©Jennifer Hattam/Lonely Planet
Kadıköy
The plastic chairs and tables here are decidedly no-frills, but the shady mastic trees and million-dollar views over the Sea of Marmara towards the minarets of İstanbul’s Old City make it one of the city's best-loved çay bahçesis (tea gardens). It's perfectly acceptable to bring your own picnic food and restrict your order to a tea or Turkish coffee.
The waterfront promenade below is great for a pre- or post-tea stroll.
2.85 MILES
Right in the heart of İstanbul’s historic center, this sacred Byzantine building remains an important symbol of power.
2.88 MILES
Topkapı is the subject of more colourful stories than most of the world's museums put together. Libidinous sultans, ambitious courtiers, beautiful…
5.5 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…
3.83 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…
2.91 MILES
This subterranean structure was commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532. The largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul, it was…
2.84 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…
3.43 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)…
4.25 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…
0.21 MILES
One of the pioneering musicians who mixed rock sounds with traditional Turkish folk music to establish the Anatolian rock genre in the 1960s and 1970s,…
0.22 MILES
This tiny chapel on a leafy side street in Moda was built in 1878 as an Anglican church serving a British community who settled in the area following the…
3. Street Mural by Rustam Qbic
0.24 MILES
Russian street artist Rustam Qbic created his Miracle mural of a woman with a rose head for the 2015 Mural İstanbul Festival.
0.58 MILES
An aromatic, colourful and alluring showcase of the best fresh produce in the city, the Kadıköy Pazarı is foodie central for locals and is becoming an…
5. Surp Takavor Ermeni Kilisesi
0.61 MILES
This Armenian church in the centre of the bazaar was built in the late 19th century, although an Armenian church in one form or another has occupied this…
6. Aya Efimia Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi
0.67 MILES
This Greek Orthodox church dates from 1830, although there had been a previous church on the same site from the late 17th century. Legend tells us that St…
0.85 MILES
This extraordinarily detailed black-and-white mural of a floating boat was created by German artist Dome in 2012.
0.85 MILES
This colourful mural of a woman and child was painted by French street artist Amose Vazimolo, commonly known as Amose.