Istanbul: a practical guide

Air connections, accommodation, good food and cultural addresses: here are some practical tips for enjoying a break from the hustle and bustle during a business trip to Istanbul.
By Luc Citrinot -
The sumptuous interior of the Blue Mosque, a must-see in Istanbul (Photo: Luc Citrinot)

How to get there

There are daily flights fromAir France and Turkish Airlines from Paris CDG to Istanbul International and Sabiha Gokcen in the Asian part of the city. Pegasus Air also offers daily flights from Orly to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen.

Turkish Airlines offers two daily flights from Basel-Mulhouse, Lyon, Marseille and Nice to Istanbul, a daily flight from Toulouse and four flights a week from Bordeaux. The airline serves Brussels and Geneva several times a day, as well as Luxembourg every day.

Read also: Istanbul fills up with luxury hotels

Stay

The Ottoman-style hall at Pera Palace (Photo: LC)

In addition to the hotels mentioned in the link above, the place to go for a luxury historic hotel is the Pera Palace. A legendary Istanbul retreat for passengers on the Orient Express, frequented by Agatha Christie, Ernest Hemingway, Edward VII and Greta Garbo, the hotel exudes an extraordinary historical aura. It even includes a museum of Turkey's first president, Ataturk, who had a private suite there. You can visit it, but you can't sleep in it!

L'Intercontinental Istanbul on Taksim Square in the heart of the commercial city is a contemporary establishment offering excellent value for money. The hotel has three restaurants, several bars including a roof top, a swimming pool and a spa.

Eat

The great thing about Istanbul is that the food is not only very good - especially the local specialities - but also at prices that you could only dream of in Paris or other major French cities.

Give it a try Yenilo KantaThis pretty little restaurant in the beyoğlu district offers a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional dishes. Great gourmet cuisine inspired by Anatolia, in an elegant setting, TURK is becoming a veritable institution for gourmets. Reservations are essential.

Many guides, including local chefs, recommend a superb kebab Adana Ocakbaşı. The restaurant is modest in appearance but has been drawing crowds since 1978 for the quality of its meat. It is close to Osmanbey metro station (Bozkurt, No:2, Baysungur Sk, 34375 Şişli/İstanbul).

Discover three must-sees in Istanbul

The recently renovated Ataturk Cultural Centre takes you back to the 1970s (Photo: LC)
  • You can't come to Istanbul without visiting its mosques. The grandiose Hagia Sophia just like the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) that faces it. All the delicate splendour of the East is concentrated here.
  • Le Pera Museum is a private institution with exhibitions that often raise questions about power. The museum, housed in a former palace near Taksim Square, boasts a fine collection of classical Ottoman art and contemporary Turkish painting.
  • One building that tends to be overlooked in Place Taksim is the Ataturk Cultural Centre. An ode to 70s architecture and design, the recently renovated centre is home to the Istanbul Opera House, a roof-top café with lovely views over the city, an extraordinary public arts bookshop and a small museum devoted to music. Excellent for a break between meetings.

Find out more

Tourist information on Istanbul : https://goistanbulturkiye.com/

Economic information : http://www.invest.istanbul/

French Consulate : https://istanbul.consulfrance.org/ Address: Istiklal Caddesi No: 4 Beyoğlu / Taksim 34435 / Istanbul. The consulate is open to the public by appointment only.

Related articles