Beyoğlu
Tables at this meyhane (tavern) are hot property on a Friday or Saturday night, when locals flock here to enjoy the tasty food and convivial atmosphere. Regulars tend to stick to mezes, choosing cold dishes from the waiter's tray and ordering kalamar tava (fried calamari), folyoda ahtapot (grilled octopus in foil) and Anavut ciğeri (Albanian fried liver) from the menu.
Locals sit at tables downstairs or outside and avoid those upstairs – request to do the same.
1.48 MILES
Right in the heart of İstanbul’s historic center, this sacred Byzantine building remains an important symbol of power.
1.27 MILES
Topkapı is the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world's museums put together. Libidinous sultans, ambitious courtiers, beautiful…
1.85 MILES
İstanbul has more than its fair share of Byzantine monuments, but few are as drop-dead gorgeous as this mosaic- and fresco-laden church. Nestled in the…
1.05 MILES
The Süleymaniye crowns one of İstanbul's seven hills and dominates the Golden Horn, providing a landmark for the entire city. Though it's not the largest…
1.45 MILES
This subterranean structure was commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532. The largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul, it was…
1.65 MILES
İstanbul's most photogenic building was the grand project of Sultan Ahmet I (r 1603–17), whose tomb is located on the north side of the site facing…
1.31 MILES
The colourful and chaotic Grand Bazaar is the heart of İstanbul's Old City and has been so for centuries. Starting as a small vaulted bedesten (warehouse)…
0.22 MILES
There's plenty to see at this impressive museum, but its major draw is undoubtedly the 2nd-floor exhibition of paintings featuring Turkish Orientalist…
1. Galata Mevlevi House Museum
0.06 MILES
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…
0.08 MILES
This lavishly funded and innovative museum has an extensive collection of Turkish art and also stages a constantly changing and uniformly excellent…
3. İstanbul Foundation for Culture & Arts
0.14 MILES
This non-profit cultural foundation organises the city's best arts festivals and also operates the cutting-edge Salon performance venue, which is located…
0.14 MILES
The Pera Palace was a project of Georges Nagelmackers, the Belgian entrepreneur who linked Paris and Constantinople with his famous Orient Express train…
0.17 MILES
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)…
0.17 MILES
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…
0.22 MILES
There's plenty to see at this impressive museum, but its major draw is undoubtedly the 2nd-floor exhibition of paintings featuring Turkish Orientalist…
0.22 MILES
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…