Third suspension bridge on Bosphorus

On 26th of August 2016 Turkey opened one of the world's biggest suspension bridges. It's the widest suspension beidge in the world with 8 lanes for motor vehicles plus 2 lanes for high speed trains. It also has the world's highest pillars in a suspension bridge, around 322 meters (1,056 feet) high. The name of the bridge is Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge, named after one of the Ottoman sultans who ruled in the 16th century. 

The third bridge creates a new link across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, which divides Asia and Europe. It was built by private construction companies and costed around 3 billion US dollars.

Istanbul: Best Destination in 2016

According to Trip Advisor's millions of users, Istanbul is the best destination in the world in 2016, after London. 

The mosques, bazaars, and Turkish baths of Istanbul could keep you happily occupied for your entire trip: an eyeful of breathtaking architecture here, a good-natured haggle over a carpet there. Kick your trip off at the awe-inspiring Sultan Ahmet Camii (Blue Mosque), which is visible from many points of the city. Stroll the Galata Bridge and stop by the Miniaturk Park to see its tiny artifacts. The Grand Bazaar has thousands of shops to browse, while the Egyptian Bazaar is a fragrant trove of spices and fruits.

2016 Travelers Choice by Trip Advisor, Best Destinations in the World: 

1- London, United Kingdom 

2- Istanbul, Turkey 

3- Marrakech, Marocco 

4- Paris, France

5- Siem Reap, Cambodia

6- Prague, Czech Republic

7- Rome, Italy 

8- Hanoi, Vietnam 

9- New York, U.S.A 

10- Ubud, Indonesia

11- Barcelona, Spain

12- Lisbon, Portugal 

13- Dubai, U.A.E.

14 St. Petersburg, Russia

15- Bangkok, Thailand

16- Amsterdam, Holland

17- Buenos Aires, Argentina

18- Hong Kong, China 

19- Playa del Carmen, Mexico

20- Cape Town, South Africa

21- Tokyo, Japan

22- Cusco, Peru

23- Kathmandu, Nepal 

24- Sydney, Australia

25- Budapest, Hungary

New ticket costs for public transportation

As of 31st of January 2016 ticket prices for public transportation in Istanbul are raised. This includes public busses, local ferries, subway/metro, trams, funicular.

The price of the single-use ticket (or coin) remains the same as 4 Turkish Lira for each ride. Meanwhile the rate for Istanbul Card is now 2,30 TL for the ride, it was 2,15 TL before.

Istanbul Biennale

14th edition of the Istanbul Biennale can be visited between September 5th - November 1st, 2015. There are several venues for the Biennale in different locations of the city: old city area, Taksim and Beyoglu area, Bosphorus, Princes islands, Kadikoy district, and so on. It's one of the most important cultural events in Istanbul.

Admission to the 14th Istanbul Biennial is free of charge, except at the Museum of Innocence.All venues will be closed on 24 September, the first day of the Religious holiday of Sacrifice (Eid). As of the 2nd day of holiday (between 25–27 September) İstanbul Modern, Pera Museum, ARTER and The Museum of Innocence opens while other venues remain closed. 

Hagia Irene opened to visitors

Hagia Irene (Aya Irini), former Byzantine church of 6th century, is opened to public as a museum as of April 2014. The site is located in the first courtyard of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. 

Entrance to the museum costs 20 Turkish Liras. It's closed on Tuesdays, same as Topkapi palace museum. During summer months it can be visited between 09:00-18:00 (last entry).

Istanbul is a "Powerful City Brand"

English newspaper The Guardian has listed "The World's Most Powerful City Brands" for 2014. The list ranks world cities on everything such as transport, attractions, weather, crime rate and safety, economic prosperity, and social ‘buzz’. This brand list is all about how cities use their assets, how they do the best with what they have.

Istanbul ranks #11 out of 25 cities listed.

Topkapi Palace is the top visited museum in 2013

According to a report issued by the Turkish Travel Agencies Union (TURSAB), nearly 30 million people visited the museums of Turkey in 2013. 

The highest increase in the number of visitors was seen at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, due to its Harem. While the number of visitors to the Harem exceeded over 1 million people for the first time, the total number of visitors to Topkapı Palace was above 3,397.000 people. Therefore, on the list of the most-visited museums, Topkapi Museum left behind the Hagia Sophia Museum, which topped the list in 2011 and 2012. 

Turkish museums and ancient sites, which hosted nearly 7 million people in the beginning of the 2000s, welcomed 29,533,000 visitors by the end of 2013. According to the data of TURSAB and the Culture and Tourism Ministry, 69% of visitors were foreigners and 31% were Turkish nationals. 

Most walkable cities in the world

Istanbul is listed among the “12 totally walkable cities to visit”, according to sheknows.com website.

Stone Town (Tanzania) was #1 on the list, while Austin (Texas) and Sydney (Australia) followed it. After Seattle (USA), Dublin (Ireland) and Vientiane (Laos), comes Istanbul (Turkey). The list follows with Prague (Czech Republic), Florence (Italy), New York (USA), Florionapolis (Brazil), and Boston (USA).

Istanbul's population is larger than many countries

Istanbul's official population is 13.854.740 as of today, which is more than 122 countries around the world!!!

