Must-see attractions in Beyoğlu

  • Pera Museum

    Beyoğlu

    There's plenty to see at this impressive museum, but its major draw is undoubtedly the 2nd-floor exhibition of paintings featuring Turkish Orientalist…

  • Museum of Innocence

    Beyoğlu

    The painstaking attention to detail in this fascinating museum/piece of conceptual art will certainly provide every amateur psychologist with a theory or…

  • Turkey, Istanbul Modern, Turkeys premier modern art gallery showcasing contemporary international art and photography.

    İstanbul Modern

    Beyoğlu

    This lavishly funded and innovative museum has an extensive collection of Turkish art and also stages a constantly changing and uniformly excellent…

  • İstiklal Caddesi

    Beyoğlu

    Once called the Grand Rue de Pera but renamed İstiklal (Independence) in the early years of the Republic, Beyoğlu's premier boulevard is a perfect…

  • Museum of Turkish Jews

    Beyoğlu

    Housed in a building attached to the Neve Shalom synagogue near the Galata Tower, this museum was established in 2001 to commemorate the 500th anniversary…

  • Galata Mevlevi House Museum

    Beyoğlu

    The semahane (whirling-dervish hall) at the centre of this tekke (dervish lodge) was erected in 1491 and renovated in 1608 and 2009. It's part of a…

  • Fish Market

    Beyoğlu

    Located opposite the grandiose entrance to the 1868 Galatasaray Lycée, one of the city's most prestigious educational institutions, this much-loved…

  • The historic building that houses the Galata Rum Okulu

    Galata Rum Okulu

    Beyoğlu

    With works displayed under glass on top of worn wooden desks or lecterns, and exhibition titles written on blackboards, the historical atmosphere of the…

  • Entrance to the Anna Laudel Contemporary gallery

    Anna Laudel Contemporary

    Beyoğlu

    Contemporary Turkish and international artists are featured in the shows at this gallery space, opened in late 2016 in one of the historic buildings in…

  • SALT Beyoğlu

    Beyoğlu

    With a brief to explore critical and timely issues in visual and material culture, the İstiklal branch of the SALT cultural centre is one of the city's…

  • Depo

    Beyoğlu

    Occupying a former tobacco warehouse, this alternative space is operated by Anadolu Kültür (www.anadolukultur.org), a not-for-profit organisation that…

  • Galata Tower.

    Galata Tower

    Beyoğlu

    The cylindrical Galata Tower stands sentry over the approach to 'new' İstanbul. Constructed in 1348, it was the tallest structure in the city for…

  • French Cultural Centre on İstiklal Caddesi

    İstanbul Fransız Kültür Merkezi

    Beyoğlu

    Set in a distinctive yellow building just off Taksim Square, the French Cultural Centre in İstanbul hosts regular art exhibitions (with a particular focus…

  • Pera Palace Hotel

    Beyoğlu

    The Pera Palace was a project of Georges Nagelmackers, the Belgian entrepreneur who linked Paris and Constantinople with his famous Orient Express train…

  • The Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat building on İstiklal Caddei

    Yapı Kredi Kültür Sanat

    Beyoğlu

    Towering over Galatasaray Sq, this sleek cultural centre affiliated with a major Turkish bank stages art exhibitions, hosts classical-music concerts, and…

  • Çiçek Pasajı

    Beyoğlu

    Back when promenading down the Grand Rue de Pera (now İstiklal Caddesi) was the height of fashion, the Cité de Pera building was İstanbul's most glamorous…

  • Akbank Art Centre

    Beyoğlu

    Turkey's big banks and philanthropic trusts vie to be seen as the greatest sponsor of the arts. İstiklal is a showcase for their generosity, and with this…

  • SALT Galata

    Beyoğlu

    The descriptor 'cultural centre' is used a lot in İstanbul, but is often a misnomer. Here at SALT Galata it really does apply. Housed in a magnificent…

  • Christ Church

    Beyoğlu

    The cornerstone of this Gothic-style Anglican church was laid in 1858 by Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, known as 'The Great Elchi' (elçi meaning ambassador)…

  • Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Mosque

    Beyoğlu

    This pretty mosque, designed by Sinan and built in 1577, is unusual in that it, and the minaret, are raised on a platform. It was commissioned by Sokollu…

  • İstanbul Arastırmaları Enstitüsü

    Beyoğlu

    Associated with the nearby Pera Museum, this institution incorporates a publicly accessible research library focusing on the cultural and social history…

  • Arab Mosque

    Beyoğlu

    Built by the Genoese in 1337, this fortress-like mosque was the largest of İstanbul's Latin churches. Converted to a mosque after the Conquest, it was…

  • Aya Triada

    Beyoğlu

    Built in 1880, this is İstanbul's largest Greek Orthodox church and has a small but loyal congregation. Attacked during the anti-minority events of 6–7…

  • İstanbul Foundation for Culture & Arts

    Beyoğlu

    This non-profit cultural foundation organises the city's best arts festivals and also operates the cutting-edge Salon performance venue, which is located…

  • Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University

    Beyoğlu

    One of the city's best art and design schools occupies a number of buildings in Tophane, including the elevated 1803 tophane (arsenal) that gives the…

  • Galatasaray Lycée

    Beyoğlu

    Off limits to visitors, this grand school building dates from 1907 and is one of the major landmarks along İstiklal Caddesi. The school is one of the most…

  • Avrupa Pasajı

    Beyoğlu

    This attractive 19th-century arcade off the Fish Market is full of shops that once sold antiques but now seem to stock little except tourist tat.

  • Camondo Stairs

    Beyoğlu

    The curvaceous 18th-century Camondo Stairs, one of Beyoğlu's most distinctive pieces of urban design, run south from Kart Çınar Sokak.

  • Cihangir Mosque

    Beyoğlu

    A city landmark, this baroque-style mosque was built in 1874 and has recently been renovated.

  • Taksim Meydanı

    Beyoğlu

    Named after the 18th-century stone taksim (water storage unit) on its western side, this square is the symbolic heart of modern İstanbul. Hardly a triumph…

  • Ağa Hamamı

    Beyoğlu

    The oldest hamam in the city, this Çukurcuma landmark was built in 1454 and renovated by order of Sultan Abdülmecid I in 1844. We don't recommend that…

  • Republic Monument

    Beyoğlu

    This monument in the middle of Taksim Meydanı was designed by Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica. It commemorates the Turkish War of Independence and the…

  • Firuz Ağa Mosque

    Beyoğlu

    Local life in Cihangir gravitates around this 19th-century green-and-white mosque, with plenty of cafes, teahouses and eateries in the immediate area. It…

  • Üç Horan Ermeni Kilisesi

    Beyoğlu

    Dating from 1838, this Armenian church is hidden behind massive black doors on the eastern (Taksim) side of the Fish Market. Visitors can enter when the…