Where East Meets West: Best Of Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul has been a sprawling, cosmopolitan city and vital commercial hub since the days it was called Byzantium. The exciting Istanbul Art biennale this fall is just one of many reasons to visit the Turkish city, a captivating blend of ancient and modern. Bridging Asia and Europe, Istanbul is both a culturally modern western city and a traditional eastern city. Hip hotels, shops and restaurants sit alongside historic mosques and the famous Grand Bazaar. It’s a fascinating city for a weekend break.

Where to Stay

Launched in September 2021, the Mandarin Oriental was one of the most highly anticipated hotel openings last year and it is certainly impressive from its super chic exterior to its gorgeous location, right on the shoreline of the Bosphorus. The 100 spacious guest rooms and suites are elegant, well-equipped and best of all, most have stunning views over the Bosphorus.

Located along the coast away from the city center, it’s the ideal oasis to relax in after a busy day of sight-seeing. The spa offering is superb with three swimming pools, one of which is a large indoor pool, Turkish baths and a fitness center with great wellness programs that Mandarin Oriental hotels are known for. The spa also has various small shops including one with a range of resortware from Turkish luxury lifestyle brand Kutnia. The food and drink offer is excellent too with Novikov as the signature restaurant, a chilled out bar, and a lobby lounge with waterfront terrace, plus a pool bar in a garden oasis. Nearby are two public parks, pedestrian walkways and the protected Naile Sultan pine grove.

What to See and Do

The Blue Mosque (Called Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish) is a must see. Known as the Blue Mosque because of blue tiles on the walls, it was built between 1609 and 1616 years, during the rule of Ahmed I who is entombed there.

Nearby, Aya Sofya commissioned by the great Byzantine emperor Justinian was consecrated as a church in 537, converted to a mosque by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453 and declared a museum by Atatürk in 1935. Under President Erdogan, it has reverted to a Mosque, still possible to visit but with restrictions for women.

A guided city tour is highly recommended as Istanbul can be a bit overwhelming. If you stay at the Mandarin Oriental, the concierge can arrange a city tour with the brilliant Gencay Ucok, from Axis Mundi Travel. Gencay, a former chef and restaurateur went way beyond what a normal tour guide would do by taking us to special places to shop, see and eat.

Essential visit for history and culture buffs is a stop at the Pera Palace hotel, an Art Nouveau gem opened in 1895 to host the passengers of the Orient Express, including famous names guests like Ernest Hemingway, Greta Garbo and Agatha Christie who had a favorite place in the hotel – room 411 – which now carries her name. Room 101 has been a museum for the city’s liberator, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk since 1981. He stayed here many times between December 1915 and October 1917. The room includes his personal objects of interest like ebony chairs, exotic oriental carpets and a rare black silk prayer rug. And don’t miss Europe’s first electric elevator in a hotel, still intact.

Pera museum a private museum showing Turkish art gives a good overview. It has three permanent collections, “Orientalist Paintings”, “Anatolian Weights and Measures” and “Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics.

A Turkish bath visit is a must, especially after hours of sightseeing. Baths are of course single sex. A lovely choice for women is the Hürrem Sultan Hamam between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Designed in 1556 by Mimar Sinan, the chief architect of the Ottoman Empire for Hürrem Sultan (Roxelana), the wife of Suleiman the Magnificent. Hamam treatments start from a 30 minute treatment for 55 euros to a lavish 110 minute treatment for 185 euros.

Where to Shop

Turkish craftsmen are known for their expert knockoffs of designer handbags and there are many levels of quality on display in the famous Grand Bazaar in Istanbul’s historic city center. Even if you’re not in the market for a handbag, this is a must see on any visit to Istanbul. Dating back to Byzantine times, the market is a rabbit warren of stalls selling jewellery, silk and traditional copperware and of course carpets.

Skip the carpet sellers in the bazaar and head to Nakkaş, for a history lesson on Turkish artisan rug making. It’s a real marvel, showcasing incredible historic carpets for sale. The showroom’s vast and varied collection includes over 20,000 carpets and kilims, including antique rugs. In addition to the exclusively hand-woven classic carpets, the collection also includes modern designs created with traditional weaving techniques. Exquisite rugs made by female artisans from different regions in Turkey take up to 7 months to create. Vintage rugs include some that are hundreds of years old. The oldest dates back to 1600 and costs around $1.7 million.

For a unique gift, visit jewellery maker Janset Bilgin who creates in her atelier on site, using old coins (some are even Roman) and semi precious stones. Also for sale in this cute boutique are gorgeous leather handbags with fabric straps handwoven by Anatolian artisans.

Kutnia in the Nisanstasi area offers gorgeous womenswear and homewares created from Kutnu, a Turkish artisanal striped silk and cotton fabric. Key pieces include gorgeous silk blouses and dresses and skirts and trousers that feature the Kutnu fabric. Cushions and bed linens are also on show.

Where to Eat

Take the ferry across the Bosphorus to the Asian side wander through the cobbled streets see interesting independent art galleries and wall art and have a meal. Our guide Gencay recommended Kadı Nimet Balıkcılık as his favorite place to eat fish in this town. In the heart of Kadıköy’s food market (Asian side), it’s a fish shop with a restaurant attached. Simple, fun and delicious fish and mezze.

Just opposite the Blue Mosque is another Istanbul landmark, the Pudding Shop which acted as a meeting place and message center for backpackers from the late 1950s, including some famous ones like President Bill Clinton. Today the restaurant is a typical Turkish fast-food outlet but a better choice for a meal is next door at Meshur Sultanahmet Koftecisi if you want to try an excellent range of kebabs and delicious pita.

İstanbul’s endless variety is why it’s worth a visit. The museums, churches, palaces, grand mosques, bazaars are countless and a sunset on the glorious Bosphorus is unbeatable.