Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, please confirm event/venue details in advance.
COUNTRY CODE:
Dial +90 for Turkey
FROM THE AIRPORT
Car Hire :
Take advantage of the special easyJet inflight rates. Visit the Europcar desk on arrival or call +90 (212) 465 3695. Open 24 hours a day seven days a week.
Taxi :
A taxi to Taksim Square costs about YTL60-YTL70 to Sultanahmet. The journey takes 50-60 minutes.
Bus :
Bus E10 (Tickets: about YTL1.50) runs three times an hour to Kadikoy, where ferries (Tickets: YTL1.50) leave every 30 minutes to Eminonu. Also, three times hourly to Kozyatag, for buses to Sultanahmet and Taksim Square. Alternatively, bus E3 (Tickets: YTL1.5) runs hourly to 4 Levent, from where the metro runs to Taksim Square. Havas services (Tickets: YTL9.50) depart after every international arrival, with return buses from Taksim Square on the European side roughly every hour, on the half hour, from 3.30am-8.30pm, except 10.30am.
(13 Hamami Sokak, Sultanahmet. Tel. 0212 517 1588) An extensive range of reasonably priced classic Turkish dishes and a location near the main sights make Doy Doy (meaning 'Fill me up!') a great place to eat—and meet other visitors.
(Selmanipak Caddesi, Uskudar. Tel. 0216 333 3791) Genuine Ottoman restaurant that has offered its extensive range of classic kebabs, stews and desserts for nearly 200 years.
(6th Floor Bankalar Han, 4 Kemeralti Caddesi, Karakoy. Tel. 0212 244 6808) Fabulous views across the water to Topkapi Palace and a menu to match, pitching excellent takes on Turkish standards with international desserts such as lemon meringue pie.
(Four Seasons Hotel, 1 Tevikhane Sokak, Sultanahmet. Tel. 0212 638 8200) One of the city's most prestigious restaurants, housed in the courtyard of its most unusual hotel, housed in what was once a prison. Nowadays, prison fare includes the best of modern Mediterranean cuisine with a nod to classic Turkish dishes and local fish.
(33 Siraselviler Caddesi, Taksim. Tel. 0212 293 6100) Long-running three-floor venue offering everything from hard disco to live grunge, pop and metal.
(65 Muallim Naci Caddesi, Ortakoy. Tel. 0212 261 1988) Dance till dawn with the rich and would-be famous, assuming your appearance passes muster with the notoriously picky door staff.
On the ground
Shop
Turkish league champions Fenerbahçe have dispensed with the middleman and now operate a chain of stores selling their own official merchandise. There are more than 30 branches in Istanbul (www.fenerium.com.tr).
Insider Tip
Three daily Englısh language newspapers vie for Turkey's growing foreign population: Turkish Daily News, New Anatolian and Today's Zaman.
Key Area
Located just far enough up the Asian shore of the Bosphorus to escape the traffic, Beylerbeyi boasts a pretty late-Ottoman palace and enough charm to warrant a wander along the shore.
This month
The 16th International Istanbul Theatre Festival hosts more than 60 performances by top international theatre groups and performers staged in locations all over the city, including the Byzantine Haghia Irene (from 16 May-4 June. www.iksv.org
Day Tripping
Rumeli Feneri
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The last village on the European side before the mouth of the Bosphorus, Rumeli Feneri retains the charm of a fishing village, albeit with few traditional buildings remaining. The 150 bus from Sariyer leaves for Rumeli Feneri every 45 minutes.
No way!
Twenty years ago the now-buzzing Beyoglu district boasted only a tiny handful of grimy bars frequented largely by students and 'intellectuals', tucked in among clip joints and other more shady establishments. The closing of the area's main artery, Istiklal Caddesi to traffic in 1990 sparked the renaissance of the area's historic café culture.
