Istiklal Avenue runs for about 1.4 kilometres from Taksim Square down to the Galata district, and on a busy weekend something close to three million people walk it. It was the Grande Rue de Pera in the nineteenth century, when the embassies of Europe stood along it; several of those buildings are still there, now serving as consulates.
The street itself is the attraction. Side passages lead to arcades, bookshops and meyhanes, and the historic red tram still runs the length of it. Churches, a synagogue and mosques stand within a few hundred metres of each other.
It never really closes. From The Soul Hotel it is a three-minute walk, which means you can step out for an hour without planning anything.
Category:
History