İstiklal Avenue is one minute from us. A few hundred thousand people walk it every day, and it is both Istanbul's best-known promenade and the place most visitors find disappointing. The reason is simple: they stay on the avenue.
The avenue itself is chain shops, ice-cream sellers and crowd. Taksim to Tünel takes twenty minutes and is not an end in itself.
The side streets are the point. Nevizade and the Fish Market side for meyhanes; Asmalımescit for small bars; Sofyalı Sokak for eating; Serdar-ı Ekrem for design shops. Going through one doorway off the avenue often means arriving in a different neighbourhood two minutes later.
The arcades. Çiçek Pasajı is the famous one and the most touristed. Hazzopulo, the Syrian Passage and Atlas are quieter and more interesting. You cannot see them from the street; look above the doorways.
The historic tram — red, one carriage — is charming and slow. Walking is usually faster. Ride it once for the photograph, not for transport.
When to go. Before eleven the avenue is nearly empty and the shutters are just going up. After eight in the evening the crowd peaks; seeing that crowd is part of the experience, but shop in the morning.
Practicalities. The avenue is lit and busy late. Carry your bag in front against pickpockets; beyond that it is comfortable. For a lavatory, go into an arcade or a café — there is little free provision on the street itself.