made Rome (2017). 

Bettany Hughes on the deck of a Bosphorus car ferry with the Maiden’s Tower in the background.  

 

How Best to Film a Ferry Crossing

  • By drone from the air. We can arrange all necessary permits to fly a drone alongside a ferry boat as it leaves the old port of Sirkeci on its way to the Asian port of Kadıköy. Looking back from this aerial view you see the Golden Horn stretching out behind the port with Suleymaniye Mosque towering over the Old City on the left and the Galata Tower on the right. The view that unfolds in front of you is unforgettable. 

 

  • From the Galata Bridge. A distant view of the presenter boarding the boat from the Sirkeci port can be shot from Galata Bridge. 

 

  • Filming on the boat.  With the right permits, your crew can board the ferry for a round trip from Europe to Asia (approx. 1 hour). Capture dynamic shots at sunset as the boat pulls away from the Old City with Topkapı Palace in the background. This well known money shot is a popular way to end an Istanbul shoot! 

 

Marmaray Tunnel

The newest way to cross the Bosphorus is by train via the Marmaray Tunnel. The deepest immersed tube tunnel in the world, this incredible feat of engineering runs beneath the Bosphorus enabling people to get from Europe to Asia in under 5 minutes. We have filmed in the Marmaray Tunnel many times in recent years, mostly for engineering programmes. In 2019, we took railways enthusiast presenter Chris Tarrant down for a trip across the continents alongside the Marmaray train driver for Channel 5’s Chris Tarrant’s Extreme Railway Journeys. 

These are the most popular Istanbul activities presented on TV. If you are after an “off the beaten track” version of this itinerary, we have all kinds of Istanbul experiences up our sleeves. There is nothing we enjoy more than an opportunity to scout for new activities and adventures!