Akbiyik Cad., Sultanahmet, Istanbul

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At the northern end of Akbiyik Caddesi ("Avenue of the White Moustache," also called Yeni Akbiyik Caddesi, map) are the Topkapi Palace walls, a ruined Ottoman hamam (Turkish bath), and a small mosque with (unfortunately) a particularly loud loudspeaker system. Toward the south are ruins of the Byzantine Magnaura Palace.

Obviously, this is a street with some history, and not just an old man's moustache!

It has several hotels in a range of prices, a few of the inevitable carpet shops, several bakkal (grocer's) shops, and a good travel agency: Backpackers Travel at No. 22 which, despite its name, caters to travelers of all budgets with great, value-for-money off-the-beaten-track city tours, and a fine airport transfer service. More...

Although there is some traffic on the street, it has been beautified with patterned paving blocks and greenery, and is quite attractive.

Numerous cafes, bars and restaurants put tables and chairs out into the street, making for an interesting sipping, dining, strolling and people-watching scene on warm (and even cool) evenings.

Unfortunately, there's a large leather fashions store midway along the street that is completely out of scale with the rest of Akbiyik's buildings, and captive shoppers are brought to the store in giant buses which make noise and block passage for other vehicles. The store really should be somewhere else where it is more in scale, and where access for large vehicles is easier.

In many ways, though, Akbiyik Caddesi is the heart of this part of the Sultanahmet hotel district (see map below).