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The waterside neighborhood of Ortaköy is a favorite of locals and tourists looking to spend a lazy afternoon strolling its cobbled streets, playing backgammon over a few glasses of tea, or finding a spot for a picnic with an overloaded kumpir (baked potato). The Bosphorus Bridge, the first in the world to connect Asia and Europe since Hellenic times, is the ultimate photo backdrop, especially behind the Ortaköy Mosque when it’s lit up at night (try to see the newly restored interior during the day, when light streams through the windows and makes the chandeliers and tiles shine). Traffic can be brutal, especially in summer or around Ramadan, but it’s a pleasant 30-minute walk past old palaces turned hotels in Beşiktaş, where many ferries and buses terminate.

A multipurpose contemporary art center that opened in November 2011 in the Ottoman Bank building, Salt has a library with thousands of shelves of art publications—the most important, impressive collection in the city.—Sylvia Kouvali

There are two ways to walk up to the Galata Tower from Karakoy Tram Station: One is to follow the pedestrian traffic and ascend an uninviting steep staircase close to the tram way; the other is to take the more picturesque Kamondo (Camondo) steps on Bankalar Caddesi. Neo-Baroque and early Art Nouveau styles were fused here in the 1870s to create this curvaceous thoroughfare up one of Istanbul’s steepest hills. Abraham Salomon Camondo, of the wealthy Sephardic Jewish Camondo family, funded the construction. He inherited the banking and business success of his forefathers and went on to become the prime banker for the Ottoman Empire in the district of Galata where the stairs are located.

If you’re interested in buying (or browsing) musical instruments in Istanbul, then head to Galip Dede Caddesi in Galata, between Istiklal Street and the Galata Tower. Here you’ll find an enormous range of percussion instruments such as darbukas, davul, frame drums and symbols; stringed instruments including the bağlama and saz; or Middle Eastern wind instruments like the mizmar. Western-style instruments are also available. If you have the time to shop around, it might also pay to visit the shops on Ataturk Caddesi in Unkapani, just down from the aquaducts in Fatih.

Come October, the weather cools and fisherman start overflowing local fish markets with freshly caught hamsi (European anchovies) from the Black Sea. Istanbulites (locals) who have been patiently waiting for months to taste this tiny meaty fish venture out in the cold to satisfy their seafood addiction and buy the fish by the kilo. Hamsi is either pan-fried, grilled, or added to other dishes such as rice, and it’s so good it often brings friends together for hamsi dinner parties (or at least that’s what my friends and I do!) If you don’t like anchovies, then you’ve probably never tried European anchovies in Turkey before. Try hamsi in the wintertime at one of the fish restaurants on or near the Galata Bridge. My only suggestion is, when dining at any fish restaurant, make sure you know the price of your meal before confirming your order, and always check the bill after. Fish restaurants are unfortunately notorious for overcharging tourists.

The Ottoman Bank Museum is in the basement of SALT Galata, an arts center located in the former Ottoman Bank. It’s a destination that will appeal mostly to those interested in the history of the Ottoman Empire in its decline at the end of the 19th century. But doesn’t everyone find the late Ottoman period fascinating? The struggles that characterized the era, with a country torn between its Ottoman past and a desire to both modernize and Westernize, played out at the bank. The institution that would become the state bank of the Ottoman Empire was founded in 1856 as a joint venture of British and French banks and the Ottoman government and was managed by a committee of British and French financiers until it was effectively dissolved during World War I. The museum includes many surprisingly engaging displays and documents tracing the bank’s history—its commercial ventures, demographic information on investors and employees, charts detailing the economic turmoil of the period. Architectural plans of the headquarters illustrate its unusual design that featured a neo-classical entrance facing the European quarter and an Ottoman-inspired rear elevation, facing Istanbul’s Old City across the Golden Horn. Deposit slips, photos of employees, and old bank notes in the original vault are on display in almost exhausting, encyclopedic comprehensiveness. If your interest wanes, you don’t need to feel any pressure to linger—entrance is free.

Since 1890, Pasticceria Tagliafico has been making delicious, traditional Genovese pastries and cakes (including the candied-fruit studded Pandolce). Located across the street from the main Mercato Orientale, this lovely large pastry shop offers plenty of options for take-away shoppers (wrapped cookies, candies, and fresh-baked croissants (brioche, in Genoa) are some of my favorites).

