Districts
Taksim
Taksim; means "division", "partition", or "distribution" in Turkish, Arabic and Persian. Taksim Square, situated in the European part of Istanbul, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its park, restaurants, shops, and hotels and of course pubs & clubs. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the central station of the Istanbul Metro (Subway) network. The harbours of Kabatas, Karaköy and Besiktas are also very close, it takes 2 minutes with funicular to reach Kabatas Harbour and it's possible to go to Princess Islands from Kabatas.
Istiklal Street, the most famous street, starts from Taksim Square and ends around Galata Tower, which is located in Karaköy, the centre of Istanbul's bohemian cafés and buildings. Cihangir district, near Taksim, host many international students. Taksim Square is also the location of the Monument of the Republic. There are only Istanbul Technical University's 2 faculties in Taksim: Gümüssuyu. However it is possible to get to most of the university from Taksim. In short, we can define Taksim as the centre of nightlife in Istanbul.
Osmanbey
Osmanbey is one of the most popular region for accomodation among international students. It somehow reminds Paris because of its regular streets and old architecture. It is possible to see a christian cemetary and Catholic schools as a Christian community lives nearby. It takes only 5 mins by metro or bus to get to Taksim. Osmanbey is very close to Nisantasi district where the most fashionable streets locates with Emporio Armani, Gucci shops.
It is easy to get to ITU Campuses, Bilgi University, Bogazici University, Bahcesehir University, Galatasaray University,Yildiz Technical University, Koc University, Mimar Sinan University, Kadir Has University, Kultur University, Beykent University, Halic University, Medipol University
Besiktas
Besiktas; is a town and municipality of Istanbul, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer, on the west by Sisli, and on the south by Beyoglu. From Besiktas, directly across the Bosphorus is the municipality of Üsküdar. The Besiktas municipality includes a number of important sites along the European side of the Bosphorus, from Dolmabahçe Palace in the south to Bebek in the north. The municipality also includes many inland (and relatively expensive, upper-middle class) neighborhoods such as Ortaköy and Etiler. Some of its other well-known neighborhoods include Yıldız, Kuruçesme, Levent, 4. Levent and Arnavutköy.
Besiktas' historic centre is Çarsı, which adjoins the small Abbasaga Park. Besiktas is one of the biggest central bus stops and you have the possibility to go to many regions of Istanbul. Going to Asian part is also pretty easy from Besiktas. There are Bahçesehir University, Bogaziçi University, Galatasaray University, Istanbul Aydın University and Yıldız Technical University. To sum up, Besiktas is the city centre of Istanbul for the European part and most of the people in Istanbul wish to live in Besiktas compared to other towns.
Mecidiyekoy
Mecidiyekoy, a central part of Sisli District, is a mostly student populated region. It is only 10 mins away from Taksim by metro. It is also the most accessible place after Taksim, as the routes of many buses, metrobus, and metro intersect here. Therefore it is easy to get to many universities such as ITU Campuses, Bilgi University, Bogazici University, Bahcesehir University, Galatasaray University,Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul University, Aydin University, Mimar Sinan University, Kadir Has University, Kultur University, Beykent University, Halic University, Medipol University. Cevahir AVM, one of the biggest shopping mall, is located in Mecidiyekoy.
Kadikoy
Kadikoy is the southwestest town in Asia region of Istanbul. There are Moda, Kiziltoprak, Göztepe, Sögütlüçesme districts in Kadiköy; but the most populated part is Rihtim (Kadiköy Centre) where the harbours of Karaköy, Eminönü and Kabatas are located. BRT (Bus Rapid Transit, in Turkish: Metrobüs), subway (metro) and harbours are extremely close to each other in Kadiköy and it takes only 20 minutes if you wanna be in the European side. The universities in the neighbourhood are; Marmara University, Dogus University, Istanbul University (Fine Arts), Yeditepe University (Dentistry), Okan University, Bahcesehir University (20 mins by ferry). In short, Kadiköy is a synthesis of east and west in one town, perfect place to sense the roots of Turkish culture.
Üsküdar
Üsküdar; is one of the oldest, large and densely populated town and municipality of Istanbul on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. There are Çamlıca, Dogancılar, Baglarbası, Altunizade etc. districts in Üsküdar; but the most populated part is Salacak (seaside) where the harbour of Besiktas and the central bus station for interurban travels are located. It takes only 5-7 minutes from Üsküdar to Besiktas and the ferries move quite often max. every 10 minutes. This is te biggest advantage of Üsküdar. Nonetheless Marmaray is a rail transport project under the Bosphorus strait and the main station of Marmaray is in Üsküdar, it takes 4 minutes to be in Europe (Sirkeci, a town in Europe) with Marmaray.
The universities in the neighbourhood are Bahcesehir University, Galatasaray University, Marmara University and Yeditepe University. To sum up, the historical soul of this town sometimes takes you to the 19th century.
Levent
Levent is financial district of Istanbul with full of skyscraper and head quarters of huge entreprises.The most elegant shopping malls, Kanyon and Akmerkez are also located in Levent. Metro and a lot of buses pass through this district. Istanbul Technical University is 3 metro station further than Levent.