DESTINATIONS TURKEY | ISTANBUL
WHERE TO STAY
Pera Palace (pictured) has been a favourite of everyone from Alfred Hitchcock to Turkish Republic founder Kemal Atatürk (whose room is preserved). It’s also where Agatha Christie penned Murder on the Orient Express and recently starred in its own Netflix series, Midnight at the Pera Palace. Rooms from £170 B&B.
perapalace.com
WHERE TO STAY
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Hagia Sophia; contemporary art venue; Galata Tower PICTURES: Shutterstock/Boris Stroujko, editorial_head; Ilkercihat
and gaze up at the grand mishmash of facades above Istiklal’s storefronts. (And if the foodie aspects of this area sound appealing, it’s worth noting that the Michelin guide is making its debut in Istanbul this October, so expect more culinary delights in the city.) Other intriguing neighbourhoods include bohemian
Cihangir, home to author Orhan Pamuk’s quirky Museum of Innocence and teeming with antique dens.
For something a little less lavish but still comfortable, family-run Hotel Sarı Konak fits the bill. Based in a characterful balconied terrace in the historic old town area of Sultanahmet, the boutique property is just minutes from sights including the Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace. Rooms from £42 B&B.
istanbulhotelsarikonak.com
42 12 MAY 2022
STATE-OF-THE-ART CRUISE FACILITIES Retail, hospitality and culture are clearly all big business here. And a new £1.3 billion waterside complex in Beyoğlu, launched near the eclectic street art and busy bars of Karaköy in 2021, combines all three. Sporting state-of-the-art cruise facilities, including the world’s first underground cruise ship port, Galataport has plenty to celebrate above ground too: from the Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture, formerly housed in Dolmabahçe Palace, to hundreds of restaurants and shops including local stalwarts like The Populist craft brewers and whimsical jeweller Avedis Kendir.
Major upcoming venues still under way at the site include the luxury 177-room Peninsula Hotel and the eagerly awaited Istanbul Museum of Modern Art. Designed by Pritzker prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, this will replace the original Modern – a first of its kind in Turkey when founded in 2004, with a collection focusing primarily on leading native artists – and is poised to welcome visitors this summer.
ACROSS TO ASIA AND MÜZE GAZHANE Beyoğlu may have dominated so far, and other upcoming developments such as the former shipyards at Tersane will further shape the area, but my final stop exploring Istanbul’s new crop of cultural sites is across the Bosphorus in Asia. Kadıköy’s Müze Gazhane opened in July 2021, with
an Ottoman-era gasworks transformed into a community hub, including three museums (cartoon and climate, plus children’s science), a library, bookstore, cafe and several spaces for shows and other events. Preserved heritage structures include a brick furnace and concrete- reinforced coal yard, while green pockets and playful shipyard metal sculptures lighten the industrial look. My visit coincides with a Women of the World Festival and, despite the unprecedented March snow flurries, a warm feeling of enterprise and inclusivity pervades. That feeling continues on my half-hour ferry back
to Europe as two talented buskers begin to strum and sing. From private venue to public ferry – whatever our changing world may bring – there’s no doubting Istanbul’s creative spirit will continue for centuries to come.
TW BOOK IT
Kirker Holidays offers three nights’ B&B at Pera Palace from £945 from June to September this year, including flights, private transfers and Kirker Guide Notes to the city.
kirkerholidays.com
travelweekly.co.uk
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