I´m thinking of couchsurfing the next time I´ll go to Istanbul (no, no dates set, no need for jealousy )

But.... when I seach for potential hosts I see areas I´ve never heard of. I know these areas: Beyoglu, Fatih, Kadikoy, Uskudar, Buyukada and Eyup (I know more but those, like Sultanahmet, Galata or Taksim or not listed).

My question is: Where are the next areas? I don´t mind travelling by tram, bus or subway, I will by an akbil but just 3 hours or so for a one-way trip seems a little too much for getting into town. Who can tell me?

Zeytinburnu - Umraniye - Silivri - Kucukcehmece - Heybeliada - Esenler - Buyukcekmece - Burgazada - Bakirkoy - Besiktas - Kartal - Maltepe - Sariyer - Cekmekoy - Beykoz - Sisli - Tuzla - Adalar - Avcilar - Bagcilar - Bayrampasa - Pendik - Kinaliada

Silvri - is on the coast on the European side of Istanbul but a long way out

Kucukcehmece - out beyond the airport

Umraniye - Asian side, industrial I believe

Besiktas - Close to the Dolmanche Palace and has a football team and towards the Bosphorus Bridge

But I think you can google them and find those places, or even look on google earth to give you an idea.

 I did Google, but I got so many hits I got dizzy of it! And Google Earth? Sorry, it never works out for me, I therefor deleted it, I´m too blond I guess

 at first; get on a bus from taksim to sarýyer direction (one bus number is 40T; it goes from beþiktaþ, ortaköy, bebek, yeniköy, tarabya and Sarýyer) along bosphorus. you can get off in beþiktaþ and walk towards ortaköy and if you want to go sarýyer u can get on another bus from there. I advice you to see ortaköy, bebek, yeniköy and sarýyer. you can see the bus numbers on this site.

http://harita.iett.gov.tr/?hat=40T

if you want to see þiþli take the subway (Metro) from taksim square to Levent. Second station is þiþli/mecidiyeköy.

if you want to see baðcýlar, küçükçekmece, bayrampaþa, you need a guide

Thanks Janissary, but it´s not about seeing areas, it is about staying there. If I go to Istanbul I need a place to stay (a couch) and to send requests to possible hosts I need to know whereabout these areas are.

You can get to Zeytinburnu by tram directly from Sultanahmet.  It takes about 20 mins, but no more than 30 minutes. 

I presume you will be staying with people you know, so they should e able to help you with transport enquiries.

Good luck.

No, if I knew them I would be able to ask them where they live, wouldn´t I? That´s the fun of couchsurfing, meeting new people - and knowing them after a stay - meeting new cultures etc.  

Try reinstalling it as it really is possible to see the areas, how built up they are or forested etc.  I think many of the areas you have suggested are a long way out of the main city area and not the sort of areas you would want to stay in, unless you are prepared for long bus journeys and nothing much to see in the area.

I googled some of these places a long time ago and I found a site that had details about most places in Istanbul.  I will see if I can find it again.

In fact Wikipedia has entries for most of these places.

 That I will try, thanks I haven´t thought of it.

Lol, it seems janiss wants to show you around, he´s a guide for those areas .

"and then I clicked on send instead of copying this list :-/"

Zeytinburnu is a nice area, 

Heybeliada, Burguzada, Adalar, Kinaliada all refer to the prince´s islands

Sisli is somewhere around where I stayed, so it takes about an hour to Taksim

Bakirköy is quite far from the city, but close to the airport.. didn´t like it much there though..- Besiktas is close to Ortaköy (you know, where you can eat Kumpir and if you look up you can see the Bosphorus Bridge), and close to Dolmabahce Sarayi

Esenler - the bus station.. not really close to the city either

I´m not sure about the others.. most of them I heard of but can´t really remember where they were..

 Great, but only if he is a couchsurfer!!

 His couch should be empty seeing as how he´s in Vienna! 

 I need a couch AND a host!

 I never took you for a Dudu! 

 Am I? Wow! (Where is my new laptop, my cell phone, that money for my relatives surgery/brothers restaurant/tax bill/own shop, my visa or residential permit? Well....? )

you seem to be an expert on dudu matters, Trudy.

 Of course, I´ve saved all your messages to those innocent girls..

http://secure.hospitalityclub.org/hc/forum.php

I have just had a look at this couchsurfing thing and it is quite amazing!  I don´t blame you Trudy, for doing it!

True

Yet I´d never go for it - I don´t get on with strangers, must be a character thing

The link Roswitha posted is not the couchsurfing site, it is one of the ´other´ clubs....

´My´ club is www.couchsurfing.com

 What a fantastic way to travel......

 Thanks Trudy for the link. It is really interesting.

 I enjoyed reading  the comments on the site members like this one, they seem sincere:

I cant offer a couch, but i can show you around.
for now i live with my parents, but i might move to an appartment of my own, and then i´ll have place and will definitely have a couch.

Well, cedars, what are you waiting for? Subscribe! You don´t need to offer a couch, meeting for a drink is a possibility as well! (Give me your profilepage please after you´ve become a member   )

 heh heh smooth work

couchsurfing!!!! one of the best things that has ever happened to me...

love it!!!

 So when I go to Istanbul, you will offer me a couch?

 Yes, this is the one I looked at! 

 And did you find me?

 No I did not search for you, I was just amazed at how many people are members in all the different countries and was having a quick look at Turkey!  But now I will go search...........

 We´re all looking for you Trudy

I did find her..

OMG..

She looks amazing.. I mean her couch..

I am booking it in the other window right at the moment.....

I am so excited to think that I will be surfing in her couch soon..

hummm....I don´t think this is what she had in mind!

 Run Trudy, RUNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are welcome honey. But..... did you read my profile? In return for using my couch I expect surfers to do the dishes, clean the bathroom / toilet, to vacuum clean the complete apartment, to clean all the windows and some more domestic duties. I´m afraid you won´t have time left to see anything of the nice town of Rotterdam....

 I´m not afraid! I think you should say this to TheH.