Istanbul Travel Blog

Yasemin Elçi is a hard “lifeworker”, in the sense that she realizes very early in life, how important it is to do what you like, despite all the popular views. She graduated from Robert College (RC), which is a highly competitive high school in Istanbul, in 2003. As many of RC’s highly...

Valentine’s Day is almost -almost!- today. So watch out the details in this writing even more carefully than you would maybe otherwise ;) Hotiç is a popular local brand of fashion selling mostly shoes and bags. For more about the brand you may click here. As a fashion brand, Hotiç is loved by...

We’d left off discussing boutique hotels of Turkey, their unique aspects and values. This particular article will divert from the conceptual framework of the first one towards the particular Istanbul and  the particular Turkey of Mr. Bozada. What is you dream holiday? I do not know from which...

This of course is my personal opinion, but the best way to seize a city or town is if you stay at a pretty boutique hotel. Everyone and everything is then more personal, and there is a deeper local touch that is readily available to your eyes. In the past boutique hotels and pension in Turkey seemed...

It is more appropriate to introduce first the concept of oil production in Turkey before proceeding onto who we have interviewed and what his perspective is about Istanbul. When I write “olive oil producer” it sounds like anything… Could be a farmer, could be factory owner, or a first-hand...

Ipek Kuran is a Turkish freelance photographer who describes her journey with photography in the following lines: “I’ve been taking pictures for as long as I can remember. My photography and the way I approach my subjects evolved as I grew up, but one thing has remained the same and that’s...

I’ve been sitting with my hands on my stomach for two hours after feasting on one of the best Turkish style breakfasts ever. We were at Namlı Gourmet Shop in Karaköy. As a market, the Namlı Shop had always been there, selling a variety of cheese and salami to the residents of Istanbul. Recently,...

Galata Neighborhood It’s funny how fast this city is changing… Just as I thought I was grasping the gist of the Tunnel district, I found myself face to face with a new challenge. The Kuledibi Mahallesi in Galata, the Neighborhood beneath the Galata Tower in translation, has become an extensive neighborhood...

Merve getting ready for her next piece Merve Ünsal is an artist/writer based in New York. Native of Istanbul, Turkey, she has recently finished an Internet-based art project questioning the nature of airports and airport security. She is the co-editor of BoltArt.net and is currently working on various...

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...