WHAT'S IT LIKE?
Home to as many world-class restaurants, stylish bars and chic boutiques as it
is to magnificent Ottoman mosques (and that's a lot), Istanbul is the most
unexpected of all European destinations.
While locals are keen to join the select ranks of the EU, most visitors
couldn't care less - after all, the city's heady mix of East and West is
part of what makes it so alluring. Whatever the outcome of the accession
talks, one thing is certain: Istanbul's great food, inspired architecture
and unparalleled value for money make it a perfect city break destination
regardless of whether it's officially part of Europe or not.
SECRET PLACES
The most charming of the city's Ottoman mosques is the diminutive Mosque of
Rustem Pasha, which is nestled amidst the chaos and confusion of the
Tahtakale shopping district. Built in 1560 for the son-in-law and grand
vizier of Suleyman the Magnificent, its walls are encrusted with exquisite
turquoise-coloured Iznik tiles and its graceful colonnaded terrace is a true
urban haven.
The mosque is easy to miss - walk west from the Spice Bazaar along Hasircilar
Caddesi and turn right at the fourth narrow street. The mosque is at the top
of a stone staircase on the right-hand-side.
OUTDOOR SPACE
Once the spot where chariots raced and conquering armies declared their
victories with obligatory orgies of pillage and plunder, the Byzantine
Hippodrome is right in the centre of the Sultanahmet action, next to the
outrageously curvaceous Blue Mosque. The major events it hosts these days
are gatherings of locals picnicking on its grass and minor skirmishes
between enthusiastic souvenir touts and besieged tourists.
URBAN WALK
Forget the tourist trails around Sultanahmet: the most enjoyable walk in
Istanbul is from the Spice Market at Eminonu across the Galata Bridge and
uphill to the historic Galata Tower. The best time is at sunset, when the
tower is garlanded with the silhouettes of shrieking seagulls and the
mosques atop the seven hills of the Old City are thrown into relief against
a rose-tinted sky.
You'll walk past hopeful anglers trailing lines in the waters below and you'll
smell the evocative scent of apple tobacco seeping up from the cafes on the
bridge's lower promenade - it's Istanbul at its most magical.
LIVE SOUNDS
The city's signature sound is the urban symphony performed by hundreds of
duelling muezzins at each call to prayer.
For music with less religious overtones, make your way to Despina (Acikyol
Sokak 9, Kurtulus, tel. 232 6720) for dinner on a Friday or Saturday night.
Established in 1946, this is one of the best meyhanes (taverns) in the city.
The food on the Armenian/Greek menu is good, but plays second fiddle to the
live fasil (folk) music performed by some of the country's most accomplished
musicians. It's a 30-minute taxi ride from Sultanahmet.
MARKETS
Few visitors can resist the temptation of getting lost in the labyrinthine
lanes of Istanbul's oldest and most atmospheric shopping mall, the Grand
Bazaar.
It's a one-stop shop where you can buy everything from tacky belly dancing
outfits to precious antique textiles, gold jewellery and top-quality rugs.
When you're done, wander down the hill through the Tahtakale shopping
district and follow your nose to the famous and historic Spice Bazaar, the
place to purchase herbal love potions and aromatic spices.
MUST BUY
The gorgeously gooey gloop known to Turks as lokum and to the rest of
us as Turkish delight originated in Istanbul in 1776. It can still be
purchased from the original shop of its inventor, Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir
(Hamidiye Caddesi 83, Eminonu, tel. 522 0666), near the Spice Bazaar. A
pre-packed gift box of pistachio lokum (£3.05) makes a delicious souvenir.
MUST SEE
Mehmet the Conqueror built the first stage of Topkapi Palace (Sogukcesme
Sokak, Topkapi, tel. 512 0480; Palace adult/child £5.13, Harem
£4.28,Treasury £4.28; open Wednesday-Monday 9am-5pm) shortly after the
Conquest in 1453, and lived here until his death in 1481. He was among the
most restrained of its resident sultans - of his successors, Selim the Sot
drowned in the bath after drinking too much champagne and Ibrahim the Mad
lost his reason after being imprisoned in one of its chambers for four years.
The highlights of any visit are taking a guided tour of the Harem, marvelling
at the precious items on display in the Treasury and walking around the
elegant kiosks and pool terrace of the Fourth Court, which overlooks the
Golden Horn.
BOHO SCENE
Most visitors end up strolling the length of Istanbul's most famous shopping
and entertainment strip, Istiklal Caddesi, but few detour into the side
streets of the Tunel/Asmalimescit district, the city's main bohemian
enclave. This is where the black-clad set congregates after attending
openings and performances at the wealth of local art galleries, cultural
centres and art house cinemas.
Anchoring the scene is the atmospheric KeVe (Tunel Gecidi 10, Tunel, tel. 251
4338; open 8.30am-2.30am), a café/bar in the plant-filled passage of a Belle
Époque arcade just off Tunel Square.
BEST BUILDING
The interior of Aya Sofya, also known as Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya Meydani,
Sultanahmet, tel.522 0989; £6.41, Tuesday-Sunday 9am-5pm), with its domed
ceiling soaring heavenward, is so sublimely beautiful that many seeing it
for the first time are literally stunned into silence.
Built by Emperor Justinian, it was completed in 537 and reigned as the
greatest church in Christendom until the conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
If you visit only one site when in the city, make it this one.
GREAT BITES
Buried in a maze of narrow streets behind the historic Cicek Pasaji (Flower
Passage) on Istiklal Caddesi, Nevizade Sokak is the most famous eating
precinct in the city. Every night of the week its meyhanes are full of
carousing locals sampling the dizzying array of meze and fresh fried fish on
offer, washed down with a never-ending supply of raki.
On Friday and Saturday summer evenings the street literally heaves - it's the
best party in town.
WHERE TO SLEEP
Posh: A regular contender for 'Best Hotel in the World', the Four
Seasons (Tevkifhane Sokak 1, Cankurtaran, tel. 638 8200; from £237 per
night), was once the infamous Sultanahmet Prison (remember Midnight
Express?). These days you need to book ahead and throw around loads of
cash to do time here, but its peerless position in the shadow of Aya Sofya
and the Blue Mosque and its elegant design make it well worth while.
Affordable: The nearby Hotel Sebnem (Adliye Sokak 1, Cankurtaran, tel.
517 6623;from £24 per night; the website is under construction, so for the
moment use www.tobook.com), is nowhere near as posh, but its modest prices,
comfortable en suite rooms and friendly management are great.
