April is one of the best months to visit Istanbul with full of surprises. The weather can be uncertain, but from the flowers around, you will feel the spring has arrived.

1 – 29th Istanbul International Film Festival

This year it will be held between 3-18 April  and we will start to wait for the ticket queues, spend time at cafes around theaters and try to catch the ferry to catch the film on different side of Europe or Asia; in any case we will enjoy our days very much by this festival. Tickets are available through internet by biletix and at the theaters in Beyoğlu and Kadikoy. 

2 – David Guetta concert on 10th of April

Grammy awarded music star David Guetta is coming to Istanbul for a great concert which will be held at Kücükciftlik Park at Maçka and we are ready to sing the ” I got a feeling” under the stars. (Hopefully if it doesn’t rain!).

3 -  23rd of April National Sovereignty and Children’s day

Another unique event in Turkey & Istanbul. It is a national holiday gifted to children by the founder of Turkish Republic – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Different ceremonies throughout Turkey are held and also many children from other countries join these ceremonies.

4 -  WWE Smackdown show

This is the first time we welcome the wrestlers in İstanbul. They will be in Istanbul as per Wrestle Mania Revenge Tour on 18th of April at Abdi İpekçi sports center, if you are interested you need to hurry up, tickets are available at
biletix

If you come to Istanbul for leisure why miss the beautiful view of Bosphorus, here below the best 4 boutique hotels located on the Bosphorus.

1 – Ajia / Kanlıca

A’jia is a distinguished boutique hotel located on the Bosphorus, with a well appointed contemporary interior design and centuries old architecture. It has 15 rooms that feature breathtaking scenes from the Bosphorus. A’jia truly offers private hideaway with easy access to historical and cultural attractions of the city.

2 – Sumahan / Çengelköy

As they said ” Sumahan is a hotel on the water”. The large bathrooms are well-appointed with thick Turkish towels and a choice of traditional colognes. Many of the rooms have their own Turkish sytle bath or hamam.

3- Bebek Hotel / Bebek

Bebek Hotel is located in the most prestigious district in Istanbul, it offers unparalleled Bosphorus views in a charming residential setting, situated within 5 minutes of modern shopping centers and business districts. You must have your breakfast at the balcony with marvellous Istanbul view. 

4 -  Villa Denise / Arnavutköy

Very old mansion has became a new renovated boutique hotel on a very popular district on the Bosphorus, Arnavutköy. It has only 5 rooms named from the closer Bosphorus districts like Yeniköy, Ortaköy and Vaniköy. Villa Denise has also a famous spanish restaurant L’ola where you can taste their delicious paella and other Spanish tastes.

There are many boutique hotels in Istanbul that, it is not easy to classify them. We tried to sort the best 4 boutique hotels located at the city center as below;

1 – Housez Suites & Apartments

Located at the heart of the city on a very chic district between Nişantaşı and Beşiktaş. 24 very comfortable suites with reasonable prices and delicious organic breakfast. If you would like see the new face of Istanbul there is not any better choice. They aim to provide their guests with a delightful, peaceful and safe environment, and to maximize their satisfaction throughout their stay.

2 – The Sofa Hotel

Another chic boutique hotel located in Nisantası, İstanbul’s most popular shopping, entertainment and gourmet center. The Sofa offers a new generation of luxury accommodation within walking distance to international brands, distinguished restaurants, bars, cafés and the town’s newest and most prestigious shopping mall, City’s. The Sofa has 82 guest rooms, including 17 Executive Suites. While elaborately answering the requirements of a sophisticated city life, the rooms offer a combi-nation of new technology and comfort, peace and exclusive personal services.

3 – Sarı Konak

Hotel Sari Konak, ideally located in Sultanahmet, the center of the old city, is a family run boutique hotel  taking pride in offering its guests a charming “home away from home” in Istanbul ; with many guests returning on a regular basis.

