1 – Ağva

Ağva is the first place that comes to the mind for those who want to get away from the chaos and the noise of Istanbul to have a break and relax. The best time for Ağva is spring and summer, but the prices of the boutique hotels are also high at this season if you’d like to have an overnight stay. You can do trekking, swimming, canoeing or nothing but enjoy the green nature. Choose the weekdays to avoid crowds. It’s about 2 hours driving on the Northeastern part of Istanbul.

2 – Sapanca

It’s a place where Istanbul people go especially on weekends for eating fish by the lake of Sapanca in the open air. It’s a quiet and peaceful place to enjoy a relaxing time. It’s less than 1,5 hours drive on the East of Istanbul.

3 – Edirne

Being a capital of Ottoman Empire till the conquest of Istanbul, Edirne is a small city where great mosques, museums, monuments and history remains. Selimiye Mosque which has the highest minarets in Turkey, Beyazid II Kulliye Health Museum, Meric Bridge Alipasa Bazaar are must-visit, famous fried liver served with onions is must-eat. Edirne is in Thrace having a border to Greece and Bulgaria 200 km from Istanbul – less than 2 hours from the highway.

4 – Abant

Abant is a natural beauty – a lake among the mountains in Bolu – 250 km from Istanbul. The place is beautiful in all times of the year, but the best in winter – with the wonderful landscape under white snow. You tour around the lake on foot or by a coach, then have a lunch in one of the restuarants by the lake or do picnic in open air. The route to Abant can be difficult on winter days with hard snow.

Istanbul is a great metropol where public transport can be a torment for people sometimes, but there are ways to enjoy Istanbul in a local way.

1 – Ferry from Haydarpaşa to Eminönü
Get on the ferry and travel from the historical Haydarpaşa Rail Station to the Old Town Peninsula – Eminönü. Simit (savory roll covered with sesame seed) and tea are indispensable meal for Istanbul locals travelling by ferry. You can share your simit during your voyage with the friendly seagulls.

2 – Tram from Tunel to Taksim
Back from the beginning of 20th century, this nostalgic tramway takes you all over the Istiklal Street. It’s one of the symbols of Beyoğlu District and Old Istanbul.

3 – Fenicular from Tunel to Karaköy
Officially built as the second metro after London in 1875, it’s the shortest (about 2 mins) but one of the most useful public transport vehicle in Istanbul connecting Beyoğlu to the coast of Karaköy.

4 – Boat from Beşiktaş to Üsküdar:
It’s one of the most useful public transport route in Istanbul helping thousands of citizens travelling between the two sides of Istanbul. You can get to the other continent in less than 10 minutes with these boats. The Bosphorus view charms the citizens in the mornings before a challenging workday.

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.

1 – Roxy

It’s a popular bar for a long time, playing music for almost everyone:  rock, jazz, blues, Latin, techno, underground. It’s so crowded especially on weekends that you’ll have difficulty in finding a space to dance. Though it’s a fun club, with a crowd of people around their 20s and 25s. The entrance fee is around 20 USD with a free drink, and with two entrance tickets, you can have a bottle of sex on the beach. It’s located on the Sıraselviler Street just before German Hospital, walking distance from Taksim Square.

Adress: Sıraselviler Caddesi Aslan Yatağı Sok. No:1-3 Beyoğlu

2 – Indigo

A popular night club in Istanbul with a crowd of young people who love electronic music. Worldwide known djs and festival groups perform here on special weekend parties. The music varies between techno, house, electro, disco, indie. Recommended for a moving night out.

Adress: İstiklal Cad. Tomtom Mah. Acara Sk. No:5/A Beyoğlu

3 – Otto

A popular bar in Asmalimescid – Beyoğlu with a crowd of young people (age group around 25-30) flowing into the street. Its outside is full of people standing as if they ara at an open-air coctail. It’s like a meeting place for gathering and planning the night with a vodka hazelnut before going to other bars. For the ones that stay, quality electronic music is available inside.               

Adress: Asmalı Mescit Mahallesi Şehbender Sokak No:15 Tünel Beyoğlu

4 – Nupera

Next to the wonderful Pera Palace Hotel, this is a bit costly place full of people with ages between 20 and 30 enjoying house music. The drinks are pricey, but the atmosphere is fun and worth seeing the beautiful girls and boys in Istanbul, if you can walk through the cocky doormen who are more likely to be helpful to the customers with Porsches.

