Sep 4, 2024 • 7 min read
03.09.2024 - 13:52 / lonelyplanet.com
Sep 3, 2024 • 5 min read
From street snacks grabbed on-the-go to hours-long breakfasts or nights spent in meyhane (taverns), Istanbul is a city that loves to eat. New restaurants are constantly opening and old favorites remain packed despite an ongoing economic crisis in Türkiye that has sent food prices soaring.
Though they share the national passion for traditional Turkish cuisine, Istanbulites also love a good international food trend, whether it’s a craze for burgers or San Sebastian cheesecake. Over the 16 years I’ve lived in the city, my own taste buds have been more excited about the dramatic increase in the number and variety of restaurants serving the cuisines of new immigrant groups, from Indonesian to Yemeni food.
Here’s just a small selection of some of the places where I like to take friends to eat (and drink) when they're visiting Istanbul.
Breakfast in Istanbul can be as simple as a simit, the ubiquitous sesame seed-covered bread ring sold at street carts and bakeries all around the city. On weekends, though, it’s all about a leisurely serpme kahvaltı, a lavish breakfast spread of small bites – olives, cheeses, jams, pastries, eggs and much more – that’s meant to be lingered over and shared. Combine breakfast with Bosphorus views at the string of cafe-restaurants lining the shoreline near the Rumeli Hisarı fortress: my pick is an old favorite, Kale Café, which now has two locations just steps from each other on Yahya Kemal Caddesi. (I’m partial to the somewhat shabbier-looking one at No 2, closer to the Bosphorus bridge.)
Closer to the city center, there’s an entire street in the Beşiktaş neighborhood devoted to breakfast. While some newer spots there are more style than substance, the original Çakmak Kahvaltı Salonu is still the best for menemen (soft-cooked eggs with tomatoes and peppers) or sucuklu yumurta (pan-fried eggs with spicy beef sausage). Don’t forget the side of bal kaymak, thick cream drizzled with honey.
Go early to both places to avoid the late-morning weekend crowds.
For traditional Turkish coffee (türk kahve), it’s hard to top Mandabatmaz, a Beyoğlu classic where the drink – cooked over a flame in a small, long-handled metal pot called a cezve – is served up thick and rich. Established in 1967 as a tiny one-room cafe, it’s expanded into the neighboring building in recent years, but perching on the alley seats is still the best way to soak up the vibe.
You wouldn’t know it from the dozens of trendy cafes dishing out flat whites and iced lattes in the Karaköy, Cihangir and Moda neighborhoods, but Türkiye still predominately has a tea culture, with reportedly the highest per capita consumption in the world. The Tarihi Çınaraltı Çay Bahçesi in Çengelköy, along the Bosphorus on the
Sep 4, 2024 • 7 min read
When someone says “bucket list trips,” it’s all too easy to imagine the journeys you’d like to take in the future, in some faraway someday to celebrate a momentous occasion or mark a sort of final hurrah. That’s all well and good, but as they say: There’s no time like the present. All across the vast United States lie innumerable opportunities to fulfill a childhood—or adulthood—dream, to experience the country in all its splendor, whether rural or urban, culinary or cultural, educational or just plain ol’ fun. At Condé Nast Traveler, we spend our days learning and writing about the best experience all 50 states have to offer—this is our ultimate wish list.
One might reasonably assume that the world’s best-connected airports would have been around for a while—long enough to test out new airline routes, apply those learnings, and figure out the smoothest way to introduce new carriers and destinations. Heathrow, for example, has long been hailed as one of the world’s best hubs, having opened nearly 80 years ago.
Sep 2, 2024 • 5 min read
Aug 30, 2024 • 5 min read
As summer begins to draw to a close, some of us may find that we aren’t ready yet to put away our beach towels and let go of sun-kissed days on beautiful white-sand beaches. Among the hundreds of thousands of beaches in the world, one region has a remarkable number of seaside paradises—Southeast Asia. After taking a look at some of the most spectacular beaches found there, it’s easy to understand how the region has emerged as one of the world’s most popular destinations.
On September 1, SAS Scandinavian Airlines left Star Alliance and joined SkyTeam. The change came just days after Air France-KLM formalized its 19.9% shareholding in the Nordic carrier. With the Franco-Dutch group a cornerstone of SkyTeam, it was incomprehensible that SAS would remain with Star.
Nearly 80% of people across Asia don’t want to travel with any cash to their destination, according to Prateek Sanghi, head of Visa Consulting and Analytics for Asia Pacific.
Skift Global Forum kicks off on September 17th with an opening reception at The Glasshouse (660 12th Ave at 48th Street) in New York City, running from 6-9 pm ET. This special evening will include insightful fireside chats with top executives from the travel industry, followed by an exciting reception.
Once rather unknown to travelers, the Urla district in Turkey’s seaside Izmir province has recently been propelled into the limelight. That's thanks to a string of newly minted Michelin-starred restaurants (three with the famed stars, and three with sustainability recognition)—and trail of inventive and boutique wine producers called the Urla Wine Route. The area is a year-round reprieve that has managed to preserve and capitalize on its natural beauty; olive groves, fruit orchards, and vineyards here have become ground zero for the reinvention of modern Aegean cuisine and wine, inspired and sustained by the region’s fruitful lands. Today, Urla beckons with culinary delights, cultural treasures, and design-first hotels—here's how to experience the new nucleus of Turkey's fine-dining scene.
The Air France-KLM Group has officially become a shareholder in SAS Scandinavian Airlines. The agreement marks the conclusion of one of the year’s biggest airline deals and heralds the latest phase of consolidation in the European airline industry.
Over 80% of Indians have either had or are planning a destination wedding, a survey conducted by search aggregator Skyscanner showed. This preference is strongest among Gen Z, with about 50% of that group indicating that they are considering a destination wedding. This figure is 33% among Millennials.