Backstreets of Istanbul

The tour starts in Balat, exploring the Golden Horn side of the historical peninsula. Balat was – and still is – a unique neighborhood where the Muslims, Orthodox Christians, and Jews have been living together as friends and neighbors since the days of the Ottoman Empire. Its identity is mainly unchanged, with old-style, narrow, colorful houses, each 3 to 4 stories, shops on the first floor, along the narrow streets. There are even some "ghost houses" waiting to be discovered. You can see clothes boasting a rainbow of colors, hung to dry between balconies of opposite houses, and the inhabitants of Balat are in no way less colorful than what they wear.

If you can find the hidden street, you walk down long stairs called the “French passage,” full of colors and some statues. There, you will find Nobel Laureate Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk’s contemporary museum named after his novel “The Museum of Innocence.” Admission fee: 30 TRY/per person

İstanbul is simultaneously a historical and modern city that offers the best for every taste. You start your second day of the tour by drinking your morning coffee, at a restaurant with a breathtaking view of Bosphorus, in the trendy "high society" neighborhood of "Bebek." You will sit in Europe, looking at Asia: a unique experience. Then you walk along the Bosphorus, hop on a taxi, and reach to discover the chic streets of sophisticated Nisantasi, which is constantly buzzing with shoppers hanging around elegant cafés and classy boutiques—another trendy and modern part of Istanbul. We will find many upscale clothes and jewelry, home textile shops, and restaurants there. This place is the heart of contemporary life in İstanbul, where many celebrities congregate.

Istanbul has always been a major trade center of the world; since the city is the main junction point where sea and land routes intersect. Stepping into the Grand Bazaar feels like a journey in time, which takes you back to the golden age of the Ottoman Empire with all artisans, work, and shop owners hassling to sell the best of their products. Not only inexpensive touristic souvenirs but also upscale well-known family stores of jewelry, leather, antiques, art, replicas, ceramics, towels, home textiles, and more than you can imagine. Grand Bazaar, the oldest and most extensive "shopping mall" in the world, has 22 gates and 4000 shops. It first opened in 1461!