Istanbul vs Rome

We mapped every place in 535 travel-creator videos filmed in Istanbul (72 creators, 1,310 spots) and 53 videos in Rome (40 creators, 233 spots), then compared what creators eat, how far one video walks, what the spots charge and when they close. A difference is only called when it holds at p < 0.01 with a 1.3x gap.

The short version

• Sundays hurt more in Rome: 28% of its food spots are shut, against 14% in Istanbul.
• Creators' food spots run dearer in Rome: 28% are "$$$" or more on Google, against 16% in Istanbul.
• Istanbul creators film restaurants 1.5x as often as Rome creators (54% of spots against 35%).
• Rome creators film sights & landmarks 4.6x as often as Istanbul creators (12% of spots against 3%).

Also worth knowing (descriptive, not a comparison):

• One base in Istanbul, Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa (Beyoğlu), puts 12% of its filmed spots within a 15-minute walk.
• One base in Rome, around Trevi Fountain, puts 46% of its filmed spots within a 15-minute walk.
• The named spot most Istanbul creators agree on: Grand Bazaar (17 creators).
• The named spot most Rome creators agree on: Colosseum (19 creators).

How far you walk

In a typical Istanbul video the spots sit within 0.8 km of their middle; in Rome, 0.9 km. The gap isn't one we'd call (p = 0.51). 74% of Istanbul videos stay walkable (2.5 km) against 96% of Rome's (p = 0.0013, but under a 1.3x gap: not one we call).

One video maps a median of 3 spots in Istanbul and 5 in Rome.

What closes when

• Monday: 10% of Istanbul's food spots closed, 18% of Rome's (a gap, but p = 0.033: not one we call)
• Sunday: 14% of Istanbul's food spots closed, 28% of Rome's (p = 0.0022)
• Monday sights and museums: 13% closed in Istanbul, 12% in Rome (no real difference)
• Open past 10 pm on a weeknight: 63% of food spots in Istanbul, 82% in Rome (p = 0.0026, but under a 1.3x gap: not one we call)

From Google opening hours of the 916 food spots in Istanbul and 65 in Rome that have full-week hours.

Where creators agree

6% of Istanbul's mapped spots were filmed by three or more creators, against 11% of Rome's; 82% and 80% are one creator's pick.

In Istanbul: Grand Bazaar (17 creators); Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (10 creators); Şehzade Cağ Kebap (7 creators); Surmene Doner (6 creators); The Blue Mosque (6 creators); Historic Grand Bazaar Day Day Patisserie (6 creators). 6 more are on the locked Istanbul map (4 to eat · 2 to see and do).

In Rome: Colosseum (19 creators); Trevi Fountain (15 creators); Roman Forum (13 creators); Pantheon (11 creators); Spanish Steps (10 creators); All'Antico Vinaio (7 creators). 9 more are on the locked Rome map (6 to see and do · 3 to eat).

Where to stay

• Istanbul: Kemankeş Karamustafa Paşa (Beyoğlu), by Karaköy Güllüoğlu - Nadir Güllü: 152 filmed spots within a 15-minute walk (12% of Istanbul's), from 38 creators.
• Rome: around Trevi Fountain: 106 filmed spots within a 15-minute walk (46% of Rome's), from 38 creators.

What it costs

On Google's price levels, 14% of Istanbul's food spots are "$" and 16% "$$$" or more; in Rome, 19% and 28%. The "$$$" gap is one we call (p = 0.0022). The typical spot is $$ in both.

How we measured this

Places come from Varedelo's maps of each creator video, grouped into kinds and assigned to a city by distance from its centre. Dishes come from each video's dish list and are counted by creators. Spot-level tests treat spots as independent, which overstates certainty when spots cluster inside one video, so we only call a difference at p < 0.01 with a 1.3x gap. Opening hours and price levels are Google's; hours that cover only part of the week are left out. Spots counted but not named are part of Varedelo's locked city maps. Covers the creators Varedelo maps, not all of YouTube. Data as of 2026-10-30.