Istiklal Avenue(Independence Avenue, the Grand Avenue of Pera)

Istanbul Riverside I said before that the Grand Bazaar is the big alley in Istanbul, and Istiklal Street is the Istanbul Riverside. On the first day, we went to Taksim Square with a group tour, and only had one hour to go shopping. Of course, we didn't go shopping enough, so we arranged our time here for the second day's free travel. We took the bus from the hotel to this area (it is said that the taxi price in Istanbul is expensive and there is traffic jam, because the traffic jam will be more expensive, so we chose to take the bus). We first went to the Rainbow Stairs, and then walked through a residential area to the nearby Carrefour. In the middle, we also went into a drugstore. The owner was very talkative and said that he had been to many places in China, and even to Tianjin and Hohhot. He was very kind. It was a mistake to go to Carrefour first. I bought a lot of things, which caused us to carry these things behind me. After buying snacks and souvenirs, we came to Istiklal Street, which may be the busiest pedestrian street in Istanbul. There were a lot of people on the day we went. It can be seen that not only foreign tourists came to visit, but also locals came to shop. There are large and small shopping malls, restaurants, jewelry stores, souvenir shops, and clothing stores on the street. The types of shops are very complete. We went to Pandora, Mado, St. Anthony's Church, a baked potato shop, a regular restaurant barbecue shop, a street stall barbecue shop, a candy store, many clothing stores, Watsons, two shopping malls... I don't know if I have said it all. I walked around for a whole day and went back when it was dark. I bought a lot of things and ate local special barbecue. Although I spent the whole day on this street and didn't go anywhere else, there are really a lot of food, drinks and shopping on this street. Although it's a bit tiring, I had a great time. The food is much better when traveling independently than when traveling with a group.

Istiklal Street in Istanbul, Turkey is one of the busiest streets in Turkey. It gathers tourists from all over the world and is crowded with people. There are not only local specialties but also all kinds of shopping malls and clothing.

İstiklal caddesi is really worth visiting because it have a separate charm and beauty.

It's quite interesting here. The first time I went up from the river in 2019, this time I went down from Taksim Square, both felt good!

Istiklal Street is Istanbul's "Champs Elysees Avenue", starting from the medieval Genoese community near the Galata Tower in the European New District and ending at Taksim Square. In the 16th century, Galata was just a small area inhabited by Christians. At the end of the Ottoman Empire, it gradually prospered with the increase of the international wealthy population. Later, in order to commemorate the victory of the Turkish War of Independence, the street was renamed Istiklal Street. This elegant pedestrian street, about 3 kilometers long, is dotted with famous buildings in Istanbul, including various churches, consulates of various countries, famous hotels, etc. There are also many boutiques, music stores, bookstores, art galleries, cinemas, theaters, libraries, cafes, bars, nightclubs, ancient pastry shops, chocolate shops and restaurants, which attract locals and foreign tourists in droves and are also a good place for young people to socialize. After the tour guide took us to Taksim Square, we were allowed to walk freely on Independence Avenue. When I had walked two-thirds of the way, I saw a red brick church through the door of an old European-style building. It was very exquisite and elegant. This is St. Anthony's Church, the largest Roman Catholic church in Istanbul. On the right side of the church there is a realistic statue of Noah releasing a dove, and on the left side there is a modern bronze statue of Jesus carrying the cross and ascending to heaven. The two statues have different styles and are quite appealing.

It takes a whole day to look around here. Whether it's architecture, shops or pedestrians, it's totally European. All kinds of food, brands, diet, bars, cafes, whether looking at buildings, exotic customs, beautiful men and women, buy and buy, it is easy to let you spend a whole day, hate the dark too early. Just buy some souvenirs elsewhere. Others are better bought here. The quality and price are much better than those in China.

Independent Street is most famous for its tinkling trams. Red trams come and go. It has a sense of historical vicissitudes of the ancient city. The streets are lined with a variety of shops. Turkish ice cream must be tasted. The taste is very thick and elastic.