Street is an urban transformation project, was opened in 2003, for the purpose of showing good relationship between France and Turkey. I have to say this street definitely gave this area a new identity. The Cezayir Street was gone, replaced with French Street which contains colorful and charming houses,shops and restaurants. Project aim to reflect French architecture and lifestyle and got the attention from both locals and tourists in Istanbul.

French Street – For a taste of France in Istanbul, head to Fransiz (Cezayir) Sokagi, the city’s decidedly French quarter. Tucked away behind the famed Galatasaray Lycee (Galatasaray School) off Istiklal Street is a cobbled tribute to the French influence in Turkey, which has lasted for centuries. Though opened in 2004, the Street exudes a historic grace thanks to a carefully planned restoration.

The project took two years and involved the restoration of buildings and pavements. Street heaters and a special sound system were installed and century-old coal-gas lamps were imported from France, all contributing to the unique atmosphere of the quarter. The beautifully restored terraced buildings house a number of quaint boutiques and galleries as well as patisseries, wine houses, cafes and restaurants specialising in French cuisine and wines. For a top experience, try a restaurant with a roof terrace to get a unique perspective on the city.

The street behind Galatasaray High School known as Cezayir (Algeria) Street was completely renovated from head to toe by a group lead by Mehmet Taşdiken within the scope of a two-year project. The buildings and sidewalks were improved and a special music system was established. Taşdiken had close contacts with the Municipality of Paris, so the stones of the street were arranged by Parisian architects, and 100-year-old coal-gas street lamps from the Municipality of Paris were installed.

Street is 9,000 square meters and has a huge capacity and everyday 6,5000 people visit this place. The heaters on the streets allow the open areas to be used even on cold days.

The Galata Tower traces its origins back to the 6th century but it had its current appearance in 60’s restoration. The Romanesque style tower was built in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople. The medieval stone tower, known as the Tower of Christ, was the tallest building in Istanbul when it was built in 1348.

In 1638, Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi flew by using artificial wings from this tower across the Bosphorus to the Uskudar on the Anatolian side.Starting from 1717 the Ottomans began to use the tower for spotting fires in the city.

It’s one of the most popular historical attraction in Istanbul, every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to this fascinating tower. We recommend you to spare some time to visit the unique Galata Tower. It also contains an elegant restaurant at the top.

Close to the metro station (Sishane stop), open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with special hours for restaurant. Admission to the balcony costs 11 Turkish Lira (about $7 USD). See the tower’s website for more details.

Istanbul Modern connects world-wide artists and their works to art lovers. Many works of imagination ranging from painting and sculpture to video and installation is waiting for its visitors.

Additionally, museum supports many artists in Turkey and takes an important role about sharing Turkey’s artistic creativity with a wide audience. Also promotes international art works from many countries and it is home to interdisciplinary activities.

Istanbul Museum of Modern Art offers a cinema, restaurant, design store, an extensive library, photography gallery, permanent and temporary exhibition galleries and spaces for educational and social programs to its guests.

It has been presenting solo and group exhibitions with the aim of providing a platform visibility for artistic practices and encouraging production of contemporary artworks through the support it provides in the context of these exhibitions. Museum’s programme also features publications that accompany each exhibition.

St.Antuan Church

St. Anthony of Padua Church, also known as the Sant’Antonio di Padova Church, is the largest church of the Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul, Turkey. It is located on Istiklal Street in the Beyoglu district and  one of the most important Catholic churches in Istanbul, and has the largest community following its masses.

The original St.Anthont of Padua Church was built in 1725 by Italians, who was living in Turkey,  but was later demolished and replaced with the current building. It was constructed at the same location and rebuilt by the famous architect Giuliu Mongeri and completed in 1912, and also representing Italian Neo-Gothic and Tuscan-Lombard styles.

The cathedral is run by Italian priests. Pope John XXIII preached in this church for 10 years, when he was the Vatican’s ambassador to Turkey before being elected as pope. His nickname was “The Turkish Pope” because of his fluent Turkish and his love for Turkey.

Saturday mass is in Italian and begins at 19:00, Sunday mass is in English and begins at 10:00, and Tuesday mass is in Turkish and begins at 11:00.

Galata Tower

One of the best view of Istanbul from the Beyoglu side. Head up the Galata Tower and prepare yourself to jaw-dropping cityscapes. At 67 meters high, tower rules over the Istanbul skyline, offering outstanding views of the Old City, the Golden Horn, Bosphorus Bridge, Maiden’s Tower and many top attractions of the city.

The Galata Tower traces its origins back to the 6th century but it had its current appearance in 60’s restoration. The Romanesque style tower was built in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople. The medieval stone tower, known as the Tower of Christ, was the tallest building in Istanbul when it was built in 1348.

In 1638, Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi flew by using artificial wings from this tower across the Bosphorus to the  Uskudar on the Anatolian side.Starting from 1717 the Ottomans began to use the tower for spotting fires in the city.

It’s one of the most popular historical attraction in Istanbul, every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to this fascinating tower. We recommend you to spare some time to visit the unique Galata Tower. It also contains an elegant restaurant at the top.

Close to the metro station (Sishane stop), open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with special hours for restaurant. Admission to the balcony costs 11 Turkish Lira (about $7 USD). See the tower’s website for more details.

The Museum of Innocence

The Museum of Innocence (Turkish: Masumiyet Müzesi) is a museum in the Çukurcuma neighbourhood of the Beyoğlu district in Istanbul, Turkey. In 1990s famous Nobel winner author Orhan Pamuk decided to create the museum in conjunction with his novel which is about love and set between 1974 and the early 2000s, and characterised life in Istanbul between 1950 and 2000 through two families which have different kind of subsistence levels.

