amberConference will take place at İstanbul Modern Cinema Center in cooperation with İstanbul Modern Cinema.
Address : Meclis-i Mebusan Ave. Liman İşletmeleri Sahası Antrepo No:4 Karaköy - ISTANBUL
Phone : 0 212 334 73 00
TRAVEL
Amber Conference travel info:
There are two airports in İstanbul, one on the European side, Atatürk Airport and one on the Asian side, Sabiha Gökçen Airport. City-airport buses called Havaş operate to-from both airports. These buses go to central locations such as Taksim, Bakırköy, etc. You can check the departure times from this link by choosing the airport that you will be using: http://www.havas.com.tr/en/otobus_otopark.asp
If you are coming to İstanbul from Atatürk Airport there is a more complicated yet cheaper way to reach the city. You can use the subway train which goes to the Zeytinburnu direction. Then, by switching to the tram in Zeytinburnu, you can go to Sultanahmet. If your hotel is near Taksim, you should ride the tram until Kabataş where you can take the funicular to Taksim. Once you get off, the funicular station is underground and reachable through the nearby stairs.
Since the conference will take place in Tophane and the activities will be in Taksim it will be useful to know how to go from one to the other. İstanbul Modern is in Tophane and near the museum there is Tophane tram stop. From that stop take the tram which goes in the Kabataş direction, and do not get off until Kabataş. From Kabataş take the funicular train and you will be in the Taksim subway station in a couple of minutes. There are city buses which pass by the museum however it is not possible to go to Taksim with a single bus. You have to change vehicles on the way which makes it a longer and more complicated trip so we recommend the tram-funicular option.
ACCOMMODATION
The official Hotel of the amber'10 will be declared later.
You can find more expensive or cheaper hotels. If you like to do so you can try touristic web sites for more info. If you want to stay at the our agreed Hotel please call or send an email to them and tell that you are among the guests of amber'10, they will give you a special prise on our agreement.
ABOUT YOUR STAY
Welcome to amberConference,
We hope that your journey in Istanbul will be a pleasant and fruitful one. This is a brief guide meant to orient you about the places to eat, drink, visit and hang out in the larger Beyoğlu and Sultanahmet regions that include Taksim, Istiklal Street, Karakoy, Tophane, Cihangir and Nişantaşı neighborhoods where the activities of amber'10 will take place. In many ways, the area is a central one loved and frequented by many Istanbulites and offers lot of opportunities to eat, drink, listen to music and to go out and have fun. This guide is by no means exhaustive and reflects the preferences and experiences of the festival organization committee. You are equally welcome to explore the offerings of the city on your own.
Istanbul is a relatively safe city compared to cities of its own size but a word of precaution about being street-smart seems necessary. It is not that we mean to teach you how to be one; just a few points about the specific aspects of our city. Please do not follow anyone offering to lure you away from a main street under the pretext of selling something or inviting you into a club or other joint. The exception to this is the ordinary shopkeepers who have a habit of talking to and inviting tourists to their shops.
Beyoglu and Taksim are relatively young neighborhoods compared to the old parts of Istanbul, which are located the other side of the Golden Horn. To visit the old city, you take the short subway ride from Taksim to Kabataş and take the tram that travels through the old peninsula, as we call it here and continues onto the outskirts of the city. If you want to see the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace, your stop is Sultanahmet.
As for the larger and newer Beyoğlu area where the festival takes place, you will notice many 19th century buildings. These neighborhoods were mostly inhabited by the non-Muslim subjects of the Ottoman Empire i.e. Greeks, Jews and Armenians. In the course of Turkey’s modern history, these neighborhoods experienced ups and downs in terms of popularity and safety. Istiklal Street used to be the hippest, most chic neighborhood at different points of the 20th century, the place where a bourgeois urban modernity first arose. Nowadays it is not as posh as some other parts of Istanbul but is considered a cultural and political center. In addition to many embassies, churches, synagogues etc. it houses many bars, cafes, restaurants, clubs as well as bookstores, music stores and the like. It is also home to more than a hundred NGOs and other organizations that operate in Turkey. In short, amber'09 is taking place in a political as well as a cultural and social theatre that is always crowded and lively. Just strolling around, you may discover many interesting things and people.