Senegal (13,6 Million), Zambia (13,1 Million), Zimbabwe (13 Million), Chad (12,8 Million), Southern Sudan (11,3 Million), Cuba (11,2 Million), Belgium (11, 1 Million), Guinea (10,8 Million), Greece (10,8 Million), Tunis (10,8 Million), Portugal (10,6 Million), Rwanda (10,5 Million), Czech Republic (10,5 Million), Somalia (10,5 Million), Haiti (10,4 Million), Benin (10,3 Million), Burundi (10,1 Million), Bolivia (10 Million), Hungary (9,9 Million), Sweden (9,6 Million), Belarus (9,5 Million), Dominican Republic (9,5 Million), Azerbaijan (9,2 Million), Austria (8,5 Million), Honduras (8,4 Million), UAE (8,3 Million), Switzerland (8,1 Million), Israel (8 Million), Tajikistan (8 Million), Bulgaria (7,3 Million), Serbia (7,2 Million), Hong Kong (7,2 Million), Papua New Guinea, (7,1 Million), Paraguay (6,7 Million), Laos (6,6 Million), Jordan (6,5 Million), Eritrea (6,3 Million), Libya (6,2 Million), Togo (6,2 Million), Sierra Leone (6,2 Million), El Salvador (6,2 Million), Nicaragua (6,1 Million), Denmark (5,6 Million), Kyrgyzstan (5,6 Million), Finland (5,4 Million), Slovakia (5,4 Million), Singapore (5,3 Million), Turkmenistan (5,2 Million), Norway (5,1 Million), Lebanon (4,8 Million), Costa Rika (4,7 Million), Central African Republic (4,6 Million), Ireland (4,6 Million), Georgia (4,5 Million), New Zealand (4,5 Million), Congo Republic (4,4 Million), Palestine (4,4 Million), Liberia (4,3 Million), Croatia (4,3 Million), Bosnia (3,8 Million), Oman (3,8 Million), Puerto Rico (3,7 Million), Kuwait (3,6 Million), Moldova (3,6 Million), Mauritania (3,5 Million), Panama (3,4 Million), Uruguay (3,3 Million), Armenia (3 Million), Lithuania (3 Million), Albania (2,8 Million), Mongolia (2,8 Million), Jamaica (2,7 Million), Namibia (2,1 Million), Lesotho (2,1 Million), Slovenia (2,1 Million), Macedonia (2,1 Million), Botswana (2 Million), Latonia (2 Million), Qatar (1,9 Million), Gambia (1,8 Million), Guinea Bissau (1,7 Million), Gabon (1,7 Million), Equator Guinea (1,6 Million), Togo (1,3 Million), Estonia (1,9 Million), Mauritius (1,3 Million), Swaziland (1,2 Million), Bahrain (1,2 Million), East Timor (1,1 Million), Djibouti (865 thousand), Cyprus (862 thousand), Fiji (858 thousand), Reunion (821 thousand), Guyana (785 thousand), Bhutan (737 thousand), Comoros (724 thousand), Montenegro (620 thousand), Macau (582 thousand), West Sahara (567 thousand), Solomon Islands (561 thousand), Luxemburg (537 thousand), Surinam (534 thousand), Cape Verde Republic (492 thousand), Malta (416 thousand), Guadeloupe (403 thousand), Martinique (394 thousand), Brunei (393 thousand), Bahamas (351 thousand), Iceland (324 thousand), Maldives (317 thousand), Belize (313 thousand), Barbados (274 thousand), French Polynesia (268 thousand), Vanuatu (265 thousand), New Caledonia (259 thousand), French Guyana (229 thousand), Mayotte (213 thousand), Samoa (188 thousand), Sao Tome and Principe (187 thousand), Saint Lucia (167 thousand), Guam (159 thousand), Curacao (151 thousand)

More interesting facts on Istanbul.

Cihangir is one of the "Five best places in the world"

The Guardian newspaper named the "Five best places to live in the world", and Istanbul's Cihangir neighbourhood is one of them.

You can read the full article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/jan/20/five-best-places-to-live-in-world

New exhibitions at the Borusan Contemporary Art museum

Borusan Contemporary Art museum, housed in the "Haunted Mansion" (Perili Kosk) in Rumelihisari neighbourhood along the Bosphorus in Istanbul, is housing the "River of History" exhibition by artist Kathleen Forde and also the "Segment #1A" exhibition by artist Dr. Necmi Sonmez until 15th of April 2012.

Istanbul is one of the "Top 29 Cities for Men To Live In"

AskMen, a famous lifestyle site for men, unveiled its annual "Top 29 Cities To Live In". Based upon a variety of international sources and insider experience from AskMen contributors from around the world, the Top 29 provides a current snapshot of the best cities for men, with New York, Melbourne and Tokyo rounding out the top three. For the first time this year, Istanbul has made the 2010’s list as #20.

The most livable cities for men, in order, are:

1. New York
2. Melbourne
3. Tokyo
4. Madrid
5. London
6. Cape Town
7. Miami
8. Buenos Aires
9. Sydney
10. San Francisco
11. Paris
12. Los Angeles
13. Hong Kong
14. Tel Aviv
15. Barcelona
16. Sao Paulo
17. Berlin
18. Lisbon
19. Beirut
20. ISTANBUL
21. Shanghai
22. Montreal
23. Amsterdam
24. Chicago
25. Toronto
26. Kyoto
27. Bogota
28. Rome
29. Las Vegas

Burak

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.

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.