Istanbul/New City

Istanbul's New City is a modern district north of Taksim Square. Its neighbourhoods of Elmadağ, Nişantaşı, Kurtuluş and Şişli were built up in the early 20th century, then more recently appeared the business district between Mecidiyeköy and Levent-Maslak. While in the 2020s steel-and-glass skyscrapers are everywhere in Istanbul perhaps except a few deeply historic zones, this is the only area where they form a distinctive skyline rather than a jumble of irregularly spaced high-rises shooting up into the air with much lower buildings inbetween. The district's main thoroughfare is Cumhuriyet Caddesi between Taksim Square and Mecidiyeköy (passing through or near Nişantaşı and Şişli) and its extension Büyükdere Caddesi, which runs through Levent and Maslak and eventually reaches Sarıyer on the Bosphorus bank to the north.

Get in

 * The quickest way to reach the New City is by Metro line M2 which runs beneath Cumhuriyet Caddesi from Taksim to Maslak, with stations every couple of kilometres.
 * Metro line M11 runs from Istanbul airport to Gayrettepe passing through the district with a stop at Kagıthane.
 * Buses from other parts of the city run to Mecidiyeköy. The Metrobüs, a bus rapid transit system plying along its own lane between the western suburbs and the Asian Side also passes through the district, calling at Mecidiyeköy and Zincirlikuyu stations (close to those metro stations).
 * Dolmuşes ply between Beşiktaş and Nişantaşı.

Architecture
Probably no one in their right mind would visit Istanbul for the sole purpose of viewing high-rises, but if for some reason you need a change from the ancient to 19th-century architecture that dominates the most visited parts of the city, jump on the metro for Istanbul's skyscraper district clustered around Levent and Maslak. The heavy focus of the AKP government on construction projects means the building heights increasingly go upwards: as of 2022, the tallest in this area is 2019-built Skyland Istanbul at 284 m, in Seyrantepe west of Maslak (although the tallest building in Istanbul and all of Turkey, 301-m Metropol Istanbul, is in Ataşehir, a smaller business district on the Asian Side of the city), and many others are among the tallest anywhere between Moscow and Dubai, or even in the entirety of Europe. Much of the area is criss-crossed by motorways and motorway-like avenues so may not be very suitable for walking tours, and the most appreciable skyline views are from some distance away, e.g., across the Bosphorus.

On the other hand, the earlier developed southern sections of the district around Harbiye, Elmadağ, Osmanbey, Nişantaşı, Kurtuluş, and Şişli feature large numbers of neo-classical and Art Nouveau buildings from the turn of the 20th century, in a great contrast to the business district in the north.

Buy
This part of the city is characterized by having a modern shopping mall every few kilometers along the metro line. Here is a list of them:


 * City's Nişantaşı, about a 10-minute walk (250 m) from Osmanbey Metro statıon.

Additıonally, Nişantaşı, downhill from Osmanbey metro station, is quite literally full of upscale boutique shopping options (e.g.: Gucci, Prada, Armani).

Mid-range

 * Set Kebap at Nispetiye Cad. No:13 in Levent. Has a wonderful meze table and delicious Adana Kebab. The staff speaks very little English but are most anxious to be helpful.
 * Sosa. At Akmerkez Mall, Etiler. tel - +90 212 282 01 51. Fairly priced salads and wraps among others.
 * Sosa. At Akmerkez Mall, Etiler. tel - +90 212 282 01 51. Fairly priced salads and wraps among others.
 * Sosa. At Akmerkez Mall, Etiler. tel - +90 212 282 01 51. Fairly priced salads and wraps among others.

Drink

 * Reassürans Pasajı in Nişantaşı houses many bars and cafés and is a good place for bar hopping on a Saturday night.

Adult entertainment

 * The city's most reputable strip club, or gentleman's club, is Regina Revue, in Elmadag, near Taksim. It's not a sleazy place and has been running for nearly 30 years. Rather than a standard strip club with just a pole on the stage, Regina has many different decors and performances to music, with the girls acting out different scenarios on stage.

Sleep
At its south end this district shades into Taksim / Galata, where there's more choice.