How to spend a design-led weekend in Istanbul
The cultural capital of Turkey, Istanbul is where old and new rub shoulders, with ancient palaces and mosques standing alongside contemporary galleries, hotels and restaurants.
With a rich history and a unique geographical position, Istanbul wooes with traces of once-ruling empires, from Roman to Ottoman. Then there’s the contrastingly modern additions, from artsy industrial conversions to design-led retail and cultural spaces. This September, the Istanbul Biennial (until 20 November) will highlight the city’s cultural output, spanning historic and more recently developed districts. Here's how to have a design-focused weekend in Istanbul.
Friday
Check into: The Stay Boulevard Nisantasi. The latest hotel from The Stay hotel group comes laced with their signature luxury-meets-eco style, from the glamorous illuminated entrance to the organic, sustainably produced athleisure line on sale in the lobby. Breakfast in the plant-filled dining room reveals a kitchen seen through glass, where the most bountiful spreads are created, from an artful, fruit-topped bowl of yogurt to delicate aubergine tarts.
Rooms feel calm with soft vegan suede beheads, natural green and brown tones and very fancy marble bathrooms. Yet to open is an Italian rooftop restaurant designed by Autoban, one of Turkey’s most renowned design studios. Right outside the door is Istanbul’s biggest shopping centre, City’s, while Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton stores are well-heeled footsteps away.
Courtesy of The Stay Hotels
Seek out: Teşvikiye Mosque. Although the classic sights that define the city’s skyline – such as Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace – are undoubtedly impressive, you’ll see them as you dart about the city. Instead, head for this 19th-century mosque in Nişantaşı that's a lot less touristy.
The peaceful gardens with a pool and fountain are to be expected, however, the grand white columns at the entrance can only hint at the interiors – a heady blend referred to as Ottoman Baroque – after a dazzling renovation. It’s undeniably elegant with walls painted in soft shades, gilded details throughout and sparkling chandeliers – unsurprisingly the funerals of the area’s rich and famous are often held here.
Lose yourself in: the Grand Bazaar. Built in Sultanahmet in 1461 to make Istanbul (then Constantinople) the trading centre of the Ottoman Empire, the market is truly impressive. The brightly painted arched ceilings with windows are the only source of natural light aside from 22 entrances serving the 75-acre space. You will get lost, but accept that’s part of the experience. From gleaming gold and silver to jewel-like lamps, handwoven rugs, tourist tat and fake goods, head here to mix with locals and visitors, drink tulip-shaped cups of tea and haggle.
Tekkol/Shutterstock
While you’re near: you could sample money-spinner Salt Bae’s infamous steaks at his branch housed in the Bazaar, but you’re better off dining at Havuzlu Restaurant. Authentic Turkish dishes are on display by the fountain that this vaulted-ceilinged restaurant is named after. The best restaurants keep things simple, so you won’t take long to pick from a handful of classics, from baked aubergine stuffed with tomato-drenched mince to earthy vine leaves. You know it’s good when locals flock.
READ MORE: Incredible hotels perfect for art lovers
Saturday
Admire: the gilded Dolmabahçe Palace. It's the city’s first European-style palace, built between 1843 and 1856 by Sultan Abdülmecid (President Atatürk spent his last few years here). It's in the Beşiktaş district, which was chosen for its closeness to the water and city centre. The fancy Neoclassical exterior lapped by the Bosphorus hints at the glamorous interiors, layering crystal chandeliers, gold pretty-much-everything and richly woven rugs. The word 'dolmabahçe' means filled garden, and seeing the fountain and flower bed-filled outside spaces is lovely way to spend a crowd-free hour or so.
While you’re here, sit by the water’s edge at the Saat Kule Kafeterya in sight of the Beşiktaş stadium across the road (less romantically now called Vodafone Park), home to one of Istanbul’s biggest and most beloved clubs. Order a cup of Turkish coffee and a piece of pistachio baklava – this, combined with the sight of boats crossing the choppy river, is a joy in itself.
saiko3p/Shutterstock
Head for the waterfront: in Karaköy. Opened late last year, Galataport – the world’s first underground cruise terminal – is a mixed-use development that transformed the old harbour into a nearly mile-long (1,500m) pedestrian promenade housing shops, restaurants, a cinema and several event spaces, including two museums. Warm wooden cladding, trees and water features match the natural beauty of the Bosphorus, around which the city revolves.
