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.

Bosphorus Swimming Race

The Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race will take place at 10:00 A.M.on Sunday 26th of July 2015 in Istanbul. The race will start at Kanlıca Ferry Port on the Asian side and will end at Kuruçeşme Cemil Topuzlu Park on the European side. Over 2000 local and foreign swimmers will compete this year.

Istanbul - San Francisco with Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines starts direct flights from Istanbul to San Francisco, which will be its 7th destination in the USA after Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, and Boston.

The San Francisco flight will operate 5 times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays in both directions.

Expensive restaurants in Istanbul

Here is a list of most expensive classy restaurants in Istanbul according to Hurriyet newspaper: 
1- Sunset in Ulus
2- Ristorante Italia at Zorlu Center 
3- Lacivert in Anadoluhisarı
4- Spago at St. Regis hotel in Nişantaşı
5- Alancha in Beşiktaş
6- La Petite Maison in Şişli
7- Ulus 29
8- Nicole in Beyoglu
9- Kız kulesi off Salacak-Üsküdar
10- Papermoon at Akmerkez-Etile

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.

Short Course World Championship in Istanbul

The 2012 FINA Short Course World Championship will be hosted at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul between 12-16 December 2012.

Some of the biggest names in swimming, around 900 athletes, including Olympic champions such as U.S. swimming icon Ryan Lochte, France’s Florent Manaudou, Italian Federica Pellegrini and Hungarian Laszlo Cseh, will take to the pool during the 25 meter races.
The FINA World Swimming Championships (25 meters) is a five-day sports competition held every two years.

Ataturk Airport breaks record

Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport (IST) has broken its all time record for air traffic. On June 15th, 2012, the number of planes departing and arriving at Ataturk Airport was recorded as 1,090. In other words, one plane either departed from or arrived at the Ataturk Airport every 75 seconds.

Istanbul Fashion Week 2012

Istanbul Fashion Week will be on show between 8-11 February 2012, aiming to gain recognition for Turkish designers and brands in national and international tribunes and to make a contribution to Turkish economy while increasing the design power in the fashion industry.

400 years of Turkish-Dutch relations at Pera Museum

Turkish-Dutch relations are on exhibit at the Pera Museum in Istanbul. Commemorating 400 years of cultural, diplomatic and trade relations between Turkey and the Netherlands, the Pera Museum is presenting an exhibition titled “Sultans, Merchants, Painters: The Early Years of Turkish-Dutch Relations.” The exhibition includes over 80 works comprised of oil paintings, watercolors, engravings and books, and will continue until April 1st, 2012.

New York Times article on Istanbul excavations

The New York Times has published an article regarding the excavations and new findings at the Kucukcekmece Lake of Istanbul, revealing interesting facts and artifacts of this early settlement of ancient Constantinople.

You can read the full article at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/science/istanbul-yields-a-treasure-trove-in-ancient-bathonea.html?_r=2&ref=science

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 was the Top Place to Go in 2010

According to New York Times Travel, a poll amongst its readers showed that Istanbul was the top place to go in 2010. This great city is highly recommend by many readers as the Top Destination.

Body Worlds exhibition

Body Worlds, a strange exhibition of "dead real human bodies", will be on display in Istanbul between June 11th - December 17th, 2010. The site for this exhibition will be Antrepo 3, near Istanbul Modern museum at Salipazari pier.

The bodies are preserved using a tecnique called Plastination and the show goes on since many years especially in North America.