Europe Travel Guides

Points of interest

Leb-i Derya

You can tell the gastro-calibre of expats and locals if they know about stylish Leb-i Derya. Surrender to the delights of Mahmudiye (a blend of spices over succulent chunks of chicken). For breakfast, try the 'greenpeace', a yoghurt muesli mix with fresh OJ and lor, melt-in-the-mouth Turkish ricotta. Avoid the meze and save yourself for mains and dessert.

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Konyalı

With its palatial position and its charmingly down-at-heel-Riviera feel, Konyalı is a perennial favourite. There are few more pleasant experiences than sitting in its glass pavilion or on the outdoor terrace, both of which overlook the Golden Horn and Sea of Marmara, while noshing on the Beğendili Kebab (lamb kebab with eggplant puree).

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Asitane

It's not often that you'll get to try Ottoman dishes devised especially for a 16th-century royal circumcision feast, but this is what's on offer here. The food is magnificent, served in elegant surrounds. Try the yufkada kuzu incik marmarinali (baked lamb with pureed spinach and cheese on a plate of flaky pastry). Vegetarians are well catered for.

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Klub Karaoke

It had to happen. Some bright spark knew Turks would take to karaoke like ducks to water and recently opened İstanbul's first sing-a-long venue. Locals come in large gaggles and book out the huge private rooms, but the 'İstanbul Central' room is a free-for-all, so check your pride in at the door and enjoy. Rock the house with Rod Stewart's 'Young Turks'.

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Badehane

This teeny (unsigned) watering hole is a favourite with locals, and no wonder. On a balmy evening the laneway is heaving with chattering, chain-smoking artsy folk, sipping a beer or three. Dress down and come ready to enjoy an attitude-free evening.

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Reina

During the summer months this huge outdoor club is where cashed-up beautiful people party until the wee hours alongside spectacular views of the Bosphorus. Food is available and the dress code is glamour, darlings. The fashionable arrive late, the DJ's know what they are doing and you might spot a celebrity while you're trying not to care.

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Topkapı Palace

Home to Selim the Sot, who drowned in the bath after drinking too much champagne and İbrahim the Mad, who lost his reason after being locked up for four years in the infamous palace kafes (cage), the famous Topkapı Palace would have to be the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world's museums put together.

Mehmet the Conqueror built the first Topkapı Palace shortly after the Conquest in 1453, and lived here until his death in 1481. Subsequent sultans lived in this rarefied environment until the 19th century. Mahmut II was the last emperor to occupy the palace. Topkapı grew and changed with the centuries, but its basic four-courtyard plan remained the same. Hit the Topkapı early and get in to tour the Harem first, before it becomes impossible.

Before you enter the Imperial Gate (Bab-ı Hümayun) of Topkapı, take a look at the ornate structure in the cobbled square near the gate. This is the Fountain of Sultan Ahmet III, built in 1728 by the sultan who so loved tulips that his reign was dubbed the Tulip Age.

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Blue Mosque (Mosque of Sultan Ahmet)

A triumph of harmony, proportion and elegance, the Mosque of Sultan Ahmet (known as the Blue Mosque), has six minarets and the courtyard is the biggest of all of the Ottoman mosques. The interior similarly grand: the blue tiles that give the building its unofficial name number in the tens of thousands, there are 260 windows and the prayer space is huge.

To fully appreciate the mosque's design you should approach it via the middle of the Hippodrome rather than walking straight from Sultanahmet Park through the crowds. Once inside the courtyard, which is the same size as the mosque's interior, you'll be able to appreciate the building's perfect proportions.

Inside, the stained-glass windows and İznik tiles lining the walls immediately attract attention. Although the windows are replacements, they still create the luminous effects of the originals, which came from Venice. You will also see immediately why the Blue Mosque, constructed between 1606 and 1616, more than a millennium after Aya Sofya, is not as daring: four huge 'elephant's feet' pillars hold up the dome, a less elegant but sturdier solution to the problem of support.

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İstanbul Archaeological Museum

Divided into three buildings: the Archaeology Museum; the Museum of the Ancient Orient and the Tiled Kiosk; this complex houses the palace collections formed during the 19th century by archaeologist Osman Hamdi (1842-1910) and added to greatly since the republic. It is loaded with Roman sarcophagi, Turkish faïence (glazed earthenware) and Hittite artefacts.

