A guide to the neighborhoods that have the most to offer
We satisfy your hunger for contemporary art and eternal Ottoman and Byzantine beauty in the same getaway.
WHERE TO SLEEP
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus _(Ciragan Caddesi 22, Besiktas. From 470 euros) _
In Istanbul, the most appetizing thing is sleep on the shores of the Bosphorus and, if you can choose, nothing better than to see the morning mist from the rooms of this very elegant ottoman palace with a marble facade, where caressing the sheets gives you pleasure and the bathrooms are almost like a spa.
Swimming pool at the Four Seasons Istanbul hotel
To find even more pleasure, and the spa, go downstairs. Along the way, neutral luxury starring spectacular flower arrangements, hand-painted (soaring) ceilings and exquisite service staff.
The terrace overlooking the Bosphorus, lit by candlelight at night and, in summer, with a swimming pool and an al fresco restaurant, Ocakba, with which to travel (from kebab to meze) throughout Turkey, is the other great bonus. Trust us, this is where you want to stay and eat breakfast!
Bebek Hotel by The Stay _(Cevdet Pasa Cd. 34, Bebek. From 110 euros) _
Much more modest, but with great Charm, the old Bebek hotel, from the Sultan Mehmed II bridge, muse of artists since the 50s, It was remodeled last year by the architect Mahmut Anlar and the know-how of the Turkish hotel group The Stay, which has three other accommodations in the city.
All the rooms, whether facing the Bosphorus or the Bebek Hills, keep a romantic marine touch.
My Dora Hotel _(Rasimpaşa Mahallesi Recaizade Sk.6, Kadıköy-Moda. From 50 euros) _
Do not expect sophistication, but it is comfortable, it has a history (almost 50 years) and it is especially convenient if you want to explore the Asian area of Kadıköy and Moda.
Soho House Istanbul _(Evliya Çelebi Mahallesi Meşrutiyet Cd. 56, Beyoğlu. From 350 euros) _
It is worth getting away from the Bosphorus to stay in the Beyoğlu, the artistic district of Istanbul, in this mansion – former residence of a Genoese shipowner and, not long ago, the United States embassy – whose walls are covered with frescoes and Corinthian columns they make you feel in a modernized Venetian palazzo (and converted into a social club) with the harmonious eclecticism of Soho House.
One of the rooms at Soho House Istanbul
From the rooftop pool you can see the Golden Horn. It is essential to pass through here at some point.
Witt Istanbul Suites _(Kılınç Ali Paşa Mahallesi 26 Defterdar Ykş., Beyoğlu. From 200 euros) _
The Witt's 18 loft-style suites have very successful among people in fashion, art and design exhibiting in neighboring galleries. appreciate your modernist style, Ross Lovegrove-designed marble bathrooms and touches like freshly baked fig cookies delivered to your bedside or breakfasts in the room free of charge.
WHERE TO EAT
Enough! Street Food Bar _(Caferağa Mahallesi 1 Sakız Sk., Kadıköy. About 11 euros) _
Gourmet street food? You can, and that's what celebrity chefs do Kaan Sakarya and Derin Arıbaş in this tiny locale with the humble dürüm. Basta ribs! they cook for eight hours and the sauces are their own recipes. On the menu only eight kinds of durum and a hamburger.
Pray that the day you go they have sütlaç (rice pudding) . Everything except Coke and pickles is made here.
The informal bar of Basta!
aqua _(Çırağan Caddesi 28. Around 100 euros) _
For fancy dinner, the imaginative menu of the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus restaurant combines Turkish and Italian influences and impeccable service . And the views we were talking about. Sunday Brunch it is a memorable event.
Bebek Balikçi _(Bebek Mh. Cevdet Paşa Cd. 26/A, Beşiktaş) _
If you feel like giving yourself a feast based on fish and seafood Sitting by the strait, the typical and traditional Bebek balıkçı (fisherman) is a sure bet. Even if you arrive full its famous salt fish, try the more starters the better (tabouleh, aubergine salad, squid, meatballs...) .
** MSA'nin ** _(Emirgan MahallesiSakıp Sabancı Cd. 42. From 37 euros) _
Surely you have heard of the MSA, one of the most prestigious gastronomic academies in the world. And the future chefs complete their preparation, both in the kitchen and behind the bar and in the service, in this elegant and jovial restaurant.
It's inside the Sakip Sabanci museum and the glass front of the dining room leaves See the Bosphorus in all its splendor.
