Evening in Istanbul

[Islanderman]

In June, we will be on the Zuiderdam, docking in Istanbul at 4 PM. Does anyone have any suggestions for a nice evening in the city, even if it's just an unforgettable restaurant? We're baby boomers who are not looking to make it completely through the night, but we would like to have a nice Istanbul experience off the ship, getting back to the ship around midnight. We'll be getting up early the next morning to explore the city.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Liv4cruzin]

Although IST is my favorite city in the world, my dining experiences there have been more of local's type fare. I frequent the TripAdvisor.com message boards; & their IST/Turkey boards are full of great advice. The link below takes you to the IST restaurant picks thread. Local experts as well as repeat visitors give a lot of recommendations. The thread goes on for pages & pages; but I'm sure you will home on something that tickles your fancy.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293974-i368-k893844-Istanbul_Restaurant_Picks-Istanbul.html

[ama22]

You could do a belly dancing show with dinner. Search the web for info.

 

Mary Lou

[kathy16]

We will be in Istanbul for 2 nights pre-cruise in May 2008, and also looking for evening entertainment/activities. Heard the whirling dervishes show and the Orient House dinner/belly dancer show were interesting. Anyone have experience with these or other suggestions?

[2Fltravelers]

We will be in Istanbul for 2 nights pre-cruise in May 2008, and also looking for evening entertainment/activities. Heard the whirling dervishes show and the Orient House dinner/belly dancer show were interesting. Anyone have experience with these or other suggestions?

 

We were in Istanbul in late September 2002 and went to the Orient House with friends who are locals. While we had a nice evening, the food was average. The show was enjoyable but it was quite touristy and our friends politely agreed. On another evening we had an incredible dinner in the restaurant (I believe the name is Turca) in the Ciragan Palace hotel along the Bosporous. The restaurant and food were wonderful and amazingly inexpensive. At the time I believe dinner for 2 with wine, etc. was $58. While Istanbul has become more expensive, it is still quite reasonable since it is on the Turkish Lira and not the euro. Also, the restaurant was recently redone (it was beautiful before). It is in a former palace and after dinner you can walk along the Bosporous. I recall there was a club there, also outside,with beautiful views. We will be overnighting in Istanbul in October while on the Azamara Quest and intend to go back to the Ciragan for dinner.

 

There is also the Mamara Hotel on Taksim Square which has a rooftop restaurant (enclosed) with great views of the Bosporous. There is also an outdoor cafe along the square which is more casual and great for people watching. From there you can walk around Taksim Square which is bustling all night. There is a famous pedestrian street that branches off Taksim (can't remember the name) and it is filled with restaurants, people, etc. It is a fun experience to mingle with locals.