Celebrating the New Year in Istanbul

It is time to plan for another new year. It is just around the corner. The special time to celebrate and welcome the New Year and new hopes is coming shortly and soon it will be 2009.

What about celebrating the New Year in Istanbul, an exotic city connecting Europe to Asia?

I recommend you arrive to Istanbul five to seven days before the New Year. Once you've settled into your hotel, you might want to take a tour, and a cruise on Bosphorus or a boat ride to the Princes Islands.

Istanbul is full of history and it will just amaze you to travel back in time. Many of the sights that I recommend to see such as Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque are in Sultanahmet and all these sights are just steps away from each other. There is also an amazing and historic shopping place very close to those sights. Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is such a wonderful place that you must see and shop at.

It is always nice to take some time to sit at a sidewalk cafe and sip a cup of Turkish tea or Turkish coffee, or go native and smoke a hookah.

Yes, I know I should also give you some alternatives for celebrating the New Year. All five star hotels in Istanbul will have some New Year celebration activities where you can have a nice New Year dinner first and then enjoy the party. Most 4-5 star hotels are near Taksim Square in Beyoglu, or along the Bosphorus .To name a few top five-star hotels, the list in Istanbul won't end. If you are looking for some recommendations from me for the top five star hotels, I can recommend Ciragan Palace, Hilton, Maslak Sheraton, Ceylan Intercontinental, Swiss Hotel, RadisonSaS, Holiday Inn, Four Seasons Bosphorus, The Marmara, Divan Hotel.

Are you wondering which hotel I will be at for 2009 celebration? I am waiting for invitations from one of those hotels.

If you want to celebrate 2009 in another location, I can recommend you to look for some café, bar or restaurants in Taksim along Beyoglu Street. Beyoglu Street is one of the liveliest streets in Istanbul where you can walk around with lots of people around you, hear the music from the bookshops, and enjoy the New Year lights.

Another area where you can plan to be during the 2009 the New Year eve is to be along the Bosphorus. If you want to be in the Asian side of the Bosphorus, my recommendation would be Beylerbeyi area where you can sit in a restaurant and eat fresh fish and watch the lights of the Bosphorus bridge connecting the 2 continents, Asia to Europe. If your choice is to be on the European side of the Bosphorus, then I will say to go for Bebek or Ortakoy.

2009 is just around the corner, hurry up to make your plans; Istanbul is calling you.