Turkey is well known for its fantastic street food and, in Istanbul, you could probably lay your hands on street food traditional to just about anywhere in Turkey. Whenever we visit Istanbul, one of the highlights of our time there is working our way through the variety on offer. Then, in October, we made our …
It’s little wonder that every time we walked past Palatium restaurant in Sultanahmet, it was a packed. Howling wind, driving rain – and a huge floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall window radiating a warm, inviting glow to the outside world. We were two of its very regular customers whilst we were in Istanbul in October, as it was …
While we certainly haven’t seen all of the prominent mosques in Turkey, Süleymaniye Camii in Istanbul is a definite favourite so far. We visited here on our first trip to Istanbul some years ago. And we’ve been trying to return since. In February 2010, we trouped up the hill from Sultanahmet, only to be greeted …
For us, the most exciting part of being in Istanbul is the food; mainly the street food. Last year, we couldn’t keep away from the deep-fried hamsi at Karaköy fish market, returning on numerous occasions over the few days we were there. When we were back in Fethiye, we drooled at the very thought of …
After having our fill of some of the tastiest köfte we’ve ever had, we felt warmed inside and confident that we couldn’t be too far away from the the special building we were searching for: The Kariye Müzesi (Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora). Istanbul is packed with unexpected pockets of interest and excitement …
The Turks are very proud of their coffee and describe Turkish coffee as their gift to the world. Ask anyone in Turkey what the most famous brand of Turkish coffee is and, without hesitation, the reply will be Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi. These days, under the ownership of Mehmet Efendi’s grandchildren, Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi is an …
Six years ago we visited the amazing city of Istanbul for the first time, no doubt with the same aim as every other first-time visitor to the city; we wanted to see Sultanahmet Camii (the Blue Mosque), Topkapı Palace Museum, Aya Sofya (Haghia Sophia) and the eerie Basilica Cistern. They were on our must-see list. …
These last few days have been our favourite Istanbul break for us and that
has been partly due to our accommodation at Antique Hostel in Sultanahmet
At exactly this time last year, we had just arrived in Istanbul and were walking down Istiklal Caddesi, heading towards Sultanahmet, after being dropped off by our service bus in Taksim Square. It had been a few years since we had last been to Istanbul and, despite a long bus journey with fitful sleep, we …
Ever heard, or even said, the phrases, ‘It’s full of tourists. I don’t go there. It’ll be too expensive.’ Well, if you skip these places, you could well be missing out, as we found out when we went to Istanbul in October. This is a photo of the famous Çiçek Pasajı (Flower Passageway) along Istiklal …