Taxi to Taksim

A quick way of getting to the other side of the Golden Horn and inexpensive if you insist on the driver using the meter, is by taxi. Taksim, whose name has nothing to do with transport but has the prosaic meaning of water storage container, sees a more modern, sophisticated side of the city. This retail arcade would hardly look out of place in Milan or Paris and the pedestrianised Istiklal Caddesi is a mile-long parade of fashion shops.
There are quiet corners as well, useful for photo shoots and general street life. There are few dogs but as you can see, parts of Istanbul are Cat City.

Lastly I find the beautiful little Christ Church, a 19th-century memorial to the Crimean War.Läs mer