Koco _(Moda Caddesi 71/A, Kadıköy-Moda. From 20 euros) _
If the tables of this institution could talk... Has been since 1928 in a garden overlooking the Sea of Marmara. Greek specialties and the freshest fish that you will find, because they work with their own fishermen. Excellent meze (starters) and the raki home (an aniseed liqueur) . In the basement is what is probably the smallest chapel in the city.
MSA'nin Restaurant at Sakip Sabanci Museum
ismet _(Carsi Caddesi 1A. From 16 euros) _
Photos of its famous clients (the sea captain Fazli, the carpenter Vasil, the poet Can...) adorn the entrance of this small food house one hundred percent local and almost from another time.
mangerie _(Cevdet Paşa Caddesi 69, Bebek. From 20 euros) _
The light of the Bosphorus floods this terrace bistro atop a decaying building in Bebek, the chic neighborhood Relaxed atmosphere, unintentionally beautiful people and **Mediterranean flavors (sea bass burger and duck salad, pomegranate and homemade tagliatelle)**.
For late breakfast, early lunch or drink something at any time. If you get table on the terrace, you won't want to move from there all day.
Ciya Sofrasi _(Guneslibahce Sk. 43. From 12 euros) _
In Turkey, food is ruled not only by the seasonal product, also for the parties and the traditions. In the three restaurants by chef Musa Dağdeviren, a student of the recipe book and the culinary philosophy of his country –he runs a publishing house and a foundation–, that gastronomic calendar.
So don't be scared when you see what it is a buffet by weight: you are in the best classic restaurant in town. If Musa Dağdeviren has piqued your curiosity, look on Netflix for the chapter dedicated to him in C_hef's Table_ (season 5) .
Zubeyir Ocakba _(Bekar Sokak 28, Beyoğlu) _
The grill master Zübeyir prepares what for many is the best kebab in istanbul. At the same height are delicious ribs (just with a little red pepper and thyme) , the gavurda salad (cucumber and pomegranate) , smoked eggplant and the traditional quince dessert.
A CANDY
Baylan Patisserie _(Ismail Gurkan Cd. 34, Cagaloglu) _
After studying confectionery in France, the Albanians Filip Llenas and his cousin Yorgi were, in 1923 , the founders of this famous pastry shop which today has two locations: one in Kadıköy and another, more sophisticated, in baby , where they also serve meals. If you are only going to sin once, let it be with the kup griye, based on vanilla ice cream, bathed in caramel and strips of toffee.
Mini Dondurma _(Bebek Paşa Cd. 38/A, Beşiktaş) _
As its name says, a “tiny ice cream parlor”, just 4 square meters, serving happiness since 1968.
WHERE TO HAVE A COFFEE
Bebek Kahve _(Cevdet Paşa Cd. 18, Bebek) _
The coffee is something so sacred to the Turks that It is taken slowly, in short sips so as not to swallow the grounds and only, accompanied by nothing more than a glass of water and a game of backgammon. Or several.
This historic and always lively bohemian aura cafe and terrace in the park it's the perfect place to do both: coffee and play. It is located very close to the port of Bebek.
NIGHTLIFE
Arkaod _(Kadife Sokak 18/A, Kadıköy) _
On the main bar street of Kadıköy, this space, which is committed to musical creation and alternative cultural promotion, marked the beginning of the neighborhood's metamorphosis. With a second location in Berlin, program DJ sessions, festivals, film screenings, themed markets...
One of its founders is also the owner of the popular yer wine bar _(Ferit Tek Sokagi 25/A) _ and of the local specializing in brunch Dün Moda _(Lütfü Bey Sokak 42/6) _, both in Kadıköy-Moda.
Lucca _(Cevdetpaşa Caddesi 51/B, Bebek) _
More than for the food (during the day it's a restaurant) or for the cocktails, Lucca comes for the posture and for following in the footsteps of its owner's social circle, Cem Mirap, the most public relations public relations of the city.
The Badau, for lovers of cuisine and jazz
Shortly before midnight, the tables are removed and the DJ's, the models, the soccer players enter the scene... In summer, when most of Lucca's regulars flee to the Turkish Riviera, it's easier to get a table.
Mirap has another restaurant, Cantinery, in the Zorlu Center shopping mall.
The Badau _(Duatepe Sokak 49, Kadıköy) _
Live jazz lovers take note... And dinners in the kitchen! The Badau, which opened its doors three years ago in the increasingly fashionable Yeldeğirmeni neighborhood of Kadıköy, is a jazz club and a restaurant that revolves around the kitchen –like the one from your childhood, no modern ceramic hobs–, where Eren Noyan, singer and chef, handles the pans while anticipating what you're going to hear next on stage.
