Balat · Hasköy · Galata · Kuzguncuk
Jewish Istanbul
The Ottomans welcomed Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, and many settled along the Golden Horn. Ahrida in Balat, from around 1430, is one of the city’s oldest synagogues.
Genuine Cultural Immersion
Istanbul Neighborhoods, Area by Area
Istanbul is a city of neighborhoods on two continents. Pick an area, then walk it with a licensed guide.
Explore the lesser-known gems of Istanbul.
Since 2011, The Other Tour has walked guests through the streets where Istanbul lives: the old Jewish and Greek quarters of the Golden Horn, the port of Karaköy, the wooden villages of the Bosphorus and the ferry towns of the Asian side.
The Five Areas of Istanbul at a Glance
Istanbul’s neighborhoods fall into five areas. The Old City and the Golden Horn hold the Byzantine and Ottoman capital. Beyoğlu, across the Galata Bridge, is the old European quarter of Galata and Pera. The Bosphorus villages line both shores of the strait, the Asian side begins a ferry ride away in Kadıköy and Üsküdar, and the Princes’ Islands sit out in the Sea of Marmara.
| Area | Neighborhoods | Walk it with us |
|---|---|---|
| Old City and Golden Horn | Sultanahmet, Eminönü, Fener, Balat, Zeyrek, Eyüp, Hasköy, Samatya | Six Faces of Istanbul begins at Zeyrek Mosque, then walks Balat and Fener |
| Beyoğlu side | Karaköy, Galata, Pera, İstiklal Avenue, Cihangir, Beşiktaş | The Beyoğlu Tour walks from Taksim Square down to Karaköy in a day |
| Bosphorus villages | Ortaköy, Arnavutköy, Bebek, Emirgan, Kanlıca | Day two of An Unhurried Istanbul follows the shore |
| Asian side | Kadıköy, Moda, Üsküdar, Kuzguncuk, Bağdat Avenue | The Asian Side Tour crosses by ferry from Karaköy and ends in Moda |
| Princes’ Islands | Büyükada and the smaller islands | The Princes’ Islands Tour starts with a hotel pick-up and the ferry |
Licensed guides, TÜRSAB member #7651
Guiding Istanbul since 2011
145 Google reviews rated 5.0560 TripAdvisor reviews rated 4.8The Old City and the Golden Horn
This is the peninsula of Byzantium and Constantinople, and of every name the city has carried. Sultanahmet holds the great monuments; walk north up the Golden Horn and the city turns residential.
- SultanahmetThe old town: Hagia Sophia, completed in 537, the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern.
- EminönüThe waterfront by the Galata Bridge. The name means “in front of the customs office.”
- BalatThe old Jewish quarter on the Golden Horn, with the painted houses of Vodina Caddesi.
- FenerSeat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate since 1601, under a red-brick Greek school of 1881.
- ZeyrekWooden houses around the 12th-century Pantokrator monastery, now Zeyrek Mosque.
- EyüpEyüp Sultan Mosque, first built in 1458, where new sultans were girded with the sword.
- HasköyThe Golden Horn shore few visitors reach, with the Maalem Synagogue of 1754.
- SamatyaThe Seventh Hill on the Marmara shore, where the Armenian Patriarchate was founded in 1461.
Walk it with us on the full-day Golden Horn Tour, ferry rides included, or the half-day walk through Fener and Balat. Our Golden Horn route through Cibali, Eyüpsultan and Hasköy crosses the water as part of the day.
Jewish, Greek and Armenian Istanbul
Three communities built much of old Istanbul, and their synagogues and churches still stand in the neighborhoods above. Each has its own walk.
Fener · Balat · Kuzguncuk
Greek Istanbul
The Ecumenical Patriarchate has sat in Fener since 1601, below the red-brick Phanar Greek Orthodox College. Its Church of St George still holds the Orthodox liturgy.
Kumkapı · Samatya · Balat
Armenian Istanbul
The Armenian Patriarchate sits in Kumkapı, and by its count the city has 35 active Armenian churches, from Surp Kevork in Samatya to one on Kınalıada.
Beyoğlu, Galata and Beşiktaş
Across the bridge the city climbs from the cruise port at Galataport, past Galata Tower, to İstiklal Avenue. Under Beşiktaş, the metro dig reached Bronze Age burials.
KaraköyThe old port: the Kamondo Steps, Bankalar Caddesi and three Russian rooftop chapels.BeyoğluThe district above the port, from the Genoese Galata Tower to the Flower Passage.İstiklal Avenue1.4 kilometres on foot, from Taksim Square to Galata Tower.PeraThe Levantine quarter of the Pera Palace, built in 1895 for the Orient Express.CihangirCafés, cats and artists on the hillside below İstiklal, named for a son of Süleyman.BeşiktaşBarbaros Hayreddin’s old base, and the Bosphorus shore at Dolmabahçe.
