Winter time in istanbul

There are distinct bonuses to visiting Istanbul in the winter, when even major sights are uncrowded, although the rain, fog and pollution may be off-putting. Shops in the Akmerkez, Galleria, Capitol and Carousel malls hold sales, making the city a shopper's paradise for leather, woollens and fashion.

Outside Istanbul, when enough snow has fallen on the mountains, the ski season begins in Uludag , one of Turkey's most important winter sports resorts. Mean­while, tea with baklava and cream cakes is consumed in the cosy cafes along the Bosphorus and in the old quarter of Beyoğlu.