Istanbul's Luxury Spot: Bagdat Avenue

Bagdat Avenue, being one of the city's major retail areas, is a luxurious location where both locals and visitors enjoy strolling around. This boulevard is dotted with high-end luxury boutiques such as Louis Vuitton and Escada. You can easily enjoy its luxury cafes, restaurants, bars, and pubs while wandering around the avenue.

Located in the Asian continent of Istanbul; Within the boundaries of Kadıköy Municipality; Starting from Kızıltoprak; It is a famous avenue extending to Cevizli within the borders of Maltepe Municipality. The name of the avenue came from Murad IV. He was leaving for the Baghdad Battle, and Bagdat Avenue was his route while leaving. In the Sultan Abdulhamit II era, the avenue became one of the most elite avenues of Istanbul.

Bagdad Avenue can also be considered as a large open-air shopping mall. The majority of retail establishments are open every day of the week, including Sunday afternoon. In the days of summer and the weekends, the avenue usually is full of people, and also there is traffic congestion almost every day.

Street racing has been a subculture of the avenue since the 1960s. Young men with imported muscle cars raced on this avenue for years. With time, subculture came to minimum levels due to fatal accidents and police patrol.

According to research completed by a French company, Bagdat Street is the world's fourth-best shopping street. The avenue is also known for being a celebration avenue. It hosts parades on the evening of Republic Day, October 29. Whenever Fenerbahce wins the Turkish Super League cup, celebrations take place as the Fenerbahce fans sing, dance, drive and sound their car horns all night.

The region around the street is also a luxury residential area. There are stunning mansions all around the avenue. Along the streets, there are numerous luxury cafes, modern coffee houses, restaurants, and shops. The numerous bars, pubs, and clubs are also an excellent night out activities for visitors looking to spend a lively night in Istanbul.