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Istanbul owes its historic importance & its amazing cultural & architectural heritage to its perfect strategic location, straddling the Bosphorus straits which separate Europe & Asia Minor. Istanbul has a foot in each, celebrating the best of both heritages. As Byzantium, Constantinople & finally, Istanbul, it has been the capital of three Empires, each leaving their mark in the form of stunning palaces, castles, mosques, churches & monuments. The legacy of its chequered past can be seen on every turn of the modern city. Istanbul is a city of contrasts, bustling with the cacophony of 21st century life, & is yet achingly beautiful. Through most of its 2,500 year-long history, the city has been a cultural melting pot... |
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Dining Befitting a city astride two continents, Istanbul has restaurants serving the best in international not to mention Turkish cuisine. All around Istanbul are kebab houses & informal lokantas that serve popular local dishes such as kofte (grilled lamb meatballs) & pide (a slab of thin dough covered with various ingredients that was the original inspiration for Italian pizza). A traditional favorite is lahmacun minced meat, onions & tomato sauce on paper-thin bread. Visitors should also be sure to try one or more of Istanbul's fine seafood restaurants, the best of which tend to be found appropriately along the Bosporus, generally in outlying areas such as Kurucesme, past the first Bosphorus Bridge. Less pricey, though also good, are the fish restaurants in the Kumkapi district of the Old City, which are popular for outdoor dining. A number of these restaurants enliven the atmosphere with Turkish music &/or belly dancers. They do a brisk business in summer, so reservations are rarely taken. The most concentrated dining area of town is in Beyoglu, between Tunel & Taksim squares. It offers everything from swanky rooftop fusion restaurants to crowded pavement eateries where diners jostle along shared tables. Whatever you're having, most Turkish meals begin with a selection of mezes (appetizers), which come in dozens of varieties with new ones being concocted all the time. The best-known are dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), but also popular are mussels, stuffed vegetables (often eggplant) & borek, flaky pastries filled with cheese. A common accompaniment to any meal is raki, a potent clear liqueur that's flavored with aniseed (dilute it with some water, which will turn it a milky color). Traditional desserts include fresh fruit, syrup-soaked pastries & milk puddings. Halvah (flaked sesame seeds in honey) is also an authentic Turkish delight. Breakfast is typically served 7-10 am, lunch from noon-2 pm. Dinner usually takes place well into the evening, especially in summer. Don't plan on eating before 8 pm, most restaurants don't get busy until 9 pm or later. Istanbul is a city that eats & sleeps late. The late hours are well-matched to the Turkish custom of making dinner an extended form of entertainment, fueled by musicians, many plates of mezes & lots of wine & raki. Nightlife It is a mystery to anyone who has spent more than a few nights sampling Istanbul's extensive & diverse nightlife that the city has never really managed to establish an international reputation for fun until recent times. Unlike many of the east European capitals Istanbul is more associated by outsiders to mosques, battlements & hamams than bars, nightclubs & restaurants. This is a travesty. From the bohemian backstreets of Beyoglu to the pumping ostentation of Ortakoy or Etiler, Istanbul really does boast one of the most engaging & vibrant scenes in the region. The only potential nightmare for any would-be reveller in Turkey's biggest city is the agony of choice. The city is generally safe, the people extremely welcoming & best of all, the prices relatively cheap. Primarily a destination for those seeking historical enrichment & a taste of the exotic, Istanbul presents itself to visitors in a number of unexpected ways. One of those ways is as a sophisticated citified, cosmopolitan denizen of the night. When the sun sets & the spotlights go on, Istanbul squeezes into a slinky black dress & invites its various & varied communities along for the ride. Dozens of rooftop lounges & exclusive Bosphorus front restaurants are transformed into the living rooms of the smart set. Informal & sometimes raucous restaurants or tavernas teem with the pent-up energy of the long work week. Students gyrate to the futuristic sounds of techno music while some of their classmates, with arms raised in the air, snap their fingers to the percussive rhythms of traditional Anatolian folk music. The energy is palpable & as new & innovative night time destinations open up weekly, Istanbul is fast becoming a credible rival to Europe's other nightlife meccas. Depending on your nightlife style, there is a certain rhythm to the way things roll out after dark in this great metropolis. The choices run the gamut to bars, restaurants, live music venues, dance clubs, tea gardens, water pipe cafes (serving a menu of fragrant tobacco for use in a nargile or hookah pipe) & a variety of pub like locales. More often than not, there is significant overlap. For example, the popular Bosphorus nightclub, Reina, has three restaurants & a number of bars on several open-air levels. At the traditional Turku Evi, live Turkish folk music can more often than not be appreciated while dining on mezes, grills & sautes. Tea gardens are often also water pipe cafes. As mentioned in the dining section, most restaurants move the dining upstairs to the rooftop in the warmer months. Some restaurants & nightclubs with locations 'in town' (usually in Beyoglu) move the action up to the Bosphorus in summer. Babylon & Nu Pera in Beyoglu are popular night clubs both in the summer & in the winter. The most popular open air summer time seaside night clubs are found on the Bosphorus, such as Sortie, Reina & Anjelique in the Ortakoy district. Q Jazz Bar in Ortakoy offers live jazz music in a stylish environment. Venues such as Istanbul Arena in Maslak & Kurucesme Arena on the Bosphorus frequently host the live concerts of famous singers & bands from all corners of the world. Parkorman in Maslak hosted the Isle of MTV Party in 2002 & is a popular venue for live concerts & rave parties in the summer. |
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Turkey
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Divanyolu Caddesi No:34 Sultanahmet - Istanbul /
TURKEY 34122 |
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Association of Turkish Travel Agencies TURSAB Member No: A1855 |
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