The first building as you enter is the Museum of the Ancient Orient. Overlooking the park, it was designed by Alexander Vallaury and built in 1883 to house the Academy of Fine Arts. It displays Anatolian pieces from Hittite empires and pre-Islamic items collected from the Ottoman Empire.

A Roman statue of the god Bes greets you as you enter the Archaeology Museum on the opposite side of the courtyard. Turn left into Room 1 and walk into the dimly lit rooms beyond, where the museum's major treasures - sarcophagi from the Royal Necropolis of Sidon - are displayed.

The annexe behind the main ground-floor gallery has the Children's Museum. Children will no doubt be impressed by the large-scale model of the Trojan Horse, which they can climb into. Beside the Children's Museum is the Neighbouring Cultures of Istanbul gallery, with a Byzantium collection including a stunning mosaic depicting Orpheus, and an equally impressive small mosaic of St Eudocia.

The last of the complex's museum buildings is the gorgeous Tiled Kiosk of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. Thought to be the oldest surviving nonreligious Turkish building in İstanbul, it was built in 1472 as an outer pavilion of Topkapı Palace and was used for watching sporting events.

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Aya Sofya

Emperor Justinian (527-65) had the Aya Sofya (known as Haghia Sofia in Greek and also called Church of the Divine Wisdom) built as part of his effort to restore the greatness of the Roman Empire. Recognised until 1453 as the greatest church in Christendom, Mehmet the Conqueror had it converted into a mosque until 1935, when Atatürk proclaimed it a museum.

On entering his great creation for the first time almost 1500 years ago, Justinian exclaimed, 'Glory to God that I have been judged worthy of such a work. Oh Solomon! I have outdone you!' Entering the building today, it is easy to excuse his self-congratulatory tone. The interior, with its magnificent domed ceiling soaring heavenward, is so sublimely beautiful that many seeing it for the first time are quite literally stunned into silence.

Traditionally, every mosque had a hamam (bath) included in or around its complex of buildings. Aya Sofya was no exception and this elegant symmetrical building known as the Haseki Hürrem Hamamı (Baths of Lady Hürrem), was designed by Sinan in 1556-57 and built just across the road from the great mosque. The hamam was one of 32 designed by Sinan and is widely thought to be his best. It operated until 1910 and now houses a carpet shop run by the Ministry of Culture.

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Kapalı Çarşı (Grand Bazaar)

Kapalı Çarşı (Grand Bazaar) has been a shopper's Mecca since just after the mid-15th century, when the smallish warehouse was turned into a teeming bazaar by a constant stream of traders, selling everything from carpets to cummin. These days it's the most fantastic, monstrous, labyrinthine and totally manic shopping bazaar you could hope to experience.

Tourist shops selling glittery geegaws line the main streets, but delve into the back streets and you'll still find Istanbullus buying a few metres of cloth, a gold bangle for a daughter's birthday, a beautifully crafted gold-plated 'eye' to ward off evil or an antique carpet. Before you visit, prepare yourself properly. Make sure you're in a good mood and energised, ready to swap friendly banter with the hundreds of shopkeepers who will attempt to lure you into their establishments. Finally, abandon this guide at your hotel and explore.

The confusing labyrinth of streets was originally named after the goods sold there (Mirror-makers St, Pearl Merchants St, Fez Makers St and so on), and although that's not necessarily the case today, it is still possible to buy precious gems, old coins and intricately crafted jewellery in Jewellers St. The Grand Bazaar is also renowned for offering basement-bargain deals on fur and leather goods, kilim products and a range of handcrafted goodies. Just remember to keep your wits about you.

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Events

Turkey's Holy Month, Ramazan, sees much of the city's population fasting during daylight hours, although most restaurants and cafes remain open for those choosing not to participate and for non-Muslims. The festival of Şeker Bayramı marks the end of Ramazan and is when the inhabitants of İstanbul embark on a frenzy of socialising, with an emphasis on the sweet tooth. It's one of the city's busiest times; a three-day national holiday when businesses close and public transport is heavily patronised.

An equally busy time for İstanbul is during Kurban Bayramı, Turkey's most important religious holiday. The four-day festival celebrates the almost-sacrifice of Isaac by his father Abraham on Mount Moriah and results in hotels being heavily booked and a dearth of space on public transport.

As the lunar Hejira year is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year, Muslim events happen 11 days earlier each year.

Other special events include the İstanbul Film Festival in April, May's Conquest of Constantinople celebrations, June/July's International İstanbul Music Festival and International İstanbul Jazz Festival and September/October's International İstanbul Biennial.

official holidays