4 – Yeşil Ev

This unique mansion very quickly attained a world-wide reputation and was awarded in 1985 the medal for the year by Europa Nostra. Yesil Ev had, indeed, introduced the concept of true comfort and hygiene to this “derelict” district and opened a new epoch in Turkish tourism by combining modern standards with historical style. It is furnished in the style of a 19th century winter mansion, and has a charming pool in pink porphyry in its Garden full of colorful flowers and high trees. Yesil Ev offers visitors the warm, friendly atmosphere of an old Istanbul home in one of the most breath taking historic sites in the world.

There are many great mosques in Istanbul and we strongly suggest to visit at least two of them before leaving Istanbul to feel the soul of orientalism in this magnificent city.

1 – Proper dress code

As the mosques are the places of worship for Muslims, firstly your dress code needs to fit the place. It is better for ladies to have clean loose shirts, pants or long skirts and a scarf to cover their hair, for gentlemen clean shirts and long pants are required. Actually for summer you may enter some of the mosques with shorts but it is not guaranteed.

2 – Get ready to take off shoes

Wearing shoes are not allowed in all mosques,  you need to leave them in a cabinet at the entrance or you can hold them, it is fine in summer but for winter if you will visit a mosque it is better to have extra socks with you to keep your feet warm.

3 – Be quiet

In mosques women and men have separate sections to pray, loud talking and discussion within the mosques are forbidden, additionally it is believed that it’s disrespectful to walk in front of a Muslim during his pray.

 4 – Cleaning ritual

Before praying all Muslims required to be clean themselves  that all mosques have  a nice section for this ritual, you will see many artistic fountains and marmor samples which  can be interesting as much as the mosque.

1 – Balad

Poet says ‘ If İstanbul is a mermaid than Balat will be her smile ’. It has cute narrow streets which ends to Golden horn with beautiful wooden old houses. People from different cultures and religions are mixed for centuries (Jewish, Armenian, Greek, Muslim) in Balat that you will also find many small churches next to small mosques and we guarantee that you will shoot many nice photos if you walk through in this nice neighborhood.

2 – Kuzguncuk

Another old Istanbul neighborhood located at the Asian side on the shore, it is not easy to reach there from the city center but it is worth it. Kuzguncuk is a calm place with its cats and very friendly residents; nice smell of the sea will be mixed with nice smell of fresh bakeries. If you get tired to walk around the old houses, you can have a cup of coffee at Sitare, very comfortable cafe with nostalgic decoration and delicious tastes.

3 – Samatya

Here is another historical neighborhood located very close to the old city. Many years Jewish, Armenian and Turkish people lived together in Samatya where as now most of them moved to other parts of Istanbul but outstanding churches are still standing with all their memories. It has also very nice small Bazaar at the center that you can enjoy a whole day watching people around.

** Samatya picture from ” a cup of caffein blog”

4 – Beyoglu ; 

Here we are again back to Beyoglu very popular pedestrian street close to the Taksim square, if you need a shooting that includes all colors this is the place you are looking for. You will find detailed information about Beyoglu if you click on “Beyoglu” tag below.

Here in Istanbul autumn is back and we are ready to welcome the autumn film festival between October 17 -25. This year festival is extended to include two weekends because of its success last year with 33,500 viewers and a capacity of 99 %. 

Emek Movie Theater hosts the festival and if you have not bought your ticket earlier, you should be at Emek, at least half an hour before the film and wait for the “reserved tickets” to be sold at the last minute.

We tried to give some tips about this year’s program as below; you can check the whole program here.

 1 – White Ribbon / Michael Haneke

One of the hit films of this festival is White Ribbon from Michael Haneke with three awards. This dark film focuses on a rural German school in 1913, which seems to be the sight of ritual punishment. If you are a fan of Haneke you must not miss this masterpiece. Imdb note is 8,3 /10

2 -  Che Part One – Che Part Two / Steve Soderbergh

Another film with three awards and 8 nominations, produced in 7 years with partnerships of Benici Del Torro and Steven Soderbergh. Interesting life story of Che has two sessions; part one named ‘ The Argentine’ and part two is ‘ Guerrilla ‘. Imdb note is 7,4 /10.

