Stopover in Turkey

We are finally going to Malaysia to celebrate HiveFest 2025 with the HiveFest 2025 community. I am traveling with @rivalzzz and @louis88. Our trip started in Brussels. We are headed to Kuala Lumpur. We had to stop in Istanbul on the way. This is going to be a time, with HiveFest 2025.

After you have been traveling for a hours things start to look a bit different to you. Here are some things that stuck with me from our time, in Turkey.

^{pic by @detlev}

The Building

Walking this huge Istanbul Airport (IST) for the first time is for me like a surreal experience. I walk around a like a bit drunken and I do way more stops to look around and wonder if I’d accidentally stumbled onto a sci-fi movie set. The scale is just... hard to describe.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep from our early start, or perhaps the lingering effects of our "BBB" (Belgian Beer & Brothers) evening – but this place felt otherworldly.

It’s huge. I mean, it nut just "another big airport". It’s packed with shops, bars, and endless corridors to discover and walk.

^{pic by @detlev}

The architecture is the real star here. I see myself staring up at the ceiling and sourrounding more than I was looking at my gate info. It’s so high up I thought to myself that I need clean my binoculars to be able to spot the cool details. The design is all about curves and light. Not the typical boring 90 degree corners like all the other airports you see. Everything feels sleek, modern, and honestly, a bit dizzying. They’ve integrated cool Turkish touches like tulip shapes and geometric patterns, but the sheer size of it makes you feel like an ant in a palace.

^{pic by @detlev}

One fair warning: Wear comfortable shoes. Walking my way from the arrival gate to my next flight feels like a mini marathon. Even by using all the moving walkways doesn't make a big change ont that. Nice benefit, my phone’s health app was convinced I’d gone on a serious hike by the time we boarded at the new gate.

Views from the airport

While searching for a quiet corner to actually relax, we passed what felt like miles of duty-free and food stalls.

^{pic by @louis88}

^{pic by @louis88}

^{pic by @louis88}

We eventually made it to our gate, and @louis88 even managed to sneak in a quick nap. Traveling is exhausting work!

^{pic by @detlev with a tired @louis88}

The Facts

I did a bit of internet research because I couldn't believe the huge size of the airport. The logistics are mind-blowing and all is so clean. The airport opened in 2018, but the real "magic trick" happened in April 2019: they moved the entire operation from the old Atatürk Airport to IST in just one single night.

To put the size in perspective:

The terminal alone has the size of 1.4 million square meters which is about 200 football pitches.

The entire site, including all parking and start and landing is roughly the size of Manhattan .

The IST airport currently handles 80 million passengers a year, with plans to reach 100 million soon.

Looking up Wikipedia for that, I found https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_busiest_airports_by_passenger_traffic and made a nice chart out of it.

^{pic by @detlev and my friend Claude.ai who crunshed the number into visuals}

Currently, they are running three runways, which is a lot of pressure on air traffic control, though they plan to eventually open six. It’s the ultimate hub—you can literally point to any continent and find a flight from here.

^{pic by @detlev}

The duty-free area is huge. You could spend a whole week shopping in there and still miss lots of things. It even has a museum, which's pretty cool.

The main base of Turkish Airlines is here now. I have noticed that everything goes through this place. You can get to Europe from here (as I just did from BRU) or to Asia (which is my actual plan) or you can go Africa. Anywhere you want to go. This location is just right for that.

A absolute Rip-off - Food at the airport

You are better not hungry or thirsty at IST Airport. This is the Dark Side and the Great Airport Rip-off

Yes, you read that right – 32 euros. Not lira. Euros. For a

Okay, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: The prices. If you’re planning to eat at IST, bring a second credit card. Istanbul Airport has recently been called the most expensive airport in the world for food and drinks, and I can see why.

Imagine this: a simple Döner might cost you 6-7 Euros in the city. At the airport? You're looking at 32 Euros.

Burger King Meal: ~36.50€

A Beer: almost 20€

A single banana: 7€

It’s wild

The TripAdvisor reviews are absolutely brutal, with travelers warning others to "drown in their own soup" before paying those prices. My advice? Eat a massive meal before you go through security, or pray you have lounge access.

Istanbul Airport was recently labeled the world's most expensive airport when it comes to food and drinks. And this at an airport that's supposed to be a hub connecting three continents.
The reviews on sites like TripAdvisor are correspondingly brutal.

People report "absolute ripoff" and warn other travelers against eating at the airport.

A word of warning to travellers to Istanbul airport. Food prices are extortionately high. I have never ever paid 38 Eur for a hamburger that was nothing but a bun and the patty. Nothing else. And a coke 9 euros! Do not buy anything from this airport and let them drown in their own soup. From TripAdvisor

My Traveller advice? Either eat before security or – if possible – get access to a lounge. Because for 32 euros you could get not just a döner in Istanbul city, but a complete multi-course feast with drinks.

So this beautiful, massive airport has a pretty ugly dark side.
Read more at https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293974-i368-k15437533-Istanbul_airport-Istanbul.html

History

I think it is someway crazy to think that ten years ago, this was just an ambitious plan. The turkish government decided not to fix again the old Atatürk Airport and instead built this new giant from scratch in just 35km north of the city of Istanbul. All the construction started in 2015 and I still remember the news about it. Than by 2019, the "Great Move" happened. This logistical nightmare that somehow worked out.

^{pic by maps-istanbul.com}

Next step

Now, we jump into the next flight and we’ll be in Kuala Lumpur within a few hours. It’s another long leg of the journey, but we all hope for some beer, some food and some sleep. All the excitement for HiveFest 2025 is keeping us going!

^{pic by @detlev}