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Istanbul & patient travel

Transfers, hotels, visas, what to pack and how to spend the days between appointments — the practical half of treatment abroad.

30 articles
Istanbul & travel

The Grand Bazaar: a patient guide to going and getting out

Four thousand shops, no air conditioning and a lot of elbows — here is when it is safe to go after surgery, and how the bargaining actually works.

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Istanbul & travel

Turkish hammam after surgery: when each procedure is cleared

Forty-five degrees, an abrasive scrub and a pressure massage — here are the waiting periods we give for dental, hair, nose, body and bariatric patients.

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Istanbul & travel

Istanbul pharmacies: prescriptions, night duty and what to bring

Antibiotics need a prescription, every district keeps one pharmacy open all night, and brand names do not travel — what to bring and what to buy here.

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Istanbul & travel

Travel insurance for a medical trip: what it will not cover

Almost every standard policy excludes planned treatment abroad and its complications — here is what to buy instead, and what our own warranty covers.

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Istanbul & travel

Istanbul for your companion: the hours while you are in surgery

A hair transplant is six to eight hours. Here is what your companion can reach from Sisli, and the three jobs that make them genuinely useful.

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Istanbul & travel

Istanbul with reduced mobility: an honest accessibility report

Cobbles, missing kerbs and steep side streets are real — but the metro, Marmaray and the ferries work, and here is exactly what we arrange for you.

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Istanbul & travel

Istanbul weather by season — and what healing skin needs

Thirty-four degrees in August, five in January — each season changes what your dressing, your scar and your compression garment have to cope with.

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Istanbul & travel

SIM cards, wifi and paying by card in Istanbul: a setup guide

A tourist SIM costs 20 to 30 euro and starts a 120-day handset clock; an eSIM costs a few euro and does not. Plus how treatment payments should look.

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Istanbul & travel

The Turkish breakfast, decoded: what to eat while you heal

Twenty small plates, plenty of bread and less protein than it looks — how to eat it after dental work, and why a sleeve patient eats almost none of it.

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Istanbul & travel

Beyond Istanbul: day trips worth saving for your second visit

Buyukada fits around a first trip; the thermal baths of Bursa and a Cappadocia balloon do not — the medical reasons, and the timing that actually works.

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Istanbul & travel

Medical tourism in Turkey: a practical guide for 2026

Two million patients a year cannot all be wrong — but the gap between the best and worst clinics here is wider than anywhere in Europe.

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Istanbul & travel

Three days in Istanbul between appointments

A realistic itinerary for patients — short distances, low effort, and nothing that involves climbing.

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Istanbul & travel

Istanbul's two airports: which one to fly into

IST is bigger and better connected; SAW is often cheaper and closer for some hotels. Transfer time is the real difference.

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Istanbul & travel

The best time of year to come for treatment

April–June and September–November: mild weather, comfortable recovery and easier flights. July is the one to avoid.

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Istanbul & travel

What to pack for a medical trip to Istanbul

Front-buttoning clothes, your medication list, and one thing most people forget: a copy of your medical history in English.

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Istanbul & travel

Visas, documents and entry rules for medical visitors

Most European citizens enter visa-free for 90 days. The document that actually matters is a passport with six months of validity.

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Istanbul & travel

Hagia Sophia: what to know before you go

Fifteen centuries of history, an active mosque, and a visit that takes an hour if you time it right.

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Istanbul & travel

The Bosphorus: the best value hour in Istanbul

A public ferry costs less than a coffee and shows you more of the city than any tour bus.

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Istanbul & travel

What to eat in Istanbul when you have just had surgery

Turkish cuisine is unusually well suited to post-operative eating — soft, warm, protein-rich and rarely spicy.

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Istanbul & travel

Where to stay: choosing a hotel near the clinic

Şişli, Nişantaşı and Levent all work. Sultanahmet looks romantic and adds an hour of traffic to every appointment.

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Istanbul & travel

Will language be a problem? How translation actually works

A translator in the room is not a luxury — consent, symptoms and aftercare all depend on being understood precisely.

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Istanbul & travel

Your first consultation: what happens and what to ask

Bring photographs, medication lists and questions written down — the ones you forget are always the ones that mattered.

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Istanbul & travel

Paying for treatment abroad safely

Card payments to a company account, an itemised invoice, and never a large cash deposit to a personal account.

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Istanbul & travel

Aftercare once you are home: who to call and when

The moment you land is not the end of treatment. Here is the schedule and the list of symptoms that should never wait.

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Istanbul & travel

Should you bring someone with you?

Not medically necessary for most procedures — but the first 48 hours are considerably easier with company.

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Istanbul & travel

Smoking and alcohol before surgery: the rules and the reasons

Two weeks without nicotine changes wound healing measurably. It is the single most effective thing a patient can do.

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Istanbul & travel

Can you combine treatment with a real holiday?

Sometimes — but the order matters. Holiday first, treatment second, and never the reverse.

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Istanbul & travel

Why patients choose Swedish Clinic — and when they should not

We are not the cheapest and we say no more often than most. Here is exactly who we are the right choice for.

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Istanbul & travel

Getting around Istanbul: taxis, metro and what to avoid

Use the apps, carry an Istanbulkart, and understand that distance on a map has almost no relationship to travel time.

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Istanbul & travel

Your medical records and privacy as an international patient

You are entitled to copies of everything, and to refuse the use of your photographs in marketing. Both should be in writing.

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