Trip date: Oct 2025
After you are done
Exploring Ancient Istanbul in the Sultanahmet district it's time to join the locals in the Beyoglu district, Istanbul's big hub of 19 different neighborhoods north of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. This whole district is considered the "new city" where people live and work and shop, not to say there isn't any tourism here, there is, but you'll feel more like one of the locals and you'll see a lot of slices of daily life. Also as most of this was built in the 19th-century "new" is a bit of a misnomer!
Start at the Galata Bridge which connects Beyoglu to the Old City on the other side of the Bosphorus strait. The current bridge is relatively new, opening in 1994, but there have been bridges here since 1845, being replaced when needed.
There is so much to see just from this bridge! Mosques line the banks on the Old City side, the Galata Tower rises on the Beyoglu side, ferries zig zag across, tour boats sail leisurely past. The lower level of the bridge has a bunch of casual restaurants serving seafood, meze, drinks, etc. It's really its own little neighborhood!
I chose to walk across on two different occasions (and also took a tram once) in both directions and loved taking in the beautiful views, looking up and down the Bosphorus which divides the 2 sides of Istanbul, and watching all the fisherman who were hoping to catch their lunch.
The Karakoy neighborhood is along the waterfront and right at the bottom of the hill that rises is front of you. It once was a gritty seaport area but now you'll mainly find the streets lined with shops and kiosks selling hardware. Literally any kind of part or piece you need for your toilet or vacuum, any kind of tool to hammer or drill, any type of screw, nail, or tack. It's strangely fascinating!
As you start to walk up the hill you'll see new boutique hotels, small grocery stores, street food vendors, bakeries, fresh juice kiosks, lokrum (Turkish delight) shops... you might even see couples getting their wedding photos taken like I did!
Galata is at the top of the hill that looks out over the Golden Horn, it is steep with narrow cobblestone streets and is well known for the tower of the same name. This was once a watchtower to keep an eye out for enemies approaching via the Bosphorus below. Today it is a very popular observation deck.
Also on the hill is the Cat Museum which I just happened upon but I'd suggest adding this to your itinerary, unless you are allergic! There is history, art, and cats! 50% of the profits are given to help the street cats of Istanbul- to which there are an estimated over 200,000!
The cats of Istanbul are taken care of by the locals. You'll see dishes of food and water set out for them as well as makeshift shelters. If a cat is injured there are local and mobile vets who neighbors will call. They will be sleeping in shop windows, getting love in the lobbies of the nicest hotels, feeding their kittens on cushions outside of apartments. Locals go to parks to have cats sit on their laps! I've seen a lot of cats while traveling- Rome, Athens, Makkakesh... but Istanbul leads the world with both most and best cared for.
Ok back to exploring! There is a lot of great shopping between Galata and Taksim. My personal favorite was Turkish Modern which has interesting jewelry, cloths, art, and home goods all made local. But the entire street of Boğazkesen will keep a shopper happy for an afternoon!
I really loved staying over here as it was so central to everything; I could walk or take a tram or an Uber everywhere! My first 2 nights I was on my own and never felt unsafe day or night. When I met my friend for her corporate event we stayed at the stunning Swissotel in The Bosphorus area. This area is lined with all the best 5 star luxury hotels BUT you will not be walking anywhere easily and traffic getting in and out of this area adds a minimum of 30 minutes to anywhere you want to go.
Gorgeous property and excellent service however!
Traffic in Istanbul can be insane and sitting in it eats up precious time, explore your options!
All photos of Istanbul
here.
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