Activities in Turkey

The rapidly gentrifying side streets between Cihangir and İstiklâl Caddesi are lined with shops selling antiques, furniture, and weird-but-wonderful j

A sultry waterside club set against the glowing Baroque Ortaköy Mosque.

The world-class museum's garden alone begs a look. Inside, there are outstanding ancient sarcophagi, Byzantine sculpture, and Roman busts.

Lining the narrow, labyrinthine streets behind the Çiçek passage off İstiklâl Caddesi are hundreds of bars, taverns (called meyhane), and outdoor café

Jewelry has a distinctive Turkish sensibility at this duty-free shop. The designers employ historical Anatolian jewelry-making techniques and motifs.

If you have a few hours to kill and feel adventurous, take a five-minute taxi ride to military-aviation paradise: the Istanbul Aviation Museum in the

The live-music venue that sparked the area’s renaissance. The live acts range from Cuban rap to Turkish folk music—but the club will definitely be pac

This family-owned Turkish chain sells lovely and unusual pieces that reflect Turkey’s cultural heritage. The designers use precious and semiprecious m

What Lies Beneath: Eighty-two feet below Istanbul is a 450-foot-long, 213-foot-wide former royal reservoir. This Byzantine engineering feat has 336 mi

Built by Justinian in the 6th century A.D., the Basilica of St. John the Apostle and his reputed final resting place is a ruined yet spectacular edifi

Locals flock to Bebop to sit in the garden and listen to jazz, handpicked by the charismatic owner (and Keith Richards look-alike) Kadri Balagzi, a fr

Colonized for centuries by non-muslim minorities and foreign traders, the district of Beyoglu (pronounced be-yoh-LU and formerly known as Pera), acros

Years as agent: 7. Other specialties: Turkey, Greece, Culinary and cultural tours. Consulting fee: $100.

Hard to find—Edirnekapı is not used to tourists, and the signage is terrible—but worth the effort, this pumpkin-domed church-turned-museum is one of t

Former architect Resit Soley is producing the country’s most sought-after bottles of sweet reds with strong notes of cherry and plum.

If you want to bring baklava back home, don’t buy it in the city—you’ll get syrup all over your luggage. Buy it here. Delights is supplied by one of t

At her cooking school, renowned gastronomist Engin Akin not only teaches Ottoman classics, she also takes travelers to some of the area's best bakerie