Page 78 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023 DISCOVERING TURKEY

GALATAPORT ISTANBUL

We were pleasantly surprised when our ship,
the Azamara Onward, docked in Istanbul. We
had berthed in the same location on our first
visit to Turkey years ago, and the view outside
our balcony was a long line of dilapidated and
abandoned warehouses.
Not this time. Instead, a super modern com-
plex stretched for as far as we could see.
This was our first look at Galataport, per-
haps the finest multi-purpose cruise facility in
the world. The 4.36 million square foot devel-
opment stretched nearly a mile on the Euro-
pean shoreline of the Bosphorus strait.
Shopping and dining star in this multi-story
destination that also includes a newly opened
luxury Peninsula Hotel. The sprawling new
cruise terminal is tucked underground. For
us, it demonstrated Istanbul’s investment in
the future, not just its glorious past.
Galataport’s open-air mall features a mod-
ern art museum and a wide range of high-end
luxury shops and trendy boutiques for visitors
to explore. Mary even found the future loca-
tion of Zara, her favorite shop that seems to
be everywhere we go in the world. Mixed in
are restaurants and bars that developers hope

78 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023