The lifeblood of modern Istanbul is the two-mile-long pedestrian street Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Avenue), running from Taksim Square to the Tünel train station. It’s equal parts touristy and local, commerce and culture, and strolling down the avenue to shop, dine, or just socialize is a favorite pastime of many Istanbullus. (The beloved red-and-white tram is out of service for the foreseeable future while the street gets some much-needed maintenance.) Though many complain about encroaching international chain stores and shopping malls taking the thoroughfare’s distinct character away, there are still plenty of gems if you follow the backstreets and duck into the historic passages. Don’t forget to look up: Many of the art nouveau and Ottoman-era buildings house rooftop cafés and businesses above street level.

There’s a gorgeous venue in town that all the well-heeled folks and celebrities go to dine. It’s called Galatasaray Island, but most Istanbulites (locals) call it the Suada Club, or simply Suada. The island, on the edge of the Bosporus, is owned by the Galatasaray Football Club of Turkey’s Super League and UEFA’s Champions League. Boasting seven high-class restaurants and an Olympic-sized pool, in summer, it’s Suada’s Bosphorus-meets-St. Tropez style that lures many Istanbulites here to recline on the daybeds and bask in the sunshine and glamour by the pool. Come nighttime, the mood lighting illuminates a romantic setting and the isle fills with people who revel in the chic style and superb cuisine of the restaurants. To get there, head to Kuruçeşme Park just north of the first Bosporus Bridge and board the free ferry that shuttles 165m to/from the island. Check the website for more information about the restaurants. Reservations are advised.

The cobblestone Akbıyık Caddesi (Road) is one of the few places to head to for a nightcap in Sultanahmet. The street is lined with cafes and bars sporting comfy Turkish divans (cushion lounges) and chilled-out tunes. Enthusiastic staff will welcome travelers wishing to relax with a beer or wine until late, but most venues will start to close around 1am to lessen the noise for nearby hotels. Don’t expect wild nights—it’s a laid-back vibe. If you don’t want to venture far from your hotel in Sultanahmet, then this street offers a good variety of late-night drinking options. Dancing until dawn or listening to live music is best in Beyoğlu and Şişli across the Golden Horn in the entertainment precincts of Taksim, Asmalımescit, Galatasaray, Ortaköy, or Kuruçeşme.

Tower over the sites of Turkey like Gulliver, from “Gulliver’s Travels” at Miniaturk. This innovative open-air amusement park, located on the Golden Horn in Sütlüce, allows you to see 1:25 scale miniature models of significant Istanbul landmarks, hover over replica landscapes of Turkey, and get up close to the architecture of the former Ottoman Empire. Spend a few hours here to walk the Bosporus Bridge, visit South Eastern Turkey’s Nemrut and Mardin, and peer into Istanbul’s modern structures like Ataturk Airport or the Galatasaray Football Stadium. There are more than 100 models to explore as well as a flight simulator, a mini train ride, and a crystal museum. If you’re planning a family day out, pair Miniaturk with a visit to the Rahmi M Koç Industrial Museum on the Golden Horn, about two miles south of Miniaturk. This impressive museum exhibits planes, trains, automobiles, and more from a bygone era.

Mavi means “blue” in Turkish, as in denim, and in Turkey the retailer Mavi is analogous to Gap, producing fashionable and affordable clothing made in Turkey. While they now have a worldwide presence, you’ll find shops in each of Istanbul’s considerable clutch of shopping malls, as well as several on İstiklal Avenue and in Nişantaşı and Kadiköy. In addition to jeans, Mavi collaborates with local artists for their range of original and surprisingly non-touristy Istanbul T-shirts, with designs depicting iconic city silhouettes like the Galata Tower or graphics of ubiquitous street cats and seagulls. The shirts are a good choice for kids’ souvenirs especially, and if you forget to shop, you’ll also find them at the airport (at a decent but reasonable markup from city stores).

A cosmopolitan gem nestled at the crossroads of civilizations, İstanbul invites curious travelers to unravel its secrets, from the grandeur of Topkapı Palace to the bohemian streets of Balat.