Eating in Istanbul

Find the perfect place to eat in Istanbul can be a real challenge for food lovers, because Turkish gastronomy and especially Istanbul cuisine has a great variety of typical dishes, result of its rich history of different cultures.

Star Food: Döner Kebab

Is most demanded food by the visitors to Istanbul. It consists of roast lamb or chicken and cuted into small strips and served in a special bread, accompanied by vegetal salted and sauces. The classic and perfect drink to enjoy the taste of the authentic Kebab, is called Ayran, composed of yogurt and water.

Establishments and Zones

Istanbul offers many different places with different specialties. First there are the fast-food, called Büfe, where you can get all varieties of kebab. Other establishments typical in the city are called Kebapçi also serve Döner Kebab among many other typical plates like Shish Kebab or meatballs.

There are also other places called Pideci, its specialty is the Pide and Lahmacun, typical of Istanbul very similar to the pizza.

Dinner in Istanbul, is an other thing, because at night predominate over all restaurants of traditional and international cuisine. For dining in Istanbul, there are different places or restaurants with different specialties. They are the Meyhane, a kind of tavern where you can drink and eat accompanied by the Turkish folk music. There are also Ocakbsi, here people sit around a big BBQ, The drink served in these places is always Raki, Turkish schnapps.

Although all serve good food, in eBooking we want to make some recommendations of the best places to eat in Istanbul:

• Sultanahmet square
• Galata Bridge
• Taksim square

Museums in Istanbul

Istanbul not only has historical monuments and mosques, also provides a large number of museums where the art lovers can enjoy a cultural and artistic trip in the biggest city of Turkey.

Some of the most important museums in Istanbul and recommended by eBooking are:

• Archaeological Museum:This museum is probably the most important in its field in the world. This museum presents an incredible collection of objects of incalculable value and importance, such as the Alexander Sarcophagus. The Archaeological Museum is divided in three different galleries:
  • The Main Gallery: where we can contemplate the beauty of some of the world’s most famous objects. The centerpiece of this section is the Alexander Sarcophagus.
  • Oriental Art: this part of the museum exhibits great objects from different cultures like the Egyptian, Sumerian or Akkadian.
  • Ceramics and Jewelry: This last gallery of the museum, located in the pavilion of the tile, we can see some of the pottery and some jewelry most beautiful and curious of Turkey. The majority are priceless objects.
• Museum of Turkish & Islamic Art: is one of the most important museums in Istanbul, located on the Ibrahim Pasa Palace, has an extensive collection of symbolic objects in the history of Istanbul and Turkey. In this museum we can find a great collection of Turkish carpets, pottery, sculptures, different versions of the Qur’an, etc …

Other curious museums in Istanbul are:

• Museum Atatürk: was the Atatürk’s house, currently is a gallery where we can find his personal items.
• Museum of Calligraphy.
• Museum of Modern Art.
• Carpets Museum: amazing museum with a large collection of the most beautiful carpets of Istanbul.