Istanbul, Turkey — Activities
Istanbul Culture
Istanbul's cultural activities, both traditional and contemporary, are rich and varied. Matching the city's exploding youth population is a growing number of festivals, galleries, new music venues and film centers, and, within the last decade, Turkish artists have begun to make an international impact.
Tickets for most cultural events are available at Biletix outlets (www.biletix.com). Entertainment and events listings, features and reviews are available from monthly magazine Time Out Istanbul (www.timeoutistanbul.com), Hürriyet Daily News (www.hurriyetdailynews.com), Turkey's main national newspaper, and The Guide Istanbul (www.apa.com.tr/apa/g_istanbul_eng.htm), available every two months at newsstands, in bookstores and in most up-scale hotels.
Music, Opera and Dance
Akbank Culture and Arts Center
Sponsored by Turkey's major bank, this modern venue hosts jazz and classical concerts and a changing array of exhibitions and cultural events.
Istiklal Caddesi, Zambak Sokak 1
Tel: (0212) 252 3500.
Website: www.akbanksanat.com
Atatürk Cultural Center (Atatürk Kultur Merkezi)
The 900-seat Atatürk Cultural Center is shared by the State Opera and Ballet, the State Theater and the State Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Istanbul Festivals.
Taksim Meydani, Beyoglu
Tel: (0212) 251 5600.
Website: www.kultur.gov.tr
Borusan Center for Culture and Art
This space alternates ‘conceptual' Turkish and international exhibitions, and has an enormous music library and concert space for classical music performances.
Istiklal Caddesi 213
Tel: (0212) 336 3280.
Website: www.borusansanat.com
Visual arts
Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center
This home for Istanbul's most interesting painters, sculptors, printmakers and other creative spirits is a three-story venue with regularly changing exhibitions and artists in residence.
Istiklal Caddesi 115A
Tel: (0212) 293 2361.
Website: www.platform.garanti.com.tr
Istanbul Tours
Walking tours
Istanbul Walks offers a choice of walks lasting around two hours, including classic sights around Sultanahmet, around the Bazaar, and Galata and Pera. Most tours depart from the Tourist Information Office on Sultanahmet Square in the morning. Reservations are recommended. Downloadable self-guided audio tours for MP3 players are also available from the website.
Tel: 0532 365 9985.
Website: www.istanbulwalks.com
Bus tours
Details of bus tour operators with English speaking guides are available at most hotels. In addition to a hop-on hop-off bus service, Plan Tours arranges city sightseeing tours of Istanbul, including Jewish Heritage tours. Sites visited include the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Hippodrome and Grand Bazaar. Transfers to and from hotels (European side only) are provided. Fez Travel, which is geared to backpackers, organizes longer sightseeing trips for small groups to 'off-the-beaten-track' locations. A three-night Istanbul city break includes two full days of sightseeing, the services of an English-speaking guide, all entrance fees and bed and breakfast accommodation.
Plan Tours
Tel: (0212) 234 7777.
Website: www.plantours.com
Fez Travel
Tel: (0212) 516 9024.
Website: www.feztravel.com
Boat tours
Plan Tours offer a full-day Bosphorus river cruise with lunch, including a visit to Dolmabahçe Palace and other sites along the way. During the summer, they also run private boat tours of the Bosphorus, as well as dinner cruises and trips to the Princes' Islands. The Tur Yol boat owners consortium also operates frequent Bosphorus cruises (duration: 90 minutes) with departures from the Eminonu ferry docks. Book with Backpackers Travel Agency.
Plan Tours
Tel: (0212) 234 7777.
Website: www.plantours.com
Backpackers Travel Agency
Tel: (0212) 638 6343.
Website: www.backpackerstravel.net
