ABOUT ISTANBUL

Istanbul is the largest city of Turkey with a population of approximately 13 million people which makes it one of the largest cities in Europe. The city sits on both Asia and Europe that makes it arguably the only city that is located on two continents. Istanbul used to be the capital to Byzantine Empire until it was conquered by Ottomans in 1453. The date is considered in modern history to be the end of Middle Ages. The modern day Istanbul is very different than what is used to be and faced many changes and challenges since the end of Ottoman Empire during the beginning of 20th century. Due to its perfect location, Istanbul throughout centuries has never lost its important status as a port of commerce and a cultural center. As Turkey's economy has recently started to emerge again in the last few decades, the city has again started showing changes of going back to its glamorous days. Istanbul is one of the nine candidates for the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympics and it also hosts many different international conferences and exhibitions throughout the year.

Istanbul has a well-established transportation network with bus routes reaching almost everywhere, trains from both Asia and Europe making it into the very city center, boats and ferries along the Bosphorus, a clean and fast subway although  it only serves a route with limited stations. Yellow cabs are easy to find almost everywhere in the city and they are not expensive at all. They all charge using a meter and it does not cost much to ride cabs around the city unless the distance is really long. However, some taxi drivers are known to turn the ride into a thrill or a speed race which is not really fun unless you are late for your flight. Tipping is not necessary at the cabs but you can round up to the next lira. You do not have to leave any extra cash after that. The traffic, however, tends to slow down a lot or almost stop at many intersections during the rush hours. The city center, however, has a lot to offer so this might be the ideal time of the day to take a walk around and discover the city.

On most of the popular routes, it is possible to take a shared cab which is called ‘Dolmus”. They are slightly bigger than cabs and they are yellow as well. The sign on the top reads ‘Dolmus” instead of “Taksi” . Most of them have a seating capacity of approximately 10 people and they charge a flat fee along the route. You can take the city  ferry to ply  over the Bosporus in all directions from one continent to another. One of the best ways to explore Istanbul is to do so on water. That is really a sight while you will have the advantage of paying nothing more than a regular transportation charge. For a short trip from the European side, just hop on a ferry to Uskudar and you can be back in an hour.

If you are planning on riding the ferry, the bus or the subway, it is advisable to purchase “akbil” which is a pre-paid electronic chip embedded on a plastic similar to a key fob. You can use your pre-paid credit on the Akbil and you will have access to city’s transportation network with just a tap. There is always a direct bus service between the airports and Taksim. Taksim is the center of the transportation network, with buses, subways and dolmus' coming in from various destinations of the city. Taksim bus stop and the central subway station  is only a few minutes from where Hotel Lamartine is located.

If you will arrive Istanbul by car, your safest option will be to park it in a parking lot and take advantage of other transportation opportunities during your stay. For a western driver, Istanbul's traffic can prove to be really difficult to navigate in, the streets can get complicated and the local drivers sometimes may not be patient enough to show enough respect to slower drivers.

ATM’s are widely available throughout Istanbul and you should have no problems if you land in the city with nothing but a credit card. Credit cards, however are usually not accepted by most of the government agencies, public museums or other historic places run by the government. You may frequently have to run into an ATM and withdraw some cash to cover for such expenses. Visa and MasterCard are two of the most popular credit cards and they are accepted by almost every merchant that has a processing machine. However, you may have difficulties at some places if you are carrying an American Express Credit Card. Most of the touristic places, larger shops and hotels will accept American Express but still you have a better chance carrying a Visa or a MasterCard with you rather than running into a merchant that does not accept AMEX. If you are traveling to the suburbs, you may want to stop by an ATM and withdraw some cash while you are still in the city. Citibank branches provide the option of making withdrawals in multiple type of currencies such as US Dollar or Turkish Yeni Lira.

Exchange bureaus are very popular in touristic areas and usually are easy to spot. They exchange almost all currencies and charge no commission while offering good exchange rates. The change bureaus at the airport or most of the hotels do usually not charge a fee either but they offer worse exchange rates. You should try to avoid exchanging the bulk of you currency at the airport. Instead, try to exchange an amount that you think will be enough for a day or two and save the rest to the city.

