Istanbul Travel Blog

Before delving right into what this particular $5 thing to do is; it might be useful to describe what 5 dollars might actually buy in the city. $5 make around 7.5 TRY, which is not a lot. A bus ride is 1.5 TRY, bread is 0.75 or 1.00 TRY, newspapers usually cost around 1.25 TRY, water is 0.50 TRY. Therefore,...

Now is the time to go, because there is not much left. Until the end of summer (that is for another 3 to 4 weeks), there will be live and soft tunes of Salsa surrounding the Bosphorus and the Assk Cafe in Kuruçeşme. The live performances will occur only on Thursdays -starting at 22:00 PM. Do not try...

There are many options for a pleasant weekend getaway in or around Istanbul; as well as farther away from Istanbul (for which you need to take 45 minutes of plane ride). The other options which are closer by to the city are a car-drive away. Before delving into a list of those places, word of caution:...

Nothing better and more soothing, pacifying and more romantic than watching the sunset reflect on the tip of mosque or Bosphorus from the top of anywhere in Istanbul. When accompanied by a glass of cool wine or well-brewed Turkish tea, it feels as if the world is yours. The following are a few places...

Three clubs lining up along the shore of Bosphorus have been closed down since Wednesday. If you have meant to go and been turned down, that was why. The reason of the state is that the clubs have been accused of playing the music “too loud” after 1 AM over the last weekend -until 5 AM in...

For a few years now, RedBull has been hosting the FlugTag days annually in May of each year for everyone who would like to fly. The first of these events was held in 2008. People from all age categories and backgrounds join the fun with whatever flying machine they may have invented; and then they flew...

This weeks “local picks” series features a 51 years old, former engineer, now a freelance career and life coach Burçin Gökçe. Ms. Gökçe is an engineer, who pursued an active and fulfilling career until her mid 40s. After 2005, she decided to take a respite from a life of 24/7 work and...

Brunches are the nicest way to kick off a Sunday morning with your loved ones. Especially when your mind is not full and the weather is good… Imagine a great buffet of nicest samples of delicious food -both breakfast and lunch-, your loved ones seated with you around a round table, sun shining...

“Otbp” for off-the-beaten-path… These are the top 5 ideas: 1. Go to Rumeli Feneri, which is a small village at the intersection of Black Sea and the Bosphorus. You should eat fish here. Recommended restaurant is Kahraman -but it is a little bit expensive. You can take a bus to Rumeli...

In my opinion the boutique hotels are usually much more romantic than some other five or seven star hotels. The boutique hotels provide a certain sense of belonging that many other big and major hotels lack. Arrival to a boutique hotel is a simple process. A friendly concierge or receptionist directs...