.

Istanbul has many exciting live music venues. The most popular ones are Babylon, Ghetto, and the jazz café Nardis. Many world-famous musicians and bands include a stop in Istanbul on their European tours.

Nightlife is centered in Beyoğlu. Turks’ favourite night out is often dinner at a meyhane, a tavern where one can taste various little dishes called meze and drink rakı. Gypsy musicians entertain the crowd and some sing and even dance around the tables to the rhythms of traditional Turkish tavern songs.  You’ll find a number of medium-price taverns around Balık Pazarı in Beyoğlu, as well as pubs, bars and nightclubs in the same area.

Cinemas are also concentrated in Beyoğlu and particularily at İstiklal Caddesi. Many of the city’s new shopping centers also have modern multiplex theaters. Fortunately foreign films are not dubbed, but Turkish films rarely have English subtitles.

For art lovers, the main museums are the Istanbul Modern, the city’s first modern art museum which opened in 2005,  the slightly newer Sakıp Sabancı Museum, and the Pera Museum. In addition, numerous small art galleries can be found in the Beyoğlu and Nişantaşı districts.