All About Istanbul

Istanbul commented by foreigners

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 15:31:00 +0000

Third suspension bridge on Bosphorus

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 22:17:00 +0000

On 26th of August 2016 Turkey opened one of the world's biggest suspension bridges. It's the widest suspension beidge in the world with 8 lanes for motor vehicles plus 2 lanes for high speed trains. It also has the world's highest pillars in a suspension bridge, around 322 meters (1,056 feet) high. The name of the bridge is Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge, named after one of the Ottoman sultans who ruled in the 16th century.

The third bridge creates a new link across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, which divides Asia and Europe. It was built by private construction companies and costed around 3 billion US dollars.

Istanbul: Best Destination in 2016

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 11:06:00 +0000

According to Trip Advisor's millions of users, Istanbul is the best destination in the world in 2016, after London.

The mosques, bazaars, and Turkish baths of Istanbul could keep you happily occupied for your entire trip: an eyeful of breathtaking architecture here, a good-natured haggle over a carpet there. Kick your trip off at the awe-inspiring Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque), which is visible from many points of the city. Stroll the Galata Bridge and stop by the Miniaturk Park to see its tiny artifacts. The Grand Bazaar has thousands of shops to browse, while the Egyptian Bazaar is a fragrant trove of spices and fruits.

2016 Travelers Choice by Trip Advisor, Best Destinations in the World:

1- London, United Kingdom

2- Istanbul, Turkey

3- Marrakech, Marocco

4- Paris, France

5- Siem Reap, Cambodia

6- Prague, Czech Republic

7- Rome, Italy

8- Hanoi, Vietnam

9- New York, U.S.A

10- Ubud, Indonesia

11- Barcelona, Spain

12- Lisbon, Portugal

13- Dubai, U.A.E.

14 St. Petersburg, Russia

15- Bangkok, Thailand

16- Amsterdam, Holland

17- Buenos Aires, Argentina

18- Hong Kong, China

19- Playa del Carmen, Mexico

20- Cape Town, South Africa

21- Tokyo, Japan

22- Cusco, Peru

23- Kathmandu, Nepal

24- Sydney, Australia

25- Budapest, Hungary

New ticket costs for public transportation

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 12:41:00 +0000

As of 31st of January 2016 ticket prices for public transportation in Istanbul are raised. This includes public busses, local ferries, subway/metro, trams, funicular.

The price of the single-use ticket (or coin) remains the same as 4 Turkish Lira for each ride. Meanwhile the rate for Istanbul Card is now 2,30 TL for the ride, it was 2,15 TL before.

Istanbul Biennale

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 15:16:00 +0000

14th edition of the Istanbul Biennale can be visited between September 5th - November 1st, 2015. There are several venues for the Biennale in different locations of the city: old city area, Taksim and Beyoglu area, Bosphorus, Princes islands, Kadikoy district, and so on. It's one of the most important cultural events in Istanbul.

Admission to the 14th Istanbul Biennial is free of charge, except at the Museum of Innocence.All venues will be closed on 24 September, the first day of the Religious holiday of Sacrifice (Eid). As of the 2nd day of holiday (between 25–27 September) İstanbul Modern, Pera Museum, ARTER and The Museum of Innocence opens while other venues remain closed.

Bosphorus Swimming Race

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 12:59:00 +0000

The Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race will take place at 10:00 A.M.on Sunday 26th of July 2015 in Istanbul. The race will start at Kanlıca Ferry Port on the Asian side and will end at Kuruçeşme Cemil Topuzlu Park on the European side. Over 2000 local and foreign swimmers will compete this year.

Istanbul - San Francisco with Turkish Airlines

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Sat, 18 Apr 2015 12:09:00 +0000

Turkish Airlines starts direct flights from Istanbul to San Francisco, which will be its 7th destination in the USA after Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, and Boston.

The San Francisco flight will operate 5 times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays in both directions.

Expensive restaurants in Istanbul

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Sat, 18 Apr 2015 11:40:00 +0000

Here is a list of most expensive classy restaurants in Istanbul according to Hurriyet newspaper:
1- Sunset in Ulus
2- Ristorante Italia at Zorlu Center
3- Lacivert in Anadoluhisarı
4- Spago at St. Regis hotel in Nişantaşı
5- Alancha in Beşiktaş
6- La Petite Maison in Şişli
7- Ulus 29
8- Nicole in Beyoglu
9- Kız kulesi off Salacak-Üsküdar
10- Papermoon at Akmerkez-Etile

Hagia Irene opened to visitors

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Wed, 07 May 2014 20:11:00 +0000

Hagia Irene (Aya Irini), former Byzantine church of 6th century, is opened to public as a museum as of April 2014. The site is located in the first courtyard of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.

Entrance to the museum costs 20 Turkish Liras. It's closed on Tuesdays, same as Topkapi palace museum. During summer months it can be visited between 09:00-18:00 (last entry).

Istanbul is a "Powerful City Brand"

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Wed, 07 May 2014 20:04:00 +0000

English newspaper The Guardian has listed "The World's Most Powerful City Brands" for 2014. The list ranks world cities on everything such as transport, attractions, weather, crime rate and safety, economic prosperity, and social ‘buzz’. This brand list is all about how cities use their assets, how they do the best with what they have.