TRADITIONAL CUISINE AND POPULAR EATERIES

Due to the great extent of the Ottoman Empire reaching from Europe to Africa and Middle East until a century ago, the traditional cuisine today still carries a touch of both the western and eastern cuisines. Most of the traditional food can be classified as Mediterranean and some as Middle Eastern.

If you are staying in a hotel that is serving traditional Turkish breakfast, you can expect to be served feta cheese, sliced tomatoes, green and black olives, sour cherry and strawberry jam, scrambled eggs, meat salami, soujuk (a kind of pepperoni), fresh fruits, honey and yogurt. Besides these you will be served with many types of white bread and croissant type pastries. Turks accept the breakfast to the king of meals and they choose to treat their guests like champs. You will leave your hotel ready to take a long walk with enough energy only from the breakfast you just had.

Since the country is covered by water on three sides, seafood is a major part of the traditional cuisine. Most popular seafood include shrimp, calamari or fishes such as Lufer (bluefish), palamut (bonito), levrek (seabass), kalkan (turbot), kefal (grey mullet) or hamsi which is the favorite from the Black Sea region. In Istanbul seaside. it is possible can run into street vendors that sell grilled fish in white bread just like a sandwich.

All traditional dishes can be expected to be served with spices such as garlic, cumin, crushed red peppers, oregano or mint. Salad dressings are usually a combination of fresh squeezed lemon juice and vegetable oil.

Tea and coffee are widely consumed, especially after and between meals. Turkish coffee is muddy on the bottom and is very strong. It is served in traditional cups which are shorter and smaller than usual mugs and they all have little handles.

Some popular deserts include baklava which is a pastry that has either nuts or pistachio mixed in it. Turkish Delight (lokums) also are usually made up of rose water and are covered with sugar. They usually include crushed nuts in them.

Food throughout the country is usually prepared with the utmost care and is very clean. Most of the traditional food is prepared with more attention given to taste rather than nutrition and some dieticians may not  classify them as healthy considering today’s diet standards since most of them contain a lot of fats or carbs.

Humus: mashed chickpeas and tahini spread. A traditional Middle Eastern tapas.

Eggplant Salad: Grilled eggplant puree seasoned with garlic lemon and olive oil

Cacik: thick yogurt and cucumber seasoned with garlic and fresh dill

Yaprak Sarma: hand rolled grape leaves stuffed with pine nuts, rice and herbs

Imam Bayildi (Stuffed Eggplant): Baby eggplant halves stuffed with fresh tomatoes, parsley and spices

Soslu Patlican (Eggplants with sauce): cubes of eggplant baked with olive oil and garnish with tomatoes and peppers

Babaganush: Smoked eggplant puree, olive oil, lemon juice and some garlic.

Stuffed Grape Leaves: Grape leaves stuffed with rice, topped with olive oil and sometimes meat.

Lebne: Thick homemade yogurt with walnut garlic and dill.

Tarama: Red caviar spread, blended with olive oil and lemon juice

Traditional food is usually served at restaurants that are modestly designed and Istanbul’s most glamorous restaurants tend to have touches of more international or fusion cuisines.

HISTORICAL LANDMARKS

Once a church, then became a Mosque and now it is a Museum. The Hagia Sophia is over 1600 years old and it is still one of the most incredible and significant buildings in the world. It has a 31.24 meters diameter dome with no apparent supports to it. Hagia Sophia, right now is arguably considered to be the 4th biggest cathedral in the world but the reality still holds true that it had been built 1,000 years before any of the first three. Still, it is not possible to classify cathedrals in size because there are many different variables like the size of the diameter of the dome or how tall it stands. For the first 1000 years after it was built, it has continuously been considered as the greatest church in Christendom. The pendentives that hold the dome are triangular shapes that let the circular base of a dome to stand weightless on a square shaped construction . The weight of the dome is supported by these four points of piers and passed to ground. This was tried to be accomplished for a long time by the Romans but it was the Byzantines that managed to build it for the first time at Hagia Sophia. Later, the technique was used at the construction of many other European churches during the 2nd millennium. This was an idea of two geniuses of their time, Anthemios of Tralles, and Isidoros of Miletos. When Byzantine Emperor Justinian stepped into this church for the first time, he proclaimed ”Solomon! I have outdone you!" After Istanbul was conquered by the Turks in 1453, it served as a mosque for another 500 years. The minarets were added to the structure after it was converted into a mosque. By the order of Ataturk, the Turkish government changed the status of this Istanbul landmark into a museum in 1935. Some of the Byzantine mosaics still survive in the museum. Some alterations were made when it was converted to a mosque to facilitate worship facing Mecca of Arabia. Hagia Sophia is a unique architectural monument. It has a total height of 55.6 meters and its dome has a diameter of 31.24 meters. Today, Hagia Sophia is a cultural monument protected by UNESCO.

