Is Istanbul a lifestyle city like Paris?

The contemporary Istanbul – a trip to a avantgarde city

By feature reporter and influencer Jens Hoffman
Photos: Annamaria Veszeli

Istanbul boasts a thriving hotel scene.

We love the Ciragan Palace and also the Marmara hotels.

More and more you will find a great art scene in Istanbul.

A lot of fancy locations like the Venue Tersane as well as a lot of fine dinning restaurants.
More and more with a Michelin star.

The city offers endless nightlife and lovely hotels.

If you are looking for art city you should think about travel to Istanbul.

Lets go.

Istanbul Airport.

The Turkish hub near the Black Sea coast replaced the former well-known Atatürk Airport, which was no longer enough for the global air traffic of the 16 millions metropole.

The distance to Istanbul city is about 30 kilometers.

It is located in the European part of the city and is the base of Turkish Airlines.

The vast area stretching from the airport to the metropolis is kissed by the sun.

Wow.

For several years I have been traveling to Istanbul, for me one of the most beautiful cities in the world, which presents itself nowadays in an avant-garde style.

Istanbul is nowadays a contemporary art metropole.

If you are invited on a business trip with a focus on culture, this is also of the most beautiful ambiguity.

I was taken art-changing from museums like the Pera Museum and countless new modern galleries.

Istanbul is a fascinating, modern city on the Bosphorus.

Pulsating flair, Asia meets Europe.

Istanbul is the only metropolis in the world that lies on two continents.

Two sides, two continents, two cultures.

That makes them contradictory, I like the avant-garde, modern change of the city.

In some days you get many different perspectives like in New York.

Istanbul offers more and more public transport to get the massive car traffic of the 16 million city under control.

Many touristic highlights can be reached on foot.

As a starting point, I recommend the districts of Beyoglu, Pera or the historical district of Sultanahmet in the quartier of Fatih.

In the old center of Istanbul you will find Topkapi Museum and also the Hagia Sophia.

The conversion of the Hagia Sophia to a mosque takes some respect, as it is now heavily frequented.

Once across the Galata Bridge, on the other side of the Golden Horn, you reach the district of Beyoglu, here you find the modern Istanbul.

A major urban project on the Golden Horn a mixture of lifestyle and art.

The Contemporary Istanbul Foundation wants to place art and culture internationally on the top.

Tersane Istanbul with its loftstyle halls and a fantastic courtyard offer almost ten thousand square meters, plus an even larger open space for events.

This are major urban development projects with the aims to turn a area into a paradise with hotels, offices, galleries, museums, restaurants and a marina from which water taxis depart for the old town.

Tersane, where the hotel group Rixos is investing and where the architects -who have designed the Atatürk Cultural Center- is a billion-euro project with space for contemporary art.

Furthermore there are a more and more galleries and cultural institutions, with exhibitions about women, NFT, classic painting and lots of digital art.

Contemporary art, NFT payment, crypto currency & party.

We celebrated, eaten, drink and enjoyed the new avantgarde Turkish life.

Total:

Everything is atmospheric, fun and full of surprises.

Like Istanbul itself.

Countless galleries, concert hall and exciting restaurant belongs on every travel list.

Information:

Cultural Highlights:

Galataport

Contemporary Art & Concert Hall

Atatürk Cultural Center

Pera Museum