Conference Venue
The sixth BalkanCom Conference will be held in Istanbul in Bahcesehir University (BAU), at the Fazıl Say Conference Hall in South Campus* located alongside the Bosphorus.
Built in 2004, the South Campus hosts several faculties including the Faculty of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences. The buildings are literally a few steps away from the transportation hub where the ferries crossing the Bosphorus Strait, the tram that goes to the Old City, and the buses that travel along the Bosphorus Strait and inlands meet. The motto for this campus, "at the heart of Istanbul", is suitable for this location. Tourist attractions such as the Naval Museum, Dolmabahce Palace, Yildiz Park, Yildiz Palace and Ciragan Palace are literally few steps away.
*: Bahcesehir University, Yıldız Mah. Çırağan Cad. Osmanpaşa Mektebi Sok. 4-6, Beşiktaş, İstanbul.
Directions: Take the security entrance across BAU Building D, next to Starbucks. You’ll directly arrive at Fazıl Say Conference Hall.
City of İstanbul, Türkiye
"If the world were a single country, Istanbul would be its capital". – Napoleon Bonaparte
Positioned at the crossroads of two continents, Europe and Asia, Istanbul is Turkey’s largest and most developed city. All year round, Istanbul invites visitors from across the world with the Bosphorus, historical and cultural places, nature and countless beauties.
Istanbul Old City reflects cultural influences of the many empires that once ruled here. In the Sultanahmet district, the open-air, Roman-era Hippodrome was for centuries the site of chariot races, and Egyptian obelisks also remain. The iconic Byzantine Hagia Sophia features a soaring 6th-century dome and rare Christian mosaics.
The Bosphorus Strait an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul. It is the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation.
Istanbul is a vivid city, with lots of attractions, excellent history, art, nature, culinary scene, and shopping. For more information, please visit:
https://istanbul-tourist-information.com/en/
https://istanbeautiful.com/istanbul-tourist-and-travel-info/
http://www.istanbultrails.com/2008/06/overview-of-the-tourist-information-offices/
https://istanbul.ktb.gov.tr/EN-285224/explore-istanbul.html
Pre/Post Conference Tours
For info about the İstanbul city tours, please visit: https://www.balkancom.info/2023/city-tours.html
Info about the currency
The currency in Turkey is Turkish Lira (TL). TRY is the internationally recognized symbol for the Turkish Lira, while TL is used locally.
The exchange rate for the TRY per the Euro: 1 Euro = 20 TRY (as of December 2022). You can exchange money at exchange offices, banks or post offices.
Visa Information
For information on whether you need to obtain a Turkish visa to enter Turkey, please check the official website of Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: https://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa
Citizens of some countries can enter without a visa; with only their passport or a valid identity card proving identity and citizenship.
Hotel Information
There are many hotels in Besiktas (where the conference venue is) and around Besiktas. You can consider booking, airbnb, hotels.com for reservation. Also, some hotels are listed below:
Renaissance Istanbul Polat Bosphorus Hotel
Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul
Mövenpick Hotel Istanbul Bosphorus
AC Hotel by Marriott Istanbul Macka
Çırağan Palace Kempinski İstanbul
Mövenpick Hotel İstanbul Bosphorus
Transportation
Airports
The Istanbul International Airport is connected to Besiktas, where the conference venue is located, via buses operated by havaist. The bus schedule is available on the havaist application and web page. The buses from ISTANBUL HAVALIMANI (Istanbul Airport) to BESIKTAS MEYDAN (where Bahcesehir University is) depart 5 minutes walking distance from the conference venue. Though still under construction as of December 2022, the metro line from the airport to Zincirlikuyu/Gayrettepe will also be available by the time of the conference.
The Sabiha Gokcen International Airport is connected to Kadikoy via this metro line. Kadikoy is right across the shore of Besiktas, where ferries pass back and forth every half hour.
TAXI: There would be plenty of Taxi options in Istanbul. As the city attracts lots of tourists as well as hosts lots of attractions that invites the locals outdoors as well, if you have difficulty finding a taxi on the street you could try BiTaksi app to call a taxi to come pick you up. While the local (yellow and blue) taxis are only payable by cash, BiTaksi also accepts credit card.
Getting around İstanbul
Istanbul is also well connected by public transport. Istanbul Kart provides access to the buses, tram and ferries. It can be purchased at the Besiktas kiosk location.
The bus schedule can be seen for the various routes here.
As well as leisure travel, the Bosphorus Strait is also heavily used for transportation; you may see the schedule of the ferries here. Besiktas Ferry Station is only 2 minutes walking distance away from the conference venue.
Points of interest in the city are also accessible via metro and tram. The nearest metro station is Zincirlikuyu/Gayrettepe, which is accessible in 20 minutes in rush hour via minibuses (accepting cash). The T1 line tram may be used to go to Old City. The funicular yields a nostalgic journey from Kabatas to Taksim, connecting the T1 tram line to Taksim Square.
Finally, the moovit app contains bus and tram schedules, arrival times, step-by-step directions, and detailed routes on a map; you may use it to travel to any attraction, street or major public transit station in Istanbul.