3 – Whatever Works / Woody Allen

Latest film of Woody Allen, at last he came back to New York streets. An eccentric New Yorker played by Larry David abandons his upper class life to lead a more bohemian existence. He meets a young girl from the south and her family and no two people seem to get along in the entanglements that follow. Imdb note is 7,7 /10

4 – Don’t look back / Marina de Van

A psychodrama about a photographer whose pictures tell a different story to that of her perception from two great actresses Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci.

These are just the highlights; there are many other hit films in this festival. You can buy tickets from biletix on Internet or from Emek movie theater in Beyoğlu. Ticket sales had started on 3rd of October that you may not find tickets for some of the popular films, don’t worry keep in mind that if you wait at the queue, half an hour before the scheduled time of your film, you can buy a ticket.

In Istanbul you will find many interesting museums that can be proven by the many cultures welcomed through out the century  like Greeks, Romans and many other Anatolian civilizations. Even you do not have so much time to spend in İstanbul we strongly suggest to visit at least one or two of below museums to explore this fantastic city.

 1  – Archeological Museum

It is very close to the Topkapı palace, it has three main sections which are 

a) Archeological Museum 

b) Museum of the Ancient Orient

c) Museum of Islamic Art

Over one million objects are exhibited from all of the eras and civilizations in world history such as Egyptian, Assyrian, Roman and Byzantian.  The rich collcetion of Ancient art are brought from different sites of Anatolia.

Open daily between 09:30-16:30 except Mondays.

Tel: (212) 520 77 40 and 41

2 – Dolmabahce Palace Museum

This Neo-Baroque style palace previously used as summerpalace of Ottoman Empirement. Turkish Republic’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk  had also spent last days of his life  in this marvellous palace. It is very close to the city center but you need to get an appointment at the entrance that  it is not allowed to be visited by yourselves, you can enter only with a group. It may take more than 3 hours to see all the rooms adorned with rich decorations, such as the world’s largest Bohemian crystal chandelier at the center hall. The chandelier has 750 lamps and its weight is 4.5 tons.

Open Daily 09:00 – 16:00 except Mondays, Thursdays

Tel : (212) 236 90 00/ 1359

3 – İstanbul Museum of Modern Art

 Another museum just next to the shore at Karaköy port, it was opened in 2004. At the first floor you can find the permanent collection which changes annually. Downstairs there are gallery houses, three to four temporary exhibitions are presented annually. These include a retrospective exhibition, a survey of Turkish modern art and an exhibition of global contemporary art. When you planned a second visit, you will not see only familiar favorites  but also discover new and exciting works of art. It has also a restaurant overlooking the Marmara Sea.

Open daily between 10:00 – 18:00 , on Thursdays 10:00 – 20:00 except Mondays 

Tel : (212) 334 73 00

4 – Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art

Located in the old city at Ibrahim Pasa Palace, the palace contains a famous collection of carpets, wooden works, stone art section, metal art section and etnography section. It is possible to see the stages of Early – Islamic Period ceramic art and the glass collection starts with the 9th century. This valuable Islamic glass samples include the 15th century Memluk candles and Ottoman period glass art samples.

Open daily between 09:30-17:00 except Mondays.

Tel: (212) 518 18 05 and 06

Istanbul is a shopping paradise, providing lots of choices: For example, if you are looking for a scarf, you will find it in flea market, from the Armani shop in Tesvikiye or you can have it from Grand Bazaar.  Whereever you go for shopping you will need some tips to keep in mind to get the best bargain at the end of the day. We try to point out some tips for shopping in Istanbul.

1 - Get recommendations:

It is always better to get some recommendations before shopping, especially if you will buy expensive goods like carpet or jewellery, ask advise from your hotel concierge or tour guide that they can help you to find the right shop.

2 – Visit at least 3 shops:

Best shopping places in Istanbul are undoubtfully The Spice Market or Grand Bazaar for an oriental gift . Firstly, be sure that nothing is unique at these places; you can find the same pillow or necklace (exceptions can occur) after two steps in an other shop so it is better to decide on the goods and ask for the price for different shops, you won’t believe the price differentiation.