Istanbul ranks #11 out of 25 cities listed.

Topkapi Palace is the top visited museum in 2013

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 09:18:00 +0000

According to a report issued by the Turkish Travel Agencies Union (TURSAB), nearly 30 million people visited the museums of Turkey in 2013.

The highest increase in the number of visitors was seen at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, due to its Harem. While the number of visitors to the Harem exceeded over 1 million people for the first time, the total number of visitors to Topkapı Palace was above 3,397.000 people. Therefore, on the list of the most-visited museums, Topkapi Museum left behind the Hagia Sophia Museum, which topped the list in 2011 and 2012.

Turkish museums and ancient sites, which hosted nearly 7 million people in the beginning of the 2000s, welcomed 29,533,000 visitors by the end of 2013. According to the data of TURSAB and the Culture and Tourism Ministry, 69% of visitors were foreigners and 31% were Turkish nationals.

Most walkable cities in the world

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Wed, 19 Mar 2014 09:05:00 +0000

Istanbul is listed among the “12 totally walkable cities to visit”, according to sheknows.com website.

Stone Town (Tanzania) was #1 on the list, while Austin (Texas) and Sydney (Australia) followed it. After Seattle (USA), Dublin (Ireland) and Vientiane (Laos), comes Istanbul (Turkey). The list follows with Prague (Czech Republic), Florence (Italy), New York (USA), Florionapolis (Brazil), and Boston (USA).

Istanbul's population is larger than many countries

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 13:53:00 +0000

Istanbul's official population is 13.854.740 as of today, which is more than 122 countries around the world!!!

Senegal (13,6 Million), Zambia (13,1 Million), Zimbabwe (13 Million), Chad (12,8 Million), Southern Sudan (11,3 Million), Cuba (11,2 Million), Belgium (11, 1 Million), Guinea (10,8 Million), Greece (10,8 Million), Tunis (10,8 Million), Portugal (10,6 Million), Rwanda (10,5 Million), Czech Republic (10,5 Million), Somalia (10,5 Million), Haiti (10,4 Million), Benin (10,3 Million), Burundi (10,1 Million), Bolivia (10 Million), Hungary (9,9 Million), Sweden (9,6 Million), Belarus (9,5 Million), Dominican Republic (9,5 Million), Azerbaijan (9,2 Million), Austria (8,5 Million), Honduras (8,4 Million), UAE (8,3 Million), Switzerland (8,1 Million), Israel (8 Million), Tajikistan (8 Million), Bulgaria (7,3 Million), Serbia (7,2 Million), Hong Kong (7,2 Million), Papua New Guinea, (7,1 Million), Paraguay (6,7 Million), Laos (6,6 Million), Jordan (6,5 Million), Eritrea (6,3 Million), Libya (6,2 Million), Togo (6,2 Million), Sierra Leone (6,2 Million), El Salvador (6,2 Million), Nicaragua (6,1 Million), Denmark (5,6 Million), Kyrgyzstan (5,6 Million), Finland (5,4 Million), Slovakia (5,4 Million), Singapore (5,3 Million), Turkmenistan (5,2 Million), Norway (5,1 Million), Lebanon (4,8 Million), Costa Rika (4,7 Million), Central African Republic (4,6 Million), Ireland (4,6 Million), Georgia (4,5 Million), New Zealand (4,5 Million), Congo Republic (4,4 Million), Palestine (4,4 Million), Liberia (4,3 Million), Croatia (4,3 Million), Bosnia (3,8 Million), Oman (3,8 Million), Puerto Rico (3,7 Million), Kuwait (3,6 Million), Moldova (3,6 Million), Mauritania (3,5 Million), Panama (3,4 Million), Uruguay (3,3 Million), Armenia (3 Million), Lithuania (3 Million), Albania (2,8 Million), Mongolia (2,8 Million), Jamaica (2,7 Million), Namibia (2,1 Million), Lesotho (2,1 Million), Slovenia (2,1 Million), Macedonia (2,1 Million), Botswana (2 Million), Latonia (2 Million), Qatar (1,9 Million), Gambia (1,8 Million), Guinea Bissau (1,7 Million), Gabon (1,7 Million), Equator Guinea (1,6 Million), Togo (1,3 Million), Estonia (1,9 Million), Mauritius (1,3 Million), Swaziland (1,2 Million), Bahrain (1,2 Million), East Timor (1,1 Million), Djibouti (865 thousand), Cyprus (862 thousand), Fiji (858 thousand), Reunion (821 thousand), Guyana (785 thousand), Bhutan (737 thousand), Comoros (724 thousand), Montenegro (620 thousand), Macau (582 thousand), West Sahara (567 thousand), Solomon Islands (561 thousand), Luxemburg (537 thousand), Surinam (534 thousand), Cape Verde Republic (492 thousand), Malta (416 thousand), Guadeloupe (403 thousand), Martinique (394 thousand), Brunei (393 thousand), Bahamas (351 thousand), Iceland (324 thousand), Maldives (317 thousand), Belize (313 thousand), Barbados (274 thousand), French Polynesia (268 thousand), Vanuatu (265 thousand), New Caledonia (259 thousand), French Guyana (229 thousand), Mayotte (213 thousand), Samoa (188 thousand), Sao Tome and Principe (187 thousand), Saint Lucia (167 thousand), Guam (159 thousand), Curacao (151 thousand)

More interesting facts on Istanbul.

