Tim Cook popped up in Istanbul over the weekend, and the city's tech and travel crowd noticed fast. The former Apple chief executive — now chair of the company after handing the CEO role to John Ternus — arrived on Sunday for an unannounced visit that blended business with a bit of sightseeing.
His first stop was Apple's concept store on the Asian side of the city, one of the few outposts of the brand east of the Bosphorus. He showed up for an event marking a collaboration between Apple and a local Turkish fashion brand, a sign the company is leaning into Istanbul's creative scene rather than treating the city as just another retail market.
Cook then confirmed the trip himself, posting on X that he was "thrilled to visit this remarkable country," alongside a photo taken near the Grand Bazaar. For anyone who has navigated the market's 4,000-odd shops and its maze of covered lanes, the backdrop is instantly recognisable — and a smart pick for anyone wanting to signal they've really seen Istanbul.
The visit is a useful nudge for travellers who default to the historic peninsula and never cross the water. Istanbul's Asian side — Kadıköy, Moda and the seaside neighbourhoods around it — has quietly become the city's liveliest quarter: café streets, food markets, indie shops and a far more local rhythm than Sultanahmet. It's also where Cook chose to stage his store appearance, which says something about where the energy is.
For visitors, the timing of the trip matters less than the route he took. The Grand Bazaar remains one of the world's oldest covered markets, best visited in the morning before the crowds thicken, while a ferry ride from Eminönü or Karaköy to Kadıköy costs a few lira and doubles as one of the cheapest and best sightseeing trips anywhere — Bosphorus views, seagulls, simit sellers and all.
Why should a traveller care? Partly because celebrity visits tend to put fresh attention on destinations that deserve it, and partly because Istanbul keeps proving it's more than a stopover city. Two continents, one metro card, and a fashion-meets-tech retail scene now drawing global names — that's a weekend that writes itself.
Reported by Daily Sabah Travel.
