Istanbul

Turkey

Things to do in Istanbul:

View the Gallery View from the Bosphorus

Istanbul Restaurants

Affordable (55)

Zindan

This antique-filled cellar restaurant has ambiance in spades. Not to mention a great-value �5 lunch buffet. read more
Fine dining (47)

Miss Pizza

A-la-mode Pizza joint, boasting all expected toppings plus a few novelties such as asparagus and artichoke. Reservations essential at weekends. read more

Istanbul Nightlife

Chilled (42)

Good Mood Pera

Swish new bar-restaurant in a recently renovated historical apartment building. Open until 4am, reservations essential at weekends. read more
Clubbing (44)

Jolly Joker Balans

Regular live music, DJ sets and party nights pack out this popular venue. Order a real ale from the adjoining brew pub and listen to the best of Turkish rock and pop. read more

This Month in Istanbul:

By David O'Byrne

Shopping: Denizler Kitapevi bookshop boasts not just antique books, but also artefacts, prints and reproductions (199a Istiklal Caddesi, Beyoglu, tel: 0212 249 88 93, denizlerkitabevi.com).

Sightseeing: 10 May - 5 June sees the 18th Istanbul International Theatre Festival featuring theatre and dance performances from around the world (tiyatro.iksv.org).

Key areas: Turkey's first power station has been turned into a fascinating museum of electricity, as well as an exhibition and concert space (santralistanbul.org).

Istanbul News & Gossip

on trend

trendwatching.com scans the globe for the latest emerging consumer trends. Here, the company's head of research and analysis, Henry Mason, tells us what to look out for this month.

reCOMMERCE

Want to buy the latest gadgets, but not sure what to do with your old ones? reCommerce is the latest answer, according to consumer figures, which show that trading-up has become the new buying.

Although flogging old stuff to afford shiny, new things is a process as old as money itself, a growing environmental and economic awareness means that buybacks are becoming big business. Trade-in initiatives from super brands, and marketplaces on smartphone apps, mean that unlocking cash from past purchases has never been easier. eBay's Instant Sale (instantsale.ebay.com), for example, allows users to sell electronic gadgets back to them, while Gazelle.com and NextWorth.com will buy any iPad in reasonable condition.

Fashionistas can cash in too. Mango for Mango is an initiative from Spanish retailer Mango that allows customers who sign up for a loyalty card to return items within 12 months of purchase for a 20% discount on new purchases.

Even experiences are being resold: Turkish site Kuponomi.com allows people to resell or trade their unused daily-deal coupons.

To subscribe to a free monthly trend briefing, available in English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Turkish and Portuguese, go to trendwatching.com

Istanbul Trivia

May: The two giant rocks that stand on either side of the northern mouth of the Bosphorus are reckoned to be the Symplegades, or "clashing rocks", in the story of Jason and the Argonauts.
April: Like the rest of Europe, Istanbul experienced a hard winter this year - not as hard, though, as that of 1954 which was so cold that the Bosphorus and part of the Sea of Marmara froze over.
March: If Istanbul's roads appear overcrowded, that's because the city boasts more cars (2.44 million) than residential buildings (2.29 million).