istanbul!guide » districts

Champs Elysees of Istanbul: Bagdat Avenue

guide — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:31:35 +0000

Bagdat avenue, in a way, is even nicer than Champs Elysees! Many visitors skip the Anatolian side -also called Asian side- of Istanbul completely. But if you’d like to see the biggest wealthy district of Istanbul then you should visit Bagdat avenue. Along Bagdat street you’ll see many restaurants, cafes, shops and many well dressed people strolling along. Generally speaking Anatolian side will give you a more residential feeling than European side. May be this is related to the fact that this part of Istanbul was used as summer residence with some beautiful houses in the past.

Bagdat avenue and coastal road run almost parallel to each other for around 9-10 kilometres. Sometimes these two roads get close to each other and sometimes get distant. The best part of Bagdat avenue is the part between Bostanci and Goztepe. So it might be a good idea to take a dolmus from Taksim to Bostanci. Dolmus stop is right next to Ataturk Kultur Merkezi (Ataturk Culture Center). Then you start your walk at Bostanci along the Bagdat street and end it whenever you are tired. You just wait along the street and one dolmus will stop to pick you up. Some of them go to Kadikoy, so make sure that you get on to Taksim dolmus. Or if you wish you go to Kadikoy and then take the boat to Karakoy or Besiktas.

In summer, don’t forget to bring your swimming suit with you! There are some small beaches along the coast road that you can swim.

Is it worth to visit Princes islands during our short Istanbul trip?

guide — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:48:59 +0000

Spending some time on Princes islands must be a must for your Istanbul visit! Princes islands is a green untouched oasis in Istanbul. It is a great surprise and very hard to believe as well how these islands stayed so protected and so untouched considering their proximity to Istanbul.

There are four main islands Buyukada, Heybeliada, Burgazada and Kinaliada (ada means island in Turkish). If you don’t have time to see all of them then Buyukada is the one not to miss. On princes islands engine vehicles are forbidden any only exception to this is municipality vehicles. Transportation way for people on the islands is walking, cycling and horse carts. Especially the mansions on Buyukada are very impressive and they are one of the best examples of wooden houses of late 19th century and early 20th century.

Once you go there you should rent a bicycle and explore the island. If you want to see the island in a lazy manner then you can take a tour of the island with a horse cart. There are two types of these tours: Big and small (Buyuk and Kucuk in Turkish).

To go to islands, you’ll need to catch a boat but it is strongly recommended to get a traditional boat not the fast-boat (seabus) to enjoy the marvellous sea journey. If you take off at Buyuk island first, then you can catch the boat from this island to the next one and then to the other next one, one by one without paying money for the journeys you do between the islands.

Nearly all of the Istanbul sea transportation, including Princess islands, is done by IDO which is the municipality’s sea transportation company.

Here is the website for IDO in English: http://www.ido.com.tr/en/index.cfm

One last thing: Don’t miss the fish-soup at one of the restaurants around the main jetty at Buyukada. When you get out of the boat, they will be on your left along the coast. Enjoy!

Which district is best for my stay?

guide — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:23:25 +0000

The best districts to stay in Istanbul are Taksim-Beyoglu, Sultanahmet, Princess Islands and somewhere along the Bosphorus.

Taksim-Beyoglu

Pros: Culture and entertainment hub of Istanbul filled up with beautiful 19^th century buildings. Many bars, restaurants, clubs, art galleries, museums, shops and many people. Contemporary and authentic. Full of energy. Transportation hub of Istanbul, so you can reach anywhere easily. Sultanahmet is only 15-25 minutes tram ride away. Many accommodation options.

Cons: None

Sultanahmet

Pros: This districts host the most important and popular attractions in Istanbul such as Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Basilica Cisterns. Many accommodation options.

Cons: Low energy, not much to do in the night, many tourists. Too touristic shops and restaurants (high prices, hassling staff).

Princess Islands

Pros: Idyllic. No motor traffic is allowed. Green and quiet.

Cons: Very limited accommodation options. Reaching important parts of Istanbul is time consuming.

Places along Bosphorus

Pros: Being close to Bosphorus is a privilege.

Cons: Very expensive. Depending on where you are on the Bosphorus you might be far away from main attractions of Istanbul. Very limited number of places to stay and they are very expensive.

Where is the city centre?

guide — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:01:26 +0000

The simple answer is Taksim. Not Sultanahmet, not Kadikoy, but simply Taksim is the cultural and entertainment heart of Istanbul.