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Campus Life
> Life in Istanbul
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If you are considering living in a foreign place, we invite you to investigate life in Istanbul, Turkey - one of the most exciting cities in one of the most historically rich and fascinating countries in the world!
Turkey is a dynamic, young, industrious country with a population that bridges the East and West. It exerts a strong pull for many people with its rich cultural history and diversity. Moreover, every region in Turkey offers the chance to benefit from invaluable extraordinary resources, and to enrich one's knowledge, skills, and interests. However, Turkey is particularly famous for Istanbul, and for its fabulous southern beaches, ancient sites and outstanding architecture.
For further information about Turkey, please see: www.kultur.gov.tr
For more detailed information about living in Turkey, please check out the forums and related links at www.mymerhaba.com and www.sublimeportal.com
Istanbul is considered a model of free market economics, enlightened social reforms, and cultural and religious diversity. Being the only city in the world linking two continents and thus many cultures and religions, it is a unique place to live and explore.
You can enjoy all four seasons in Istanbul. The autumn and spring are cool and mild, the winter is wet and cold with much rain and some snowfall in recent years, and the summer is quite warm. Therefore, Istanbul's residents may need a sizable wardrobe with various clothes for indoor and outdoor use. Fortunately, many clothing items are available in Istanbul at a reasonable price and quality. In addition, Turkey exports many clothing items to other countries.
Some famous shopping malls with a global range of fashions can be seen online at:
www.akmerkez.com.tr in Etiler
www.kanyon.com.tr in Levent
www.istinyepark.com in Istinye/Maslak
www.telerehber.com searchable 'yellow pages' for whatever you're looking for
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Shopping_malls_in_Istanbul shopping malls in Istanbul
www.capitol.com.tr in Altunizade
You can have a wide variety of local dishes as Turkish cuisine is famous for its range of delicious foods. Meat, vegetables, fruit and seafood are plentiful and vary with the seasons. There are also a small number of restaurants where you can enjoy the tastes of Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, German and Korean cuisines. Moreover, there are abundant choices of fast food restaurants like McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, Schlotzsky's Deli, TGI Fridays, and more. After your meal, you can enjoy yourselves in various cafés including Starbucks, Gloria Jean's, Paul's, Dunkin Donuts, etc. In addition to these, there are numerous trendy restaurants and night clubs where you can enjoy a drink and have fun until the sun rises.
More information can be found at:
www.istanbulcityguide.com
www.sanalistanbul.com/virtualistanbul/Restaurants.htm (Restaurant Guide)
www.lokanta.com
(restaurant search engine searchable by location, cuisine, and other)
www.yemeksepeti.com
(online delivery service for all areas of Istanbul)
Museums
The following list includes some of the many museums worth visiting:
Aya Sofia (St. Sophia), Kariye Camii (St. Saviour in Chora), the Hippodrome, the city walls and cisterns (Yerebatan Sarnıç), Topkapı Palace, the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art (Ibrahim Paşa Sarayı), the Naval and Military
museums, Dolmabahçe Palace, the Archaeological Museum. Istanbul also has the Istanbul Modern art museum, Santral Istanbul, and special interest museums like the Sadberk Hanım Museum and the Rahmi Koç Museum of Transport, Industry and Communications.
www.exploreistanbul.com
www.istanbulcityguide.com
www.turkeytravelplanner.com
Music and Arts
The following places are popular music and culture venues:
Atatürk Kültür Merkezi on Taksim Square, Cemil Reşit Rey Hall in Nişantaşı, Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Amphitheater in Nişantaşı, Rumeli Hisarı Open Air Amphitheater, jazz clubs in Ortaköy, and Babylon, which is famous for rock and alternative music performances.