Hudson _(Arnavutköy Cad. 91, Bebek) _
For many, the cocktails and its sophisticated atmosphere, between New Yorker and Frenchified, They are the main reason to enter this brasserie, one of the most desirable places on this street where restaurants and bars follow one another at night.
After verifying that the drinks are as delicious as they say, pay attention to chef Kaan Karagöz's menu, trained in Michelin-starred restaurants in Stockholm and Copenhagen.
**WHERE TO BUY **
Atelier Rebul
Founded by Jean Cesar Reboul in 1895, during the last period of the Ottoman Empire, this drugstore made lavender cologne fashionable among the gentlemen of Istanbul.
Artdepo, vintage decoration store
Since then, that fragrance, Reboul Lavanda, which still exists, has been joined by many other perfumes, oils, scented candles and wonderful beauty lines for skin and hair. You will see several stores throughout the city.
artdepo _(Caferağa Mahallesi, Kadıköy) _
In the 1950s and 1960s, furniture from Scandinavia, Italy and France were replicated in Turkey. Today, many of these copies are more prized by collectors than the originals. This vintage decor store is a good place to find them.
Jennifer's Hamman _(Arasta Bazaar 135 Sultanahmet) _
We didn't want to get into the more touristy areas, but All for haman towels from this Arasta bazaar shop, the market of the Blue Mosque. Light and very practical, They are the ideal souvenir.
her designer, Jennifer Gaudet, is Canadian, but its high-quality fabrics, gowns, and homewear are 100% Canadian. made in Turkey.
Midnight Express _(Küçük Bebek Caddesi 7A, Bebek) _
Owned by an architect and designer couple, here you will find the latest collections of Sibel Saral, Bora Aksu, organic soaps from Portakal, coffee sets from Santimetre, jewelry from Fanouraki, Gözde Atli, Nikos Koulis or Ayşe Rodoslu, glass pieces from Fyshan and other of the most exclusive firms of the eastern Mediterranean.
Kismet by Milka (Küçük Bebek Cd. 3/A, Beşikta)
Madonna, Meghan Markle, Britney Spears, Bella Hadid, Margot Robbie... rare is the international celebrity who has not been seen with the very personal jewels, some with nods to mythology, others tribal, from Kismet by Milka.
** Sorbé by Başak Barlas **
The manifesto of this firm divides the feminine style into three categories: the masculine-feminine, the kind and the eternal lady . to invest in wardrobe essentials that will look good on you for a lifetime.
TO DO
Take a Turkish bath
Relaxes the body and the entire nervous system. Also the mind. Thus, they help you to rest better and to have better skin, to be more handsome. The Turkish (or steam) bath, heritage of the Ottoman Empire, is usually completed by applying soaps and essential oils and doing a complete exfoliation.
Of the many baths in Istanbul, in the haman of Cagaloglu _(Alemdar Mahallesi, Cağaloğlu HamamıSk. 34; men from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., women from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.) _, built in 1741, is created a magical atmosphere thanks to the light that enters through the perforated vaults.
The oldest, however, is the hamán de Ağa Hamamı _(Kuloglu Mh., TurnacibasiCd. 48, Taksim) _, from 1454, which It is still heated as before, with wood fires.
Interior detail of the mosque
visit a mosque
Inaugurated ten years ago, Şakirin is the first mosque whose interior has been designed by a woman, the Turkish architect Zeynep Fadillioglu.
Beautiful in its simplicity, in its handling of light (and shadows) and in the delicacy of details, it is found in Uskudar , a traditionally conservative neighborhood in the Asian part of the city.
Asiyan Museum _(Bebek Mh., Aşiyan Yolu, Beşiktaş) _
Tevfik Fikret (1897-1915) is known for his poems and the influence they had on Atatürk's ideology.
However, few know that Fikret designed his idyllic house himself and even many of the furnishings. He recorded the entire process in photos, thanks to which his exact reconstruction has been possible, making us travel to those first chapters of the foundation of modern Turkey.
The gardens, overlooking the narrowest point of the Bosphorus, they are frequented by the students of the neighbor Robert College, one of the best universities in the city.
_*This article and the attached gallery were published in the number 115 of the Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (July and August). Subscribe to the print edition (11 printed issues and digital version for €24.75, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website ) and enjoy free access to the digital version of Condé Nast Traveler for iPad. The July and August issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available at its digital version to enjoy it on your favorite device. _
House museum of the poet Tevlik Fikret