When I was invited to stay at the Empress Zoe Hotel in Sultanahmet after I wrote about it in my piece for the Guardian, I jumped at the chance. Being a travel writer most people imagine I spend my days wandering around Istanbul playing tourist and journeying to all points of the compass on endless…
Tucked away in an almost overlooked corner of Sirkeci Railway Station in Istanbul, the one room Sirkeci Railway Museum is a ferroequinologist’s (someone who studies trains) delight. In fact, even people like me who see trains simply as a useful form of transport will find lots here to enjoy. Sirkeci Railway Station was built in…
South of the Golden Horn, west of the Bosphorus and north of the Sea of Marmara, Eminonu has long been the meeting point of traders, sailors and people looking for a bargain. Back in Ottoman times, it was home to the Empire’s official Customs Office and numerous private customs houses. It’s believed that the name…