Istanbul Travel Blog

Abant is a magnificent holiday haven that is only 225 km away from İstanbul. It is a perfect getaway place for those willing to surpass the hectic city life even on a short time span such as a weekend. Abant is on the way to Ankara from Istanbul; and is 30 km off Bolu. Abant can be easily reached in...

A month of shopping has swept by… Via Port Shopping Mall is one of the earliest Malls to come to an early termination with the Festival. Within the next 3 – 4 days, other Malls and boutiques will also follow the trend. Via Port will be ending its own campaign with an astonishing flash mob...

Gaia Spa is one of the perfect locations for a day holiday without leaving the city… “Gaia” means Earth or Mother Earth; as such the mission of the Gaia Spa is to leverage from the organic healing nature of Mother Earth. Thus, therapists at the Gaia Spa source and use high-quality natural...

Chick Corea and Gary Burton gave an excellent concert on 31st of March at the magnificent concert hall of CRR (Cemal Reşit Rey). CRR is one of the major concert halls in Istanbul european side: and it is owned by the municipilaty of Istanbul. Although they are not completely counterparts of one another,...

In earlier article, I must have already mentioned how Etçii is the “father” of all other steakhouses in the city, in the sense that it is founded in the land of where the meat to all other steakhouses come from… This land is called Tuzla. Tuzla is a suburban countryside next to the Marmara...

A few weeks ago was a rainy day in Istanbul. With a gray sky and a soft rain, there were few options on how to spend the day. One could go to a cinema, luck themselves up at the gym, get a nice back massage and do a spa day or stay in, watch DVD. I would have gone for the massage  and the spa; but a...

This year, Istanbul will be hosting its first shopping festival ever. The festival is bound to last 40 days and 40 nights and to take place between the 18th of March and 26th of April. There are several brands and venues taking participating to the Festival. Brands are mostly participating by making...

Toward the shores of the Golden Horn — a historic estuary dividing Istanbul’s old city and forming a natural harbor — you will find a rare historic neighborhood away from the bustling city life downtown. The neighborhood of Balat derives its name from its former role as a 15th-century...

It is finally Valentine’s Day. Some of us may have already started feeling anxious romantic -thinking about the splurge they will be experiencing at Istanbul’s best restaurants; others may be gracious and romantic -hoping to seize a charming Istanbul against a charming view of the city or...

I would assume that breakfast at Ritz Carlton is not radically different from breakfast at Hilton or Conrad. It is a big hotel with many stars and a good brand name and is serving high quality, good variety breakfast like many other. And, I was at Ritz Hotel recently for breakfast and I must say that...