3 - Make the bargain:

Even when you think you have just found the best price, you can still ask to decrease the price for the shop owner, especially in the old city but do not forget that it is not valid for all the shops .

4 – Pay in TL:

In the old city many shops can accept foreign currency but it is better for you to pay in credit cards or Turkish Liras because their convertion rate can be higher than your expectation.

Istanbul is a shopping paradise, you can find any kind of materials in different qualities and accordingly different prices. We have listed the interesting shopping districts below; not only for shopping but also to feel the spirit of İstanbul.

1 – Grand Bazaar and Spice Market
If you would like to see the oriental face of this marvellous city, you must visit these two bazaars. Grand Bazaar is one the largest covered market with its 4.400 shops and Spice Market was the last point for the legendary silk road where the goods from Asia tranferred to the Europe during 13th century. They are located in the old city very close to the top historical places, but you can get lost very easily while checking the interesting shops, salesmen and beautiful carvings on the ceilings.
Do not hesitate to bargain while shopping – especially for souvenirs, carpets, other oriental materials.

2 – İstiklal Caddesi
Another story starts in İstiklal avenue, you can take the tram from Taksim square to the end but it is always better to walk on this original pedestrian street to see all type of Turkish people walking up and down. Some passageways with small shops (like Atlas, Aznavur, Terkos Passageways) sell very original / hand made or 2nd hand clothes. It is crowded during any time of the day as many night clubs and bars located on this cosmopolite avenue.

3 – Teşvikiye / Nişantaşı
Here we are in Champelysee or 5th avenue of İstanbul. If you are looking for Louis Vuitton, Escada or Armani that is the place but you can also find small boutiques, nice small cafes , hip hotels and many Art Nouveau buildings. Especially on Saturday nights it gets crowded with many people who come to the famous pubs and cafes.

4 – Bağdat Avenue
Located at the Asian side. You can find many cafes and restaurants, besides many international famous brands such as Gap , Mango, Zara and Lacoste. Keep in mind that in summer and mostly at the weekends it is almost impossible to pass the avenue by car because of the heavy traffic.

TIPS ** In İstanbul mostly shops open at 9,00 am and close at 8,00 pm, they are also open on Sunday between 12,00 pm to 6,00 pm.

Istanbul is famous with its breathtaking view of Bosphorus, day or night you must enjoy it with a nice cocktail at a roof.

We tried to list the best 4 roof bars in Istanbul for you as below;

1 – Lebiderya :

(Friday – Saturday 11:30 – 03:00 Other days 11:30 – 02:00)

It is at the top floor of Richmond Hotel on İstiklal avenue. All tables are Bosphorus view and beside the tables there is a large oval bar, where you can taste coctails specially prepared by fresh fruit and our suggestion will be ‘ Derya’ which is made of apple vodka, apple juice, mint, lemon and sugar.

Click here for reservations and directions.

2 – 360 :

(Week days 12.00 – 02:00 on weekends 15.00 – 04:00)

It is also on İstiklal avenue at the top of a popular 19th century apartment (Mısır apartmanı). Its name comes from its exclusive decoration all around is covered by large windows that enables you to enjoy the beautiful İstanbul view from 360 degree angles , at the weekends you can also enjoy live performances of DJs and professional dancers. We suggest 360 especially for bar after dinner .

For directions and reservations, click here.

3 – Vogue :

(Monday – Saturday 12:00 -02:00 / Sunday 10:30 – 01:00)

Vogue is located in Beşiktaş, on its large terrace you can enjoy the marvellous Bosphorus view and by the help of the large mirrors  view is also available indoors. They serve lunch and dinner and brunch on Sundays but also you can have only a Mohito at this lovely roof bar.

The restaurant/bar is located in Spor Cad.  BJK Plaza A Blok Floor: 13.

0 212 227 44 04

4 – Ceylan Inter Continental / City Lights Bar :

(Open everyday between 2:00 pm – 2:00 am)

Unique Bosphorus view very close to Taksim will accompany you to have a relaxed and enjoyable time. Exotic cocktails and tasty snacks will be offered with five star quality service.

Click here for directions.