Here are some restaurants where you can eat well at a reasonable cost. All of the below establishments offer Turkish food and will be equally suitable for vegetarians. The category “zeytinyagli” means a dish cooked with olive oil and served cold or lukewarm without meat and the selection will be satisfactory. Meat eaters will of course have no problem.
Restaurants
Ağa Restaurant – Classical Turkish food.
Sakızağacı Caddesi No:5/1, Beyoğlu
Tel: 249 3924
Lades Restaurant – Classical Turkish food.
Istiklal Caddesi Ahududu Sokak No:9, Beyoglu, Istanbul
Tel: 251 3203
Haci Abdullah Restaurant – Classical Turkish food
Sakizagaci Caddesi 17, Beyoglu.
Tel: 293 8561
Kanaat Restaurant - Classical Turkish food with an excellent desert menu.
Selmanipak Caddesi No:25 Üsküdar
Tel: (0216) 333 3791 - 341 5444
Located in the historic Üsküdar neighborhood on the Asian side of Istanbul, a short boat ride away from Kabataş or Beşiktaş. No credit cards.
Fıccın – Circassian food from Turkey.
Kallavi Sokak No:13/1 - 7/1, Beyoğlu
Tel: 293 3786 - 245 4858
Zencefil – International as well as Turkish vegeterian food. Serves alcohol.
Kurabiye Sokak No:8, Beyoglu
Tel: 243 8234
A separate category of restaurants where you can drink alcohol accompanied by a rich variety of finger food (tapas) or meze as it is called here is a meyhane. The following are a good sample.
Asmalı Restaurant
Asmalımesçit Caddesi No: 42, Beyoğlu
Tel: 292 4950
Sofyalı Restaurant
Asmalımescit Sofyalı Sokak No: 9, Beyoğlu
Tel. 245 0362
Refik Restaurant
Asmalımescit Caddesi
Sofyalı Sokak
No.:10 Tünel, Beyoğlu
Tel: 243 2834 - 244 2080
Doğa Balık Restaurant – Fish restaurant that offers unique salads and other greens. On the expensive side.
Akarsu Yokuşu Caddesi No: 46
Cihangir
Tel: 243 3656
Cafes
Urban Café
Kartal Sokak no: 6
Galatasaray, Beyoğlu
Tel: 252 1325
The House Cafe
Asmalımescit Sümbül Sokak
Tünel Geçidi İşhanı No: 9/1-2, Beyoğlu
Tel: 245 9515
Ara Cafe
İstiklal Caddesi Tosbağ Sokak No:8, Beyoğlu
Tel: 245 4105
Şimdi Café
Asmalı Mescit Caddesi No:9
(Near Tünel) Beyoğlu
Tel: 252 5443
Clubs
Babylon -The best jazz / music club in Istanbul. A must if you can. Check for listings.
Şehbender Sok No 3
Tünel, Beyoğlu
Tel: 292 7368
Roxy - (amber'09 venue) The legendary neighborhood club in Cihangir. It offers live music as well as clubbing opportunities.
Sıraselviler Caddesi. Aslanyatağı Sokak No: 7, Cihangir.
Tel: 249 12 83
Indigo - A dance club that features local and international DJs and live music acts.
Istiklal Caddesi, Tomtom Mahallesi
Akarsu Sokak Mısır Apt. No: 1-2-4-5 Beyoğlu
Tel: 244 8567
English Bookstores and Music Stores
Lale Plak - It does not sell popular music and specializes in Jazz, Classical and all genres of Turkish music. The shopowner Hakan Atala will be glad to help you with his deep knowledge of contemporary music.
Galipdede Caddesi No: 1, Tünel, Beyoglu.
Homer Books
Yeni Çarşı Caddesi No: 28/A, Galatasaray
Robinson Crusoe
İstiklal Caddesi No: 389 Beyoğlu
Pandora Books
Istiklal Caddesi Büyükparmakkapı Sokak No: 3 Beyoğlu
