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This is the culture, art and entertainment center of Istanbul... This is Taksim, this is Beyoglu... These who names are always pronounced together; because when go to one, you see the another...
No matter where you take a transportation, you reach Taksim easily. If Istanbul were an independent state, its capital would probably be Taksim...
In Taksim Square, Ataturk Statue, Ataturk Cultural Center and a huge crowd of people welcome you. Taksim is the intersecting point of roads flowing to Dolmabahce, to Macka, to Sisli, to Sishane, to Tunel and Cihangir. Or in another words, Taksim distributes Istanbul life to the rest of the city... (In Ottoman Turkish "Taksim" means to distribute, to allocate. The reason for this name being given to the district is the allocation of water once being made to all of Istanbul from here...)
The most important of these lifelines is, without doubt, Istiklal Street. Istiklal Street which extends from Taksim to Tunel is the unchanging route of a journey which ends in the very heart of Beyoglu. We recommend you to make this journey by walking; however during this journey, the nostalgic tram which travels through the hectic crowd will definitely catch your eye. Whatever it takes, try getting on this tram too. When watching outside through its window, remember that it was this tram which was the only means of transport in Istanbul once...
Eating? It's all here; world famous fast food restaurants, kebab restaurants, pide places, Ottoman, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, home made food and even simit! (Simit is itself a course of snack. The simits sold in streets and in small pushcarts are in fact like bread, it is covered with sesame. You can never have enough of it when it is hot, crispy and especially accompanied by a cup of tea).
Movies? In every hundred meters, there is one, multi-saloon movie theatres... If you want to to watch looking opera, ballet, theatre? Here is Ataturk Cultural Center (AKM), to private theatres, to city theatre... Or you can visit exhibitions, activities? The galleries on each side welcome you...
Istiklal Street also itself, intersecting streets and even its parallel streets are full of cafes, bars, street pubs, night clubs... In Beyoglu, Istiklal Street, Cicek Pasaji (Flower Passage) especially attracts tourists. Dozens of restaurants in Cicek Pasaji hosts everyone who wants to have a nice dinner accompanied by Classical Turkish Music...
In brief, for Taksim and Beyoglu, it would be true to say the "hottest spots" of Istanbul... Meanwhile, if you stop by Beyoglu, do not leave without seeing St. Antuan Church...
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