Abdi Ipekci Street
Just around the corner from The Sofa Hotel, you may find the premier shopping street of Istanbul, Turkey, Abdi Ipekci Street. During the last decade, the street in the prestigious neighborhood developed into a place hosting luxury retail shopping venues. With monthly lease price of about $3500 m², it is currently the most expensive street for retail stores in Turkey. A variety of exclusive and expensive shops offering Turkish and international designer labels, restaurants of international cuisine and cafés are lined up on both sides of the street. Some of the more famous retailers include Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli, Hugo Boss, Tod's, DKNY, Cartier, Tiffany & Co, Prada, Hermes, Gucci, Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna, Chanel, Escada and Burberry together with many local designers that have gained fame abroad as well.
Bagdat Avenue
Bagdat Avenue is a notable high street located in the Anatolian part of İstanbul, Turkey. It can be seen as the counterpart of Istiklal Avenue on the European side in terms of importance and glamour. The avenue runs 6 km, almost parallel to the coastline of the Sea of Marmara, within the district of Kadıköy. It is a main street in an upper-scale residential area. The one-way avenue with old plane trees is flanked with shopping malls, department stores, fashion garment stores, elegant shops offering world famous brands, restaurants of international and local cuisine, pubs and cafés, luxury car dealers and bank agencies. Bağdat Avenue can also be considered as a large open-air shopping mall. Most of the retail stores are open on all days of the week, including Sunday afternoon. In summer time and on weekends, the sidewalks of the avenue are crowded with people window-shopping and youngsters lingering around. Traffic congestion is almost a standard situation on the three-lane Bağdat Avenue.
