Travel guide - Holiday - Hotel

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Istanbul is such a diverse city that it's almost impossible to split it up into definable districts. The only real distinctions that can be made between districts is that between the European Asian sides, which are separated by the Bosphorus and the peninsula lying between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara. Stretching from the Black Sea, along the Bosphorus to the Sea of Marmara on the edges of two continents, Istanbul has become a city of unlimited scope.

Sultanahmet

Most people who come to Istanbul land feet first in Sultanahmet. This peninsular (known as Sarayburnu) juts out at the apex of the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara. Rich in history, it's a natural magnet to millions of tourists every year. The home of Topkapi Palace, Aya Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Yerebatan, and the Hippodrome, Sultanahmet is filled to bursting with hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, and souvenir shops as well as a plethora of fascinating museums, mosques, markets and historical sites. The main drag, Divan Yolu, is the heartbeat of the area and there are hundreds of tiny back streets and alleyways in which to explore and discover the history of the old city. The labyrinthine Covered Bazaar near Beyazit University is also on this street.

Eminönü

Situated right on the waterfront on the Golden Horn, Eminönü is the end of the tramline. It is generally buzzing with activity during the day, with street peddlars selling you things you never even knew you wanted. The vast Egyptian Spice Bazaar is the main feature of Eminönü Square and Mimar Sinan's Yeni Camii is a familiar landmark with its minarets standing tall above the general chaos. Ferries to the Asian side and the Princes Islands leave from the huge docks lining the shore. The Sirkeci Train Station is also here: all trains to and from Europe start and finish here.

Beyoglu

A veritable symphony of occident and orient, Beyoglu is the pulsating heartbeat of Istanbul's day and nightlife. Istiklal Street - a paved thoroughfare perpetually swarming with Istanbul's colourful hoi polloi - is at the hub of the metropolis while a maze of narrow winding lanes filled with funky cafes, soulful bars, continental restaurants, historic cinemas, prominent theatres and exclusive shops shoot off in all directions around it. Taksim Square, featuring the impressive Monument to the Republic, heads the parade into Beyoglu's bohemian open-air museum past the Greek Orthodox Aya Triade Church and the French Consulate. A quaint old tramway carries passengers past the Rumeli Han, Cicek Pasaji, Cite de Pera, Atlas Pasaji, Galatasaray Lise, and several elegant consulates to the last stop in Tünel Square. Every year the International Istanbul Film, International Istanbul Music, International Istanbul Theatre and International Istanbul Film Jazz Festivals are held here and in nearby districts. Other annual events include the Bosphorus Festival, Roxy Music Days, Aksanat Jazz Festival and the Blues Festival.

Tünel

This is undoubtedly Istanbul's “Bohemian Quarter", which not so long ago was known as a bad area to hang out in, with its dark deserted streets and creepy abandoned buildings. However, the area has undergone tremendous development in recent years. Tiny cafes, live music venues, open-air restaurants and bars now quietly cohabit with art galleries, antique bookshops and music stores.

Karaköy

Around the first century BC, there was a tiny village situated on the mini peninsula of the Golden Horn where the modern suburb of Karaköy stands today. These days, Karaköy is a bustling port with a lively fish market, a hectic ferry terminal and a shady nightlife; an intriguing landscape at the mouth of the Golden Horn. Scores of locals fish from the Galata Bridge and an array of vendors peddle all kinds of goods along the sidewalks. A vast underground market filled with every electrical appliance you could ever imagine provides safe passage under the busy road to the entrance of Tünel. Up the hill is Bankalar Caddesi, an historical area filled with banks and art galleries and do-it-yourself stores. All visiting international cruise ships dock in Karaköy.

Galata

The Genoese-built Galata Tower is the most central point here. The renowned Turkish film Istanbul Beneath My Wings tells the story of Hazarfen Celebi who flew from this tower with his hand-made wings. The main street, Galip Dede Caddesi, is a hive of activity with shops selling all manner of musical instruments, antique bookshops and tiny local restaurants. The Whirling Dervishes have a home here at the Mevlana Evi, the Goethe Institute provides locals with a good dose of culture and art and there are countless mosques, churches and synagogues hidden away in obscure side streets.

Golden Horn

The most interesting part of the Golden Horn district comprises of the stretch of land between Eminönü and Ayvansaray, up as far as Eyüp. The Selimiye Camii, the Fethiye Camii and St Steven's Church grace the shoreline while the Chora Church and Mihrimah Camii are further inland. The old city walls start at Ayvansaray and snake overland to Yedikapi.

Besiktas and Ortakoy

Beşiktaş – which is atcually dismally devoid of places to paint the town red in - is at the center of the three-way fork that leads up the hill to Levent. Ortaköy, on the other hand, is a bustling suburb on the waterfront. Bubbling over with cafes, bars, restaurants and tea houses, this area is a popular weekend hangout for locals. Ortaköy's back streets are buzzing with handicraft stalls filled with trinkets and souvenirs on summer weekends. This part of town is renowned for its mosque, church and synagogue within close quarters. The Bosphorus Bridge spans the waterway overhead.

Bosphorus: Arnavutkoy to Sariyer

The Bosphorus shore on the European side is lined with Ottoman-style mansions, high society hangouts and fish restaurants. There is only one main road and it follows the shoreline all the way to Zekariyeköy, a popular weekend getaway for the citybound.

Sea of Marmara Coast: Kumkapi to Yedikule

Kumkapi is a distinctly touristy area filled with over-priced fish restaurants and not much else besides views of the sea. The coast road heads out toward the airport past the old city walls and Yediküle Fortress.

Asian Side and Bosphorus: Kadikoy to Anadolu Hisari

Kadiköy is a quieter version of Beyoglu with a more subdued atmosphere. The tiny cobbled lanes are filled with restaurants, cafes, bars, cinemas and shops. The coast road snakes past Üsküdar, a pretty suburb with plenty of fine examples of Mimar Sinan's work, including the Mihrimah Sultan and Şemsi Paşa Camiis. Selimiye Barracks (where Florence Nightingale worked during the Crimean War) is up on the hill. Heading toward Anadolu Hisari, the road winds along the shoreline (which is less built up than that of the European side). There are plenty of parks and trees, outdoor cafes and restaurants and a string of historical buildings to explore including Beylerbeyi Palace, Kuleli Mosque, Kuleli Naval Officer's Training School, Küçüksu Park and Kiosk and Anadolu Hisari.

Princes Islands

There are four islands in the Sea of Marmara that attract crowds escaping the summer heat: Buyukada, Heybeliada, Kinaliada and Burgazada. Ferries leave from Sirkeci, Kadiköy and Bostanci regularly. There are no cars on the islands - the transport here is horse-drawn carriages. All offer plenty of places to eat and sleep, and there are Greek monasteries at the top of the hills on Buyukada and Heybeliada.

Harbiye-Nisantasi-Sisli-Mecidiyekoy-Levent

The Military Museum in Harbiye is a good landmark from which to begin exploring Istanbul's business life. Nisantasi is the central shopping district while Sisli is strictly a business district all the way to Levent and beyond to Maslak. There is now an underground metro linking Taksim with Fourth Levent.

Roni Askey-Doran