Does the Pierre Loti Cafe Have to Be On Your Istanbul To-Do List?

September 1, 2009
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The Pierre Loti Café, named after the French novelist, naval officer and Turkophile, is famous for its spectacular views over the Golden Horn. Located in Eyüp, about 6 kilometers from the Galata Bridge in Eminönü, it is not exactly on the typical tourist path. So, if you’re in Istanbul for only a few days, you […]

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Istanbul Cruise Ship Port and Visa Essentials

August 30, 2009
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Almost on a daily basis I get emails from people about to take a cruise liner to Istanbul. Trying to plan their trip, they have questions like “Where is the cruise port in Istanbul?”, “How far is it from the cruise ship pier in Istanbul to Sultanahmet?” or “What are the transportation options from the […]

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Getting Around in Istanbul by Ferry or Sea Bus

August 24, 2009
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Istanbul is surrounded and divided by water. Because of this you’ll see a bustling activity of floating devices on the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and in the Golden Horn. A whole array of water-borne craft, ranging from privately owned (fishing) boats, over regular ferries (vapur) to a fleet of high-speed catamaran sea buses (deniz […]

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Is Eating Istanbul’s Street Food a Wise Idea or Living Dangerously?

August 21, 2009
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With most Istanbul sightseeing spots only open from 09:00 till 17:00, you of course want to make most of the day and not waste any time by having a timely lunch. Luckily, eating on the street is very much a part of local life. You can’t walk from corner to corner on a street, cross […]

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Why You Should Avoid Taking a Bus in Istanbul

August 19, 2009
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Istanbul has plenty of excellent public transportation options, but the inner-city buses are in my opinion not one of them. For starters, it is not the quickest means of transportation. Unlike Istanbul’s tram and metro system, they don’t have their own lanes and therefore suffer from the chronic Istanbul traffic jams. Secondly, it is not […]

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Getting Around in Istanbul by Metro, Tram and Funicular

August 17, 2009
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The most efficient and cheap way to get from a to b in Istanbul by public transportation is undoubtedly by metro, tram, funicular and/or ferry. These means of public transportation are very efficient, quick and punctual. Not in the least because they don’t suffer from Istanbul’s constantly clogged streets. In this article I focus on […]

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Benefits of Using Akbil as Your Istanbul Public Transportation Pass

August 12, 2009
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The akbil electronic travel pass is definitely the best feature of the constantly improving Istanbul public transportation network. Akbil is short for ‘akıllı bilet‘, which means intelligent ticket. And that’s exactly what it is. It’s a basically a small stainless steel button in a plastic holder, together not bigger in size than any key on […]

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Should I Get the New Istanbul Kart or Stick With Akbil?

August 11, 2009
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The brand new Istanbul Card (İstanbul Kart) was proudly introduced in the spring of 2009 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality as a card with which you will be able to pay for all your Istanbul transportation, cultural and entertainment activities. In a first phase, the İstanbul Kart will replace the currently used akbil as a […]

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Scenic Bosphorus Cruise – Video Gallery

August 7, 2009
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A Scenic Cruise on the Bosphorus has to be on your Istanbul to-do list while you’re visiting this marvellous Turkish metropolitan. To give you an idea of what you can expect, I created the video below. There are two versions available: a YouTube version (smaller in size) and a WVM version (bigger in size). The […]

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Cruising On the Upper Bosphorus towards the Black Sea

August 5, 2009
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After leaving the Yeniköy dock we enter the final leg of the Scenic Bosphorus Cruise. There were plenty of sightseeing spots to look for during the cruise on the lower Bosphorus and the middle Bosphorus, and in that respect the upper Bosphorus may seem a little disappointing. But don’t be fooled by the shorter highlights […]

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