KEY AREAS
Sultanahmet This is the centre of the old city and the main tourist area today. Most of the city’s key sights, such as the Topkapi Museum, the Blue Mosque and
Haghia Sophia, are clustered within easy walking distance of each other. The area also has some of the city’s most attractive accommodation, mainly in small boutique hotels in the backstreets.
Eminonu A bustling commercial district and transport node on the shores of the Golden Horn, which is dominated by the venerable dome of the Yeni Cami (New Mosque). The backstreets are clogged with traders and market stalls, while tourists home in on the fragrant shops of the historic Spice Bazaar.
Beyoglu In days gone by this was the cosmopolitan and wealthy European quarter of the city, where most of the foreign consulates, banks and trading houses, along with the large Greek and Armenian communities, were to be found. With their departure at the beginning of the 19th century, the area fell into decline. However, recent years have seen a renaissance in the backstreets off Istiklal Caddesi, as trendy restaurants, hip cafés and bars have opened.
Taksim This is the centre of modern Istanbul, a commercial and shopping district where many of the city’s four-star accommodation is located. Taksim Square itself is a wide piazza encircled by roaring traffic, while pedestrianised Istiklal Caddesi, the city’s main thoroughfare, is thronged with shoppers and strollers at all hours of the day.
Nisantasi A swanky shopping and residential district north of Taksim, this is where wealthy Turks go to shop in boutiques and designer stores and relax in the many cafés and bars.
Ortakoy A lively district of cobbled streets leading down to a waterside square lined with cafés and restaurants, Ortakoy is the first of the Bosporus 'villages’ on the European shore. There’s a funky street market at weekends, as well as some good cafés and restaurants, while some of the city’s glitziest nightspots are nearby. Bebek As you head north up the Bosporus, this is where the serious money begins. Located on a wide bay, backed by leafy slopes dotted with beautifully restored wooden houses known as yali, this suburb is a great place for a stroll along the waterfront. You can even take in the impressive castle of Rumeli Hisari to the north.
Levent, Maslak and Etiler Maslak and Levent are the main financial districts, where many of the city’s most important banks and financial institutions are located. Nearby Etiler is an upmarket suburb, which has some excellent shopping in the Akmerkez and a scattering of upmarket nightspots.
GETTING AROUND
Istanbul’s public buses are overcrowded and slow, particularly in rush hour—much better to jump into a cab!
The modern trams operating from Eminonu to Sultanahmet and the Grand Bazaar (with a new line north from Eminonu to the Bosporus suburb of Kabatas under construction) are fast and convenient. Tokens coast 0.40 YTL. A pair of quaint red trams run the length of Istiklal Caddesi, and there’s an equally historic funicular railway running up the hill from Galata, bedside the Golden Horn, to Tunel at the southern end of Istiklal Caddesi. You need to buy a token before boarding for 0.40 YTL.
There is a metro line running from Taksim Square north to the business and residential districts of Sisli, Levent and 4th Levent. Work is underway to extend this line south beneath the Golden Horn. Single tickets cost 0.60 YTL.
Akbil are rechargeable smart tickets that are available from kiosks in most bus and metro stations for a small refundable deposit (5 YTL). They are valid on all public transport including ferries and trams. Istanbul’s yellow taxis are the best way of getting around. They can be found on most street corners or can be called to pick you up. Fares are cheap, but don’t expect your driver to know where you want to go, as most are recent arrivals to the city too. It’s a good idea to have the address where you’re going written on a piece of paper.
SHOPPING
Pedestrianised Istiklal Caddesi is Istanbul’s main shopping street. Along it you’ll find international names like Benetton and Nike, alongside home-grown outlets such as the upmarket department store Vakko (Istiklal Caddesi 123-125) and internationally recognised Mavi Jeans (Istiklal 117). The area of Tunel, at the southern end of Istiklal Caddesi, has some great antique book and map shops, such as Ottomania (Sofyali Sokak
30). Beyoglu’s Cukurcuma district is dotted with antique shops like Antikhane (Faikpasa Yokusu No 41).
The Grand Bazaar has over 5,000 shops lining its vaulted halls. Organised according to trade, seek out the Kalpakcilar Caddesi for gold; Halicilar Carcisi for carpets and, at the heart of the bazaar, the Old Bedesten for silver jewellery and antiques.
There are several centres selling traditional handicrafts in Sultanahmet, the best of which is the Istanbul Handicrafts Centre, housed in an Ottoman seminary on Kabasakal Caddesi. The Arasta Bazaar, beside Sultanahmet Mosque, has many shops selling carpets, tiles and other traditional products.
Nisantasi and neighbouring Tesvikiye are the place to head for exclusive designer-wear such as Emporio Armani (Macka Caddesi 39) and Gucci ( Macka Caddesi 41). The Akmerkez shopping centre in Etiler is another good place for designer names, quality clothing and house wares. The city’s largest street market, known as the Sali Pazari, is held every Tuesday and Sunday in Kadikoy on the Asian side.
GIFTS TO BUY
A Turkish carpet makes the perfect gift, with a huge choice on offer in the Grand Bazaar area and Sultanahmet. You will also find attractive gold and silver jewellery. Leather ware and keenly priced designer clothes are also an excellent buy. Try the shops of upmarket Nisantasi or the Akmerkez shopping centre in Etiler. Istanbul is hotbed of undiscovered talent with its curious mix of influences.