Part of the complex, further towards the bridge, are a domed former sorting office and a century-old former warehouse with cool, art-filled courtyards. They create a fuss-free, crowd-free shopping and arts space, where Turkish boutiques include The Design Market (one of a few branches around Istanbul), lined with design-led jewellery, clothes and homeware. Still to open, the concrete-clad, Renzo Piano-designed Istanbul Modern will breathe new life into the already appealing area.
From here, cross over to: Cité Française. This tiled arcade is entered via a cast-iron gate and lined with custard-yellow buildings. It houses high-end shops selling designer sunglasses and cologne.
The end of the arcade leads on to slender, umbrella-covered streets so charming you could devote a day to their colourful-cushioned cafés and teeny, ancient orthodox churches.
Hackenberg-Photo-Cologne/Alamy Stock Photo
Join the locals at: Galata Simitçisi. Don't miss this much-loved bakery which has been churning out hundreds of street-food staples, most notably simit – Istanbul’s beloved sesame-seed topped bagels – for over 30 years. So good is this soft-on-the-inside, crunchy-on-the-outside baked bread, cooked in a brick oven, that customers come from all corners of the city to get their fix.
Dine at: Delicatessen. There’s an understated quality about this atmospheric farm-to-table restaurant that belies its design and culinary detail. The raised outside terrace with its black herringbone tiled floor is made for people-watching as you tuck into dishes including a grilled calamari salad.
Once inside, the simple decor charms with parquet floors, a mini-bakery behind black framed windows, wooden tables and baskets packed with good-looking tins and packets. Downstairs keeps the charm coming, with chefs cooking dishes in the open kitchen and leather banquettes inviting you to take your time – plus there's enough wine to last a year.
READ MORE: Explore western Turkey with our guide
Sunday
Shop local: at Bomonti Antique Market, which also hosts Istanbul’s oldest and most popular weekly organic market. You'll find a mind-boggling number of stalls displaying some of the best antiques and second-hand items in Istanbul – from collections of carved canes to china, CDs, records and old photographs. Equally arresting is the smell of stuffed gözlemes (flatbreads) being filled and fried.
Socialise at: Bomontiada, a vast former beer factory that's now home to bars, clubs, restaurants and an arts and music venue. Dining options there include Kilimanjaro, which takes design and food seriously, enlisting those clever and cool folks at Autoban to kit out the industrial redbrick space. It offers homegrown seasonal goodies, from freshly baked sourdough to fish from Cesme. Try not to go overboard with the crisp poppy seed crackers and moorish olive oil infused with essence of sweet orange – you won’t have room for your handmade pappardelle with lamb ragù and Swiss chard, otherwise.
Join the locals: in Maçka Park – officially Maçka Democracy Park, which runs downhill from Nişantaşı and Maçka to Dolmabahçe. One of Istanbul’s rare green spots, this urban park provides a nature-filled communal place where families picnic and dog walkers and joggers let loose. Think of it as Istanbul’s Hyde Park.
Tree-lined paths divide the greenery, only interrupted by ponds and fountains. The smell of roasting chestnuts and corn fills your nostrils and music comes from regular concerts (or someone’s speaker).
Sip a cocktail: at the top of the St. Regis Istanbul, just above the slender tip of the park. On your way up note the New York-style Art Deco interior, which welcomes you as much as the curved exterior mirroring the area's genteel residential apartment blocks.
Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s top-floor Spago restaurant – his first outside the US – has a smart terrace where locals and tourists "ooh" and "aah" over the bird's-eye Bosphorus views. The cocktails are meticulously mixed at the circular bar, from Peace on Earth, a rum punch given a local touch with orgeat syrup; to the delicate Pepino’s Revenge, laced with tequila, Japanese cucumber and basil.
READ MORE: Discover the abandoned airport being transformed into Europe's biggest park
Getting there
Budget options include Pegasus Airlines, which flies from London Stansted to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen from £100 one way.
Lead image: Olena Znak/Shutterstock
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature