The best way to understand the city is through its food, and the best guide is a Michelin-star chef who knows where to find the finest doners, the crispest calamari and the richest taramasalata
January 2024
‘We came away awestruck’: 13 writers on Europe’s hidden treasures, from Chagall in Kent to Rome’s secret Caravaggios
David Bowie’s Berlin bolthole and the world’s most stolen artwork in Ghent are among the cultural icons that our writers have long wished to visit
October 2023
I grew up on Turkish burgers. The real food blew me away
With a storytelling local as a guide, Istanbul opens up to become more than its famous landmarks
September 2023
In the tracks of the Orient Express: my train ride from London to Istanbul
The fabled railway service returns in 2025. But you don’t need to wait until then, or pay the eyewatering fares, to ride this classic route
November 2022
‘An unforgettable rail journey’: my night on the Istanbul-Sofia Express
The overnight service from Turkey to Bulgaria started running again this year and was voted one of the world’s best journeys for 2023 by Lonely Planet
January 2022
A local's guide
A local’s guide to Istanbul: mosques, slow-cooked kebabs and the magnificent Bosphorus
The author celebrates new open spaces along the Golden Horn, and picks the best places to eat, shop and be inspired by the city’s rich history
January 2021
Virtual travel guides
Istanbul: a virtual tour through books, film, food and music
Crime writer Barbara Nadel explores the ‘vibrant but maddening megacity’ that inspires her books
July 2020
10 of the best books set in Turkey - that will take you there
These novels – and one classical epic – evoke the cities, landscapes and cultures of Turkey ‘you’re unlikely to find on a beach holiday’
May 2020
I cycled across Europe to Istanbul – and learned to live in the moment
On this epic slow ride to Istanbul, following the Rhine and Danube rivers, our writer ‘turned the pedals and waited for the world to unfold’
March 2020
Istanbul ferries now cross the Bosphorus through the night
The launch of a 24-hour weekend ferry linking European and Asian sides of the city means Istanbulites need not be stranded on the wrong continent after a night out
November 2019
Last orders: Istanbul’s historic fish sandwich boats shut down by authorities
The closing of the last three balık ekmek boats on the Golden Horn marks the end of an Istanbul culinary tradition
July 2019
'Make war against fascists!' Gaye Su Akyol, Turkey's psychpop powerhouse
She gets called ‘the most courageous artist in Turkey’ and has been questioned by the police about her lyrics. The singing sensation takes us on a tour of Istanbul to explain how political turmoil feeds her work
December 2018
Back from the brink: new breath for tourism in Istanbul
It’s only two years since an attempted coup but Istanbul is moving on and reinventing itself
February 2018
A local's guide
A local’s guide to Istanbul's new cool neighbourhood
In once sleepy Kadıköy-Moda, new nightlife and culture hotspots happily coexist with the district’s established restaurants and cafes
August 2017
Free world
The Istanbul Research Institute … a lot more interesting than it sounds
Right by the city’s retail-heavy İstiklal Caddesi is an elegant space offering tranquillity, free exhibitions and fascinating insights into old Istanbul
February 2017
Istanbul: former tourist hotspot is ghost town for small businesses
With a string of terror attacks and an attempted army coup impacting tourism, small traders in the Turkish metropolis are paying the price
December 2016
Why I love …
‘Standing by the Bosphorus gives me goosebumps’: Jason Goodwin's Istanbul
For the novelist, Istanbul is rich in Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman history, and is a place where Russian submarines, supertankers and tourist boats all glide through the heart of the city
October 2016
Turkey’s tourism industry reels from a year to forget
Hope is in short supply for those involved in Turkish tourism after bomb attacks and a failed coup in the country this year. From Istanbul to Ankara, Antalya to Mardin, visitor numbers remain woefully low and businesses are laying off staff
July 2016
Meet the Alaskan cellist who broke barriers by playing Istanbul's ferries
Listening to Jari Piper play Bach on a boat across the Bosphorus had a powerful impact on Laura Pitel – and many others whose mood has been lifted by music that transcends the challenges of daily life here
November 2015
Istanbul’s top 10 historic shopping arcades
Architecture and shopping go hand in hand at these characterful arcades, which also offer a glimpse into the city’s rich past