The museum presents what the novel’s characters used, wore, heard, saw, collected and dreamed of, all meticulously arranged in boxes and display cabinets. You don’t have to read the book for spend some time in the museum and get the author’s eccentric idea. The novel was published in 2008, the museum opened in Spring 2012. On 17 May 2014, the museum was announced as the Winner of the 2014 European Museum of the Year Award

Originally Taksim Square was built in 1732 under the direction of Sultan Mahmut I. It was a water distribution center which was ordered for collect the water coming from the Belgrade Forest.Therefore the Square took its name from the big stone reservoir located on the square. Taksim means distribution in English and the stone reservoir can still be seen at the beginning of Istiklal Caddesi.


Taksim is a main transportation hub and a popular destination for both tourists and the native population of Istanbul. “Istiklal Street”, a long pedestrian shopping street, ends at this square, and a nostalgic tram runs from the square along the avenue, ending near the Tünel (1875) which is the world’s second-oldest subway line after London’s Underground (1863).


Surrounding Taksim Square are numerous travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, pubs, and international fast food chains such as Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Subway, and Burger King.

Therefore district is usually visited by famous artists and foreigners beside the local ones. In Cihangir Square, you can settle down at a cafe to make some people watching, you couldn’t notice how time passes.

The meaning of the word “Cihangir” is “The person that captured the major part of the world”; If you wanna know why they gave this powerful name to the district, we need to go back to the past, to Suleyman the Magnificent.

Suleyman the Magnificent had a son from Hürrem Sultan, named Cihangir. For the memory of his son, who died young, Suleyman had a mosque constructed in this place that looked like a large rock protruding from the sea. The mosque that was constructed by Mimar Sinan between the years 1559 – 1560 and was named Şehzade Cihangir Mosque. This is why the district began to be called Cihangir.

It is surrounded by caricaturists, painters and actors who lives in Istanbul, this is the place when you think “bohemia” in Istanbul, where cinema, theater, literature, philosophy are discussed at corners, banquettes, alleys, cafes along the road, openings and popular meeting points. This is Cihangir.

If you ask Cihangir stairs to the local people, you can easily find and I highly recommend this stairs for watching sunset over the fascinating Istanbul view. Istanbul has always held a special allure to me. The fascinating history, unique culture and world-class food are irresistible.

One side of it maintained its small, cozy spirit, and the other side combined the bohemian aura brought by its residents and the traditional spirit of the district. This was so successfully done that neither the spirit of the district was damaged, nor the bohemian aura lost its taste.

Where to go?

There are many cafes to go for chat, while you have a drink and eat and relax. The most popular of them are Susam, Kahvedan, Meyra (former Leyla), and Smyrna. For fish, you can drop in at Sur Balık at Villa Zurich Hotel and to embrace the sea you may go down to the shore through the colourful stairs to Fındıklı.

Have fun!

In the event that the high temperature and noise of the city get to be a lot of why not take a ship over to the Princes’ Islands? With no autos permitted, the islands are an awesome reprieve from the movement of Istanbul. On Heybeliada, various great fish restaurants line the front, and there are likewise a few bread shops offering impeccable procurements for an excursion.

Appreciate unrecorded music over the city

See and hear the best of musical ability against the setting of the Istanbul horizon. The Istanbul Music Festival happens from 31 May to 27 June not long from now, offering an extensive variety of world-class ability from traditional music to musical drama to jazz. Not long from now likewise denote the 21st Istanbul Jazz Festival which is situated to liven up the city with more than 200 musical performers performing at 13 separate venues.

Consume under the stars

Istanbul has an abundance of porches and enclosures where you can feast outdoors, with numerous restaurants neglecting the staggering waterfront of the Bosphorus. Amid summer in the city a large number of the restaurants host an incredible get-together climate, with DJs playing a variety of music for the duration of the night.

Hop on board a Bosphorus journey

With such a great amount to see and do ashore numerous individuals disregard the way that a lot of Istanbul’s legacy can be appreciated from the water. Browse either a short circle or a full Bosphorus journey by night. The full visit takes you from Eminönü to the Black Sea, providing for you incredible perspectives of the shoreline of Europe and of the lush slopes of Asia.

Chill in the shade at Gülhane Park

Formally the imperial arrangements of Topkapı Palace, Gülhane Park is currently one of the city’s most prominent areas in which to while away a sunny evening. In the stature of summer the trees offer welcome shade from the Turkish sun, and free open shows are organized on weekends.

Investigate the riverside at Bebek

Refined eating, excellent cruising pontoons and extravagance boutiques make Bebek well known with Istanbul’s top of the line customers and it’s the ideal spot to put in day or two.

Istanbul Shopping Fest

Annually Istanbul houses the Istanbul Shopping Fest in June where you can discover popular things. And additionally a wide group of shops offer tax-free shopping with present shows, style shows and different exhibitions. Opening hours expend, as well.

Enjoy tax-free shopping

From the maze of the Grand Bazaar to the city’s heap retail chains, shopping centers and extravagance boutiques, Istanbul will realize the most enthusiastic customer.

Discover the underground city

While Istanbul’s scenery is ruled by lovely building design, underneath the city are similarly uncommon compositional accomplishments. The Basilica Cistern is the biggest of a few hundred old storages lying underneath Istanbul. Manufactured to hold 100,000 tons of water, it now is a void maze of fancy segments and carvings. Naturally cool, it offers breathing space from the heat above.