The former main boulevard of the Pera district, which remains dear to those nostalgic for the cosmopolitan aspect of old Istanbul, stretches for 2.2km between the funicular and Taksim Square. Pedestrianised since 1990, it is also home to an emblematic tramway. At the end of the 19C, the street adopted the appearance of a Parisian and Viennese boulevard. Istiklal Caddesi, as it is known in Turkish, is still lined by a number of attractive old façades, including former embassies, restaurants, palaces, covered passageways and bookshops, which now compete with more modern music and fashion stores. The adjoining streets are the setting for Istanbul’s nightlife.