Sign in with Facebook
Hotel Class: 
4 Stars - 8 Opinions
Mimar Mesihpapa Caddesi No:90, Laleli, Istanbul, 34480, Turkey
Check Rates and Availability
of people enjoy staying here
8 Opinions
Istanbul - Turkey
View of the Bosphorus, Europe(left) & Asia(right)
Domes of Yeni Camii - Jan 2010
Terrace Entrance - Rustem Pasa Mosque
Hello Everyone,
I am looking for either belly dancing or whirling Dervish show and I thought I saw some one mention there was a show at the Galata Tower? I am on a cruise ship and wonder if this is near where we dock? I plan on seeing as much as I can in the historic area during the day. I also saw mention about dancers at the railway station and wonder if this is near the historic district or not?
Perhaps the dancing is too touristy? I welcome your comments and thank you!
I would say that the dancing is way touristy. I don't think that belly dancing is even Turkish.
The Galata tower is near the cruise ship terminal. To save yourself a walk up a steep hill, you can take the funicular up the hill, then the short walk to the tower. Do not know about the shows there. It is definitely worth going up just for the fantastic views over the city.
The station is not far away, across the other side of the Galata Bridge, but the whirling dervish dancers are at 7.30pm.
Not far, and on the same side is the beautiful Dolambache Palace if you are interested in beautiful buildings and gardens, it is stunning!
hello,
click on the following link to get some information about the meaning of Dervish ceremony,its relationship with Hz Mevlana, how the inner beauties of this world are evaluated and considered in the Dervish way etc...
http://www.mekder.org/english/index.php
You may also get their time schedule for their traditional shows from the above link as well.
Feel free to keep in touch with me if you will require any assistance from my side.
Thank you...
Visit Dolmabahche Sarai. For me this is a real palace from Sheherazada's tales of '1001 nights'. It's so huge and has so many rooms and halls, all splendid and different from each other that I spent a whole day there. All presents made of marble, gold, silver, abanos and cristal and offered to the Turkish Sultans from visitors from all over the world are well preserved. The boat trip on the Bosphorus and the walks by night.
Make sure to visit some of the Sultans' Graves scattered around Istanbul. They are usually burried inside a building with members of their families and they're high rank ministers. As you can see the graves have a very unusual shape.
Ramadan is the holy month in Islam and it is celebrated in Turkey. Many people in Turkey will fast during Ramadan. Sometimes foreigners are afraid of staying hungry because they think that all restaurants will be closed. However, there are many people who don't fast during Ramadan for many different reasons and considering this fact, you will see many restaurants open just like other days of the year. There may be some restaurants which open late in the afternoon before breakfast time "iftar". So no need to be afraid of starving :)
I was wondering where to put this tip but finally decided to put it here because I think it is not as famliar to the tourists as the Grand Bazaar and some othar bazaars.
Where is it:
Old Book Market, Sahaflar Carsisi, is right next to the Grand Bazaar.
What you will see there:
You will se a number of small shops, like Orient Shop, and you will have the possibilty to browsed on new and used books in all languages.
Personaly I liked the Old Book Market much more than the Grand bazaar. The reason for is that I adore books and that this market doesnt look that hectic. It is quiter and somehow more spiritual :) You could feel that this place had a long history.
There are two Galeri Kayseri bookshops, both located in Divanyolu Street, one very near the other, and both called simply – Bookshop.
Here is the part of Helen Betts's text from September 24th 2004 Turkish Daily News: "An elegant new foreign-language bookstore has opened in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district, offering locals and tourists alike the the best in books on Turkey and the region.
Identified only as Bookshop in bright letters on the building front, Galeri Kayseri is a modern, brightly lit shop packed with an amazing selection of books on Turkey, from travel guides to cookbooks to coffee-table books on everything from Islamic architecture and art to the photography of Ara Guller and Ottoman textiles. […] It also has a selection of translated novels by contemporary Turkish authors such as Orhan Pamuk as well as books on Islam and the archeology and history of Anatolia. […] Although the majority of books are in English, the store also stocks some editions in French, Spanish and German.
The new Galeri Kayseri is the creation of Eli Tuysuz, the owner of a bookstore by the same name located just across the street that has served customers for the past eight years. Abandoning the common practice in Turkey by which books on display are wrapped in plastic, denying customers a chance to browse through possible purchases, Tuysuz leaves at least one copy of every book open for examination. In a land of overpriced books, he is offering his collection at reasonable prices, the UK publishers' price with no markup […]".
Sponsored Links
Similar to Hotel Venera
Near Hotel Venera
Step Up from Hotel Venera
Cheapest in Istanbul
Great Hotels for Less
Q: day boat trip to black sea at end of November? "Hi! I'll be in Istanbul in the last week of November and first week of December. Do the boats still run to the Black Sea for..."
A: "I don't know if they will run then, but anyway they don't quite go all the way to the Black Sea, only nearly."
Sponsored Links
Latest Istanbul hotel reviews
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Check Rates and Availability (from our partners)