Short Course World Championship in Istanbul

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 08:21:00 +0000

The 2012 FINA Short Course World Championship will be hosted at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul between 12-16 December 2012.

Some of the biggest names in swimming, around 900 athletes, including Olympic champions such as U.S. swimming icon Ryan Lochte, France’s Florent Manaudou, Italian Federica Pellegrini and Hungarian Laszlo Cseh, will take to the pool during the 25 meter races.
The FINA World Swimming Championships (25 meters) is a five-day sports competition held every two years.

Graffiti Festival 2012

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:54:00 +0000

The biggest graffiti festival of Turkey will be held on 15th of July 2012, Sunday, in Taksim Square - Istanbul. The event, called as "Meeting Of Allstars", will bring together many world-known graffiti artists from various countries and from Turkey as well.

Ataturk Airport breaks record

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:27:00 +0000

Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport (IST) has broken its all time record for air traffic. On June 15th, 2012, the number of planes departing and arriving at Ataturk Airport was recorded as 1,090. In other words, one plane either departed from or arrived at the Ataturk Airport every 75 seconds.

Ottoman music research center opened

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 22:11:00 +0000

Turkey’s first institute created to study Ottoman era music has been opened within the body of Istanbul University (IU). The Ottoman Music Application and Research Center will create an inventory of music at the time of the Ottomans.

The center will analyze all libraries, manuscripts in the Topkapi Palace, the IU State Conservatory, which is the continuation of Darülelhan, where the first research on music was made in the Ottoman, musical instruments in the university’s rare works of art unit and special collections in order to create a database.

Madonna concert in Istanbul: June 7th, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:09:00 +0000

Madonna, the Queen of pop, has announced plans for a 2012 World Tour. She is coming to Istanbul in June 7th to perform at the Turk Telekom Arena to more than 60,000 Turkish fans and music-lovers. The 53-year-old entertainer is still in good shape with her songs and loved very much in Turkey too.

Madonna’s last concert in Istanbul was in 1993.

Istanbul Music Festival, June 2012

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:37:00 +0000

40th edition of Istanbul Music Festival will be held at various venues between 31 May - 29 June, 2012, with the participation of more than 750 local and foreign artists such as Fazil Say, Helene Grimaud, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Milos, Gidon Kremer, and many others.

Istanbul Fashion Week 2012

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:26:00 +0000

Istanbul Fashion Week will be on show between 8-11 February 2012, aiming to gain recognition for Turkish designers and brands in national and international tribunes and to make a contribution to Turkish economy while increasing the design power in the fashion industry.

400 years of Turkish-Dutch relations at Pera Museum

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:59:00 +0000

Turkish-Dutch relations are on exhibit at the Pera Museum in Istanbul. Commemorating 400 years of cultural, diplomatic and trade relations between Turkey and the Netherlands, the Pera Museum is presenting an exhibition titled “Sultans, Merchants, Painters: The Early Years of Turkish-Dutch Relations.” The exhibition includes over 80 works comprised of oil paintings, watercolors, engravings and books, and will continue until April 1st, 2012.

New York Times article on Istanbul excavations

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:52:00 +0000

The New York Times has published an article regarding the excavations and new findings at the Kucukcekmece Lake of Istanbul, revealing interesting facts and artifacts of this early settlement of ancient Constantinople.

You can read the full article at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/science/istanbul-yields-a-treasure-trove-in-ancient-bathonea.html?_r=2&ref=science

Cihangir is one of the "Five best places in the world"

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:10:00 +0000

The Guardian newspaper named the "Five best places to live in the world", and Istanbul's Cihangir neighbourhood is one of them.

You can read the full article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/jan/20/five-best-places-to-live-in-world

New exhibitions at the Borusan Contemporary Art museum

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:31:00 +0000

Borusan Contemporary Art museum, housed in the "Haunted Mansion" (Perili Kosk) in Rumelihisari neighbourhood along the Bosphorus in Istanbul, is housing the "River of History" exhibition by artist Kathleen Forde and also the "Segment #1A" exhibition by artist Dr. Necmi Sonmez until 15th of April 2012.

New Aquarium in Istanbul

noreply@blogger.com (allaboutturkey) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:16:00 +0000

Istanbul is now hosting another aquarium as of June 2011, after the Turquazoo aquarium. The Istanbul Aquarium claims to be the largest thematic aquarium in the world !! It's located at Florya neighbourhood, near Ataturk airport.

According to the officials there will be about 1,500 species of fish and sea creatures inside its 64 water tanks, covering a huge area (there will be a big shopping mall too next year), with several 5D theaters (besides the 3D you will experience rain, water, fog etc for all your senses). So, this will be another attraction for all kids and adults.