When the sun goes down, İstanbul opens its doors to all kinds of entertainment. While the city is undoubtedly Turkey’s cultural and historical capital, it is also the ultimate dining and entertainment center, with countless restaurants, bars, clubs and concert halls.

BEYOĞLU: THE HIPPEST PART OF TOWN

Taksim and Beyoğlu are no doubt the center of nightlife in the city. The bars and pubs on the streets leading to İstiklal Caddesi, the clubs that can be found around the streets nearby, the wine bars in the area, and the venues where DJs play the hottest hits from all over the world and live bands perform, form the heart of the city’s nightlife. If you are in Beyoğlu, do not miss the historic Çiçek Pasajı (Flower Market), home to many traditional taverns, and Asmalımescit, a lively street with a new bar popping up even in the smallest corners. If you are up for a little music, İstanbul has it all; rock music, Latin and world music, jazz and so on. Located in the woods, with various stages, restaurants, cafes, and a big swimming pool, Park Orman is one of the most important concert venues of the city. Maslak Venue also hosts international artists and festivals at its open and indoor venues. Kuruçeşme Arena is another important concert venue by the Bosphorus. For more traditional entertainment, you can visit Kumkapı, one of İstanbul’s best known entertainment centers on the European shore of the Marmara Sea. Ortaköy boasts many bars and is one of the main centers of nightlife in the city. Also Kuruçeşme and Arnavutköy have both great bars and restaurants aligned on the sea side.

DINING IN İSTANBUL: A CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

İstanbul incorporates the fi nest examples of traditional and international cuisines. Turkish cuisine reached a peak of sophistication with the cuisine of the Ottoman palace, where skilled and experienced cooks created an imperial cuisine with fi nest ingredients. The addition of delicious vegetables and herbs from the coastal regions of the Mediterranean in particular, and the fl avor of olive oil led to the emergence of mezes, or hors d’oeuvres, which are an integral feature of Turkish cuisine. Fish meals are an essential part of the Turkish cuisine. For most of the year, the Çanakkale and İstanbul straits are full of migrating fi sh, the majority of which are peculiar to those straits. As well as Turkish cuisine in all of its diversity, İstanbul has a large number of excellent restaurants specializing in French, Italian, Mexican, Indian, Far Eastern and other world cuisines. Over the past decade these have multiplied to include English pubs, French cafés, sushi bars, Tex-Mex and South American restaurants.Turkish cuisine possesses a range of fabulous desserts, including milk puddings, sweet pastries, and fruit puddings of various kinds, often fl avoured with pistachios and other nuts. Turkish delight (lokum), made of starch and sugar. Baklava, which is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts is another desert. With a history going back to Ottoman times, Turkish coffee is the subject of many stories. After a fabulous meal, you are ready to hit the streets. Bon appetite!