Please visit our oldcity page for a map while we update the article

→Kiz Kulesi (Leanders Tower) on Bosphorus

Please visit our oldcity page while we update the article

Please visit our oldcity page while we update the article

Yerebatan Cistern is the old Roman built water reservoir of Constantinople. The 336 columns of the reservoir were built by Emperor Justanian as a water support to the city. The columns were collected from old Greek monuments; two of which to the northwest have upside down Medusa heads on their bottom. While there is water dripping from the ceiling and fishes are swimming in the eternal darkness you can hear the echoes of every drip in the cistern. The Cistern is as impressive as it sounds and it is definitely one of the most important places to see while you are in Istanbul.

EXHIBITION CENTERS IN ISTANBUL

CNR EXPO - Next to Ataturk Airport

T: 212-465-7474 F: 212-465-7476

T: 212-296-3055 F:212-224-0878

T: 212-886-6843 F: 212-886-6896

ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS IN ISTANBUL

WHERE TO EAT

POPULAR CLUBS AND RESTAURANTS

REINA - Night Club and Multiple Restaurants right under the Bosphorus Bridge. Popular restaurants include but are not limited to Park Samdan, Nis and Kosebasi. Celebs who have visited Reina in 2006 include Uma Thurman, Allen Iverson, Ester Canadas, Tim Duncan, Sting, Austrian Prince Nicolaus, Adriana Krembau, Michael Schumacher and others.

t: 212-259-5919
f: 212-260-1083

BORSA RESTAURANT - Traditional Turkish Cuisine - The best Turkish Cuisine in Istanbul and only half a mile from Hotel Lamartine

T: 212-232-4201
F: 212-232-5856

LOFT- World Fusion and Mediterranean - Subsidiary of Borsa Restaurants and it offers the same care in service and excellence. 5 minutes on foot from Hotel Lamartine. It was featured on NY Times' travel section this year.

T: 212-296-3055

KOSEBASI - Turkish Cuisine, Kabab Restaurant - Rated in top 50 restaurants of Europe by Zagat.

Address : Camlık Sokak No:15 3.Levent, Istanbul
T : 212-270-2433

PAPERMOON - Italian Cuisine - Franchise of the Italian Restaurant Chain from Milano. Located right under the most famous shopping mall in the city, Akmerkez. Most customers are regulars and easy to spot celebrities.

Address : Ulus Cad. Akmerkez No:224
AKMERKEZ SHOPPING MALL - ETILER
ISTANBUL
T: 212-282-1616
F: 212-282-1334

RUMELI ISKELE RESTAURANT - Traditional Mediterranean Seafood - Former ferry stop right on Bosphorus converted into a restaurant.

Address: Yahya Kemal cad. No : 1 Rumeli Hisari ( Rumeli Hisari Vapur Iskelesi) Sariyer - ISTANBUL
T: 212-263-2997
F : 212-263-4064

WHERE TO SHOP

ISTANBUL HOTELS

Please visit our Taksim Attractions page for more detailed information.

RELATED INFO AND TIPS

THINGS TO AVOID

For detailed information about Taksim and Beyoglu, please visit our Taksim Attractions page. That article in detail examines the opportunities and attrations that are within walking distance to Istanbul Hotel Lamartine.

TAKSIM AND PERA PAGE

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HOTEL LAMARTINE

Taksim and Pera Attractions

Alphonse De Lamartine