THINGS TO DO
The best place to start your sightseeing—particularly if your time is limited—is Sultanahmet Square. You can marvel at the cascading domes and piercing minarets of the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) before visiting the Haghia Sophia (open 9am-7.30pm every day except Monday), one of the greatest churches in the world. Female visitors to the Blue Mosque will need to cover their heads with a scarf, provided at the door. Nearby, the Topkapi Palace was the administrative centre of the Ottoman empire, as well as being home to the sultans and their famous harem. Occupying a series of large courtyards, the palace now houses one of the world’s greatest collections of art and antiques. The palace is open to the public Wednesday-Monday 9am-5pm. It is well worth taking a tour of the labyrinthine harem, but arrive early to beat the queues. The Istanbul Archaeological Museum has artifacts collected from across the former Ottoman empire and dating back thousands of years. Located near the Topkapi Palace, the museum is open Tuesday-Sunday 9.30-5pm.
The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art has a fascinating collection that includes carpets, calligraphy, manuscripts and glasswork spanning the centuries from the earliest Islamic period. The museum is housed in a restored 16th century palace built by Ibrahim Pasa, grand vizier to Suleyman the Magnificent, which overlooks what was the Byzantine Hippodrome.
The city’s Grand Bazaar is the largest of its kind in the world. Lose yourself in a veritable maze of covered streets, passageways and courtyards. Self-confessed shopaholics can then head to the Egyptian Bazaar, also called the Spice Market, in Eminonu to stock up on herbs, spices and other souvenirs.
Once you’ve finished, seek out the Rustem Pasa Mosque, on Hasircilar Caddesi, which has the city’s best diplay of colourful Iznik tiles and which was constructed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. The Suleymaniye Mosque is Sinan’s most famous work, with its huge central dome and towering minarets crowning the ridge to the west of the Grand Bazaar. All of the city’s mosques are open to the public except at prayer times. As with the Blue Mosque, visitors should be modestly dressed without exposed legs and arms, and women must cover their heads before entering. Before entering any mosque you must take your shoes off and either wear the slippers provided or walk around in your socks. Across the Golden Horn, climb the narrow streets of Galata, once the European district of the city, to the medieval Genoese watchtower from which you get a stunning panorama of the city, particularly in the evening. The viewing platform is open 9am-8pm.
There is no better way to relax after a busy day at work or sightseeing than in one of the city’s Turkish baths or hamams. You can have a massage and exfoliating scrub, or lie back in the steam room, known as the hararet, before cooling off with a drink and shower. Turkish baths are usually single sex, except in some of the large hotels. Two of the most atmospheric baths in the city are the Cagaloglu Hamam (Prof Kazim Ismail Gurkan Caddesi 34, Sultanahmet, Tel: 0212 5222424, www.cagalogluhamami.com.tr) and the Cemberlitas Hamam (Vezirhan Caddesi 8, Cemberlitas, Tel: 0212 522 7974, www.cemberlitashamami.com.tr). Both have separate bathing areas for men and women.
In summer, concerts take place in the church of Haghia Irene, beside the Topkapi Museum, and in the open-air theatre in the castle of Rumeli Hisar. Contact a local tourist office or check The Guide for details.
The Istanbul Kultur ve Sanat Vakfi (Tel: 0212 334 0700, www.istfest. org) organises festivals, including the International Istanbul Music Festival and the International Istanbul Film Festival. Check the website for a detailed program.
EXCURSIONS
Take a Bosporus boat trip. Boarding one of the ferries that steam up the Bosporus, stopping at the leafy suburbs on the European and Asian shores along the way, is a great way to spend an afternoon. There is enough time for lunch half-way at Anadolu Kavagi, just short of the Black Sea, before you head for home again. Ferries depart at 10.30am and 1.30pm from the ferry terminal in Eminonu (Tel: 0212 252 2100).
The archipelago of nine islands to the south-east of the city, known as the Prince’s Islands, has been a place of exile and of refuge, counting Leon Trotsky among their famous former residents. The largest two islands, Buyukada and Heybeliada, have some beautiful wooden villas, many built by wealthy Armenian and Greek merchants at the beginning of the 19th century. Horse-drawn carts or rented bicycles are the only means of getting around, making the Prince’s Islands the perfect place to unwind. Ferries depart regularly from Eminonu’s Adalar pier during the day (Tel: 0212 252 2100). The 90-minute crossing costs 1.50 YTL.
The first imperial capital of the Ottoman empire, Bursa is situated at the base of forested Uludag Mountain. The city, now an important manufacturing centre, has some wonderful early Ottoman buildings, a colourful bazaar district as well as some of the country’s oldest hot springs. In winter, the resort of Uludag, high above the city, becomes the country’s premier ski centre. You can drive to Bursa in under three hours. Alternatively, catch a high-speed ferry from Yenikapi to Yalova, which takes 90 minutes. Buses meet the ferry for the final 45-minute drive into the city.
A small provincial town near the Bulgarian border, Edirne was also, briefly, the capital of the Ottoman empire. Thanks to generous patronage it has some fine Islamic buildings, including the Selimiye Camii, held to be the finest work of the 16th century architect Mimar Sinan. Edirne is a two and a half hour drive from Istanbul. Buses leave every hour from Esenler bus station and take three hours.
TOURIST TRAPS
Watch out for some of the bars around Taksim, where unwary foreigners are lured with the promise of a free drink, only to be grossly overcharged.
You may be pestered by street salesmen and touts in some of the city’s touristy areas, like Sultanahmet and the Grand Bazaar. Decline firmly and move on.
CONVENTION CENTRES
Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar Convention Centre, Harbiye (Tel: 0212 296 3055), is the main centre in Istanbul. Nearby hotels are the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Hyatt Istanbul and Swissotel The Bosporus (see below).