Walk it with us on the full-day Beyoğlu Tour or the Karaköy Walking Tour.
The Bosphorus Villages
Old fishing villages line both shores of the Bosphorus, between Beylerbeyi Palace on the Asian side and Rumeli Fortress on the European. On an unhurried three-day Istanbul, a whole day goes to them.
- OrtaköyThe mosque of 1856 on the water, in a village the Byzantines called Ayios Fokas.
- ArnavutköyWooden yalı mansions on the shore, and the first neighborhood we visit.
- BebekA smart little bay with a seaside path from its marina toward Arnavutköy.
- EmirganEmirgan Park, known for its tulips in spring and its Bosphorus views.
- KanlıcaOn the Asian shore, famous for the yogurt Balkan immigrants brought in the late 1800s.
The Asian Side
Cross by ferry and the city slows down. Start with our guide to the Asian side, then pick a neighborhood.
Kadıköy
Founded as Chalcedon in the 7th century BC, before Byzantion. The Marmaray runs here from Sirkeci.
Moda
The southern tip of Kadıköy, with an Anglican church of 1878 and a heritage tram loop.
Üsküdar
Ottoman from 1352, a century before Constantinople, with Sinan’s Mihrimah Sultan Mosque.
Kuzguncuk
“Little raven”: churches, synagogues and mosques on a few village streets.
Bağdat Avenue
Ten times the length of İstiklal, starting near Fenerbahçe Stadium.
The Whole Asian Side
Chalcedon, Chrysopolis, Beylerbeyi Palace and the tunnel under the strait.
The full-day Asian Side Tour starts with a ferry from Karaköy; the half-day tour keeps to Kadıköy and Moda. The street art tour reads the murals of Kadıköy and Yeldeğirmeni, and our Kadıköy street food guide tells you where to eat.
The Princes’ Islands
The islands take their name from the Byzantine princes once exiled there. They are car-free, Büyükada is the largest and most visited, and ferries leave from Kabataş, Kadıköy and Bostancı through the day. Read our Princes’ Islands guide before you go, or spend a private full day there with a guide, from hotel pick-up to the ferry home.
Walk Them With a Guide
Six Faces of IstanbulSix neighborhoods in one day, from Zeyrek to Moda.Beyoğlu, Full DayTaksim, Cihangir, Karaköy, Galata and Pera on foot.Karaköy on FootFrom Azapkapı by the Golden Horn to Galataport.The Asian SideKanlıca, Kuzguncuk, Üsküdar and Kadıköy by ferry.Off the Beaten PathGolden Horn quarters few visitors see.The Golden HornFener, Balat and the old harbour, with ferry rides.The Princes’ IslandsA private full day, from hotel pick-up to the ferry home.Street Art, Asian SideThe murals of Kadıköy and Yeldeğirmeni.All Our WalksEvery Istanbul walking tour we run.
Before You Choose a Neighborhood
Which Istanbul Neighborhood Should You See First?
Sultanahmet, the old town, because Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Basilica Cistern stand within a short walk of each other. Then go up the Golden Horn to Balat and Fener, where the streets are lived in, and keep a day for the Bosphorus villages or the Asian side.
Is Istanbul’s Old Town on the European or the Asian Side?
The European side. Sultanahmet sits on the historic peninsula between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara. Kadıköy and Üsküdar, the main Asian neighborhoods, face it across the water.
How Do You Get From the European Side to the Asian Side?
By ferry or by the Marmaray. Ferries to Kadıköy run frequently and take around 20 minutes, and the Marmaray line runs under the Bosphorus from Sirkeci, near the old town, to Ayrılık Çeşmesi in Kadıköy.
Can You See Several Istanbul Neighborhoods in One Day?
Yes, on foot and by ferry. The Other Tour’s Six Faces of Istanbul walk covers six neighborhoods in one full day: Zeyrek, Balat and Fener on the Golden Horn, then Üsküdar, Kadıköy and Moda on the Asian side.
Which Istanbul Neighborhoods Are off the Beaten Path?
Hasköy on the Golden Horn, Samatya on the Marmara shore, Zeyrek on the Fourth Hill and Kuzguncuk on the Asian side see far fewer visitors than Sultanahmet or Galata. The Other Tour’s Off the Beaten Path tour has a Golden Horn route through Cibali, Eyüpsultan and Hasköy.
Do You Need a Guide to Explore Istanbul’s Neighborhoods?
No, you can walk them on your own. A licensed guide gives the day an order: which neighborhoods sit well together, when to take the ferry, and the stories behind the churches, synagogues and mosques you pass.
Plan Your Neighborhood Walk
Send your dates, who is coming and the neighborhoods you have in mind. We reply within a day with a plan and the name of the guide who would lead it.
