Grand Bazaar open on Easter Sunday, April 4th

The Grand bazaar will be open on Sunday on 4th of April 2010, due to the heavy tourists arrival in Istanbul for the Easter holidays.

Istanbul Tulip Festival

The 5th edition of the International Istanbul Tulip Festival organized by the Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul will be celebrated between April 2nd-18th, 2010.

As usual, Emirgan Park will be the heart of this festival but you can see millions of tulips blooming all around Istanbul during that time; in squares, in public parks, or in any green space. This is the most colorful festival in Istanbul.

Istanbul: one of the "World's sexiest cities"

The English newspaper The Sunday Times Travel Magazine has published a list of a dozen of must-see cities around the world and they named them as "The World's Sexiest Cities", Istanbul being one of them. Here are the 12 "exotic" cities: Istanbul, Rome, London, Paris, New York, St Petersburg, Havana, Bath, Berlin, Seville, Tangier, Stockholm.

"48 hours in Istanbul" by the Reuters

The international news agency Reuters has published their new "Travel Postcard: 48 hours in ??? " series dedicated to Istanbul this time. The news agency recommended Istanbul for its treasures and its glorious past. Here is their suggestions for travelers who'll visit Istanbul in 48 hours:

FRIDAY
18.00: Go up to Galata Tower to enjoy the sunset on the Golden Horn.
19.00: Walk on Istiklal pedestrian street.
20.00: Dinner at 360 restaurant on the roof of Misir Apartment.
22.30: Party at Babylon, Nardiss Jazz Club or Jazz Stop at Beyoglu.

SATURDAY
09.00: Visit the historic peninsula and the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet mosque).
10.00: Visit the ancient Hippodrome and then the Hagia Sophia museum.
11.30: Visit Topkapı Palace and Gulhane Park nextdoor.
13.00: Go to Eminonu to taste the fish & bread.
14.30: Visit the Underground Cistern (Yerebatan) where the James Bond Movie "From Russia with love" was shot.
16.00: Go to the Grand Bazaar.
20.00: Dinner at the Maiden's Tower (Kiz Kulesi) on the Bosphorus.

SUNDAY
09.00: Visit Dolmabahce Palace.
11.00: Visit Istanbul Modern museum.
14.00: Visit Suleymaniye Mosque (Burak's comment on this: it's still closed for restorations but will re-open soon until this summer) and eat beans "kurufasulye" at Kanaat restaurant nearby.
16.00: Relax at Cagaloglu Hammam.

The full article can be read at Reuters website.

Kremlin's treasures at Topkapi palace

Treasures from Moscow's Kremlin Palace will be on display at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul between March 12th and June 7th, 2010, as a part of "Istanbul European Capital of Culture of 2010" activities. The exhibition includes works of art from the 16th and 17th centuries.

2010 Istanbul European Culture Capital

In 2010, Istanbul is the European Capital of Culture together with Pecz in Hungary and Ruhr in Germany. This is an important title given by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which the chosen city is given a chance to show its cultural life and cultural development to the rest of the world.

During 2010, many artists and cultural groups, both local and international, will be visiting Istanbul at various stages for cultural showscases, events, displays, exhibitions, concerts, arts, and so on.

New terminal at Sabiha Gokcen airport

Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW), located on the Asian side of Istanbul, opened its new International Terminal complex on 31 October 2009, which will be operation starting from November 9th. It's said that the new terminal will multiply airport’s annual capacity to a 25 million passenger mark, and more international flights will land & depart from this airport.

The new terminal has a hotel, a big food court area and a big duty free shopping area at international standards.

U2 in Istanbul on September 6th, 2010

Following the success of the 2009 tour, U2 have confirmed that the 360° Tour will continue in 2010.

European fans who missed out this year will have a new opportunity to experience the 360° Tour with stops confirmed in Germany, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Austria, Greece, Turkey, France, Brussels, Spain and Portugal.

The concert in Istanbul will be held on 6th of September 2010 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

Single rate for taxis

As of September 2009, taxis in Istanbul will adopt a single tariff, dropping the night tariff. From now on all taxis will use a single rate tariff.

Istanbul Biennial 12 Sep - 8 Nov 2009

The 11th edition of International Istanbul Biennial will be held between 12 September - 8 November 2009 in Istanbul. It will be curated by What, How & for Whom (WHW), a non-profit organization for visual culture and curators’ collective based in Zagreb, Croatia.

The Biennial is one of the most important cultural events of Istanbul which is housed in several venues around the old and new city (such as the Underground Cistern, Hagia Irene and the imperial mint inside the Topkapi Palace, Taksim-Beyoglu etc).

This is an important cultural event, and in 2010 Istanbul will be the Cultural Capital of Europe, a huge cultural event in the continent.