Festivals & Events
Akbank Jazz Festival
Istanbul Book Fair
Istanbul Biennial
Concerts
AFM International Independent Film Festival
Transcontinental Istanbul Marathon
Fall Film Festival
Open Air Amphitheater Jazz Festival
Efes Pilsen International Blues Festival
International Istanbul Film Festival
Bach Music Festival
International Women's Film Festival
International Theater Festival
International Music Festival
Formula 1 Turkey Grand Prix
Night Life
A variety of bars, pubs, cafes, nightclubs are present for people from all walks of life. Their prices range from reasonable to very expensive. They are mostly located in Beyoğlu, Taksim, Kadıköy, and Ortaköy.
Cinema & Theatres
You will have no difficulty in finding a nearby cinema or theatre where you can watch the latest movies or plays. The website listed below gives a full listing of cinemas and their current offerings in Istanbul.
www.beyazperde.com
Sport Facilities
There are many sport centers offering swimming, tennis, squash, aerobics, yoga, dance, team sports, etc. There are also ice rinks, bowling alleys, golf clubs, riding clubs, and health clubs available in the city.
There are many excellent private hospitals in Istanbul. The most well-known ones are Florence Nightingale, Johns Hopkins, the American Hospital, the International Hospital, AcıBadem Hospital and the German Hospital, all of which have English speaking staff.
Pharmacies are generally open from 9:00 - 19:00 Monday to Saturday. On Sundays and at night, there is at least one on-call pharmacy in every neighborhood.
www.istanbulsaglik.gov.tr
As Istanbul embraces lots of religions, there are several working churches and synagogues as well as countless mosques. The Patriarchate of the Greek Orthodox Church is in Balat and there are many other Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches. St. Antoine and St. Esprit are the two main Roman Catholic churches. The Anglican (Episcopal) community has services at Christ Church (the Crimean Memorial Church). The Union Church of Istanbul holds non-denominational Protestant services in the Dutch chapel. Three of the main synagogues of the city are Neve Shalom and the Şişli and Ortaköy synagogues.
Foreigners and Turkish citizens are permitted to keep foreign currency bank accounts.
Foreign currency is easy to change at exchange offices and banks. (exchange offices may offer better rates)
The post office (PTT) honors the Central Bank exchange rate without charging a commission. (working hours: weekdays: 9:00-12:00- 13:00-16:00)
All banks have Automatic Teller Machines, and it's possible to withdraw money from foreign bank accounts from some of the ATMs.
Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted.
(as of 2008)
At a restaurant/ cafe:
1 sandwich, drink & fries at a fast food restaurant
A very small appetizer at an upscale restaurant
5 doughnuts at DUNKIN DONUTS
A meal and a drink at an inexpensive local restaurant
1 cup of coffee and a desert at STARBUCKS
At the Supermarket:
3 liters of fruit juice
5 liters of milk
10 packs of gum
3 kgs fruit
3 kgs vegetable
2 packs of cigarettes (3 if a local brand)
2 magazines or 20 local newspapers
At the hairdresser:
Have a haircut at an inexpensive hairdresser
A manicure or pedicure at an inexpensive one
Get your nails polished at an expensive one
Others:
2 19-liter containers of bottled water
A bouquet of flowers from a street vendor
3 rollerball pens
About 3 liters of petrol (less than a gallon)
Despite the other attractions of Istanbul, traffic is heavy at certain times of the day. Therefore, when making arrangements and scheduling appointments, you always need to bear this fact in mind.
Public buses, private buses, mini-buses, the metro, tramways, ferries, sea-buses, shared taxis (dolmuş), taxis, and trains are all available means of transport within the city. Furthermore, you can travel to other places in and outside of the country by intercity buses, planes and trains.
There are two international airports in Istanbul. The larger one, Atatürk International Airport is located in Yeşilköy, on the European side, while Sabiha Gökçen Airport is located in Tuzla, on the Asian side. There are shuttle services called Havaş from both airports to a few central areas in the city..
www.iett.gov.tr
www.ido.com.tr
www.tcdd.gov.tr/tcdding/index.htm
www.varan.com.tr
www.ulusoyotobus.com
www.thy.com
www.pegasus.com
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