Adress: Tepebaşı Meşrutiyet Cd. No:147-149Taksim

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

During the International Istanbul Biennial, many exhibitions are run parallel to the biennial all around Istanbul. Here are the highlights of them:

1 – Joseph Beuys at Sabanci

Sabanci University – Sakip Sabanci Museum hosts an exhibition called “Joseph Beuys and his Students – Selections from Deutsche Bank Collection”. The exhibition of one of the most important figures in German Art will be open for visit till November 1st. The exhibition shows some videos from his important performances and some of his patterns. The important aspect of this exhibition is that, works of Beuys’ student painters such as Anselm Kifere, Imi Giese, Jörg Immendorff, Inge Mahn are also brought here.

Click here for the location of the museum.

2 – Sarkis at Istanbul Modern

An important figure in Turkish Modern Art – Sarkis’ biggest exhibition held in his own town. It’s the first exhibition of a “living artist” held in Istanbul Modern. The name of the exhibition is “The Site” and lasts till 10th of January 2010. The exhibition holds big photographs, objects and installations of Sarkis’ half of a century old art life.

Click here for the location of the museum.

3 – 500 Yüksel Arslan Paintings

One of the most interesting figures in Turkish Art, Yuksel Arslan who has been living in Paris for a long time opened his most comprehensive gallery in Turkey. Arslan is mostly known for the series of “Kapital” inspiring from the book of Karl Marx, and five of the paintings from this series will be among the collection till March 21st of 2010.

Click here for the location of the gallery.

4 – One Shot Istanbul

Photography artist Alexander Berg will be exhibiting the portraits of Istanbul citizens on the walls of Taksim Metro. Alexander Berg’s “One Shot Istanbul” photography exhibition can be visited at the floor of moving walkways in Taksim Metro till October 25th.

Considered as one of the most prestigious biennials alongside Venice, Sao Paolo and Sydney, the International İstanbul Biennial aims to create a meeting point in İstanbul in the field of visual arts between artists from diverse cultures and the audience. The 11th International İstanbul Biennial takes its title from the song ‘Denn wovon lebt der Mensch?’ translated into English as ‘What Keeps Mankind Alive?’

The biennial is spread into different venues and will be open for visit till November 8th: Antrepo No.3 and Tobacco Warehouse at Tophane and Ferikoy Greek School at Sisli. Click here for their addresses.

1 – The Route

It’s better to start your visit at Antrepo, so that you would see most of the exhibition before getting exhausted. Keep in mind that, total length of the videos at the biennial are about 20 hours!

2 – The Shuttle

After Antrepo, you can see the works at Tobacco Warehouse, then walk back and take the free shuttle from Antrepo to Ferikoy Greek School. The shuttles depart every hour in weekdays and every half an hour in weekends.

3 – The Guide

Buy a guidebook from the box office and use the map to make an efficient visit.

Pay 10 TL and join guided tours at 11.00, 13.30, 15.00, 16.30 everyday.

4 – The Artists

These artists are highlighted by Radikal Newspaper, Turkey:

Jumana Emil Abboud, Rena Effendi, Vyacheslav Akhunov, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Aydan Murtezaoğlu-Bülent Şangar, KP Brehmer, Yüksel Arslan, Jesse Jones, Mohammed Ossama, Sanja Ivekovic, Cengiz Çekil, Ne Yapmalı?, Artur Zmijewski, Canan Şenol.

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.

The island’s name means saddle bag in Turkish, deriving it from the two hilltops that embrace the lower harbours, though the Greeks called the island Chalki.

1 – Visit Halki Seminary:
Dating from 1844, it was the main school of theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church’s Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It’s on the top of a hill covered with pines; and the harmony of the dark green and dark blue adds to the beauty of this old seminary. You can visit the monastry except on Sundays. Reservation: 0216 351 85 63 – 0216 351 84 17.

2 – Have a breakfast at Halki Palas:
It’s the oldest and the most glamorous hotel in Princess Islands dating back to 1850s, renovated after a fire in 1991. The hotel rooms have a wonderful view, it’s a good weekend break for Istanbul residents. If you are on a daily visit to the island breakfast at this hotel is highly recommended. You can also enjoy the swimming pool from June to the end of August.
Check their website here.

3 – Eat at a fish restaurant in the marina:
There are many restaurants close to the marina with good service quality and delicous food, especially fish with the combination of beautiful mezes and raki.

4 – Relax at Değirmenburnu:
It’s a picnic area with a broad view of Anatolian coast of Istanbul and other Princess Islands with a walking distance of 5 mins from the marina. A bottle of beer at the sunset would be a highlight for your Heybeliada visit.