Kültür-sanat rehberleri, etkinlik önerileri ve şehirden hikayeler.
Crossing between the two sides of Istanbul is not a tourist gesture but how the city works day to day. Splitting a day between the two sides is both more varied and, thanks to the ferry rides, more restful.
In Istanbul, sitting down with something to drink is not a break but can be the day itself.
Nightlife in Istanbul is not squeezed into a single district; each area has its own character and its own hours. Knowing what is where makes planning an evening easier.
In Istanbul the direction of the sunset is fixed; the sun drops west, behind the historic peninsula. That decides which points are good: places looking from east to west win. The list below is ordered on that logic.
Seeing Istanbul does not have to be expensive; the city's best views, its oldest buildings and several serious exhibition spaces are already free. The list below is drawn from places with no entrance fee.
What makes museum visits in Istanbul expensive or reasonable is usually planning. Two people visiting the same places on the same day can end up paying very differently; a few rules change that.
In Istanbul the ferry is not a sightseeing vehicle but part of everyday transport; yet the same fare also gives you the best view in the city.
Istanbul Kitapcisi is the book and cultural products brand of IBB Kultur AS, with branches at different points across the city.
The Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre is the city's most established open-air stage and is operated by IBB Kultur AS.
The IBB Kultur AS Digital Experience Centre does not work on classic museum logic; instead of vitrines and labels it uses projection, sound design and moving image.
The Kadikoy branch of Istanbul Kitapcisi turns its terrace into a concert venue in summer.
Koltuk Senin is an IBB Kultur AS application that allows Istanbul residents aged twenty-four and under to attend culture and arts events free.
Taksim Sanat is an exhibition space run by IBB Kultur AS, right beside Taksim Square.
Miniaturk is a park on the shore of the Golden Horn displaying scaled models of buildings from across Turkey in the open air; in summer the same grounds turn into an open-air cinema in the evenings.
In Istanbul the ferry is an everyday means of transport; Istanbul Arasi turns that familiar journey into a culture and arts programme.
The Serefiye Cistern is far less known because it stands in the shadow of the Basilica Cistern, yet architecturally it is one of the most striking Byzantine cisterns.
Summer days in Istanbul are hot and the programme shifts to the evening. Between June and September almost everything moves outdoors, with stage, cinema and concerts starting after sunset.
Spring is the most balanced season in Istanbul as far as programming goes; the indoor season is still running while outdoor events begin, and the two overlap through April. The city also looks its best in these months.
Winter is when the programme in Istanbul moves entirely indoors, and that is in fact an advantage; the season's most ambitious productions are staged in January and February, the museums empty out and tickets are easy to.
Autumn is when the cultural season opens in Istanbul.
To understand Giresun you first have to look at its slopes.
The highlands of Giresun are not reachable for much of the year, and even in the open months their character changes week by week. Knowing when to go matters as much as knowing where. June is the opening month.
Giresun is a small province on the Black Sea coast, yet it fits three separate geographies inside: a coastal strip, forested valleys and highlands above two thousand metres.
The bird sanctuary on the northeastern shore of Lake Manyas hosts more than two hundred species, but what matters most here is not their number; it is that the place changes completely by season.