ISTANBUL’S DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOODS – HOW TO CHOOSE?
In a city of 13 million people covering 2000 square miles how do you know where to begin? Istanbul is one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean and it is easily the largest city in Turkey. It’s been growing since the 1950’s when migrants from Anatolia flocked to the city in search of economic prosperity and the city has been expanding to accommodate them.
What does this mean for you – one of 7 million visitors to Istanbul every year? It means you have some tough decisions to make when you are trying to decide where in this vast metropolis you want to stay and what you want to do!
During my four week stay in Istanbul I stayed in 3 completely different neighborhoods and visited about 4 more in depth via some great walking tours. Like most cities, each neighborhood has it’s own feel so I’ve tried to provide you my opinion on what each neighborhood can offer you – the visitor – as well as give you a peek into what the neighborhood culture there was like.
This isn’t the best map – but it’s the best one I can find. Some of the neighborhoods I’m talking about aren’t really marked on this map – but I’ll try to do my best to describe their location
1- Sultanahmet
2 & 3 – Eminoju and Grand Bazaar
4, 5, 6, 7 – Beyoglu District (4 represents Galata)
8 – Fener and Balat
Northwest of 9 – Eyup
North of 5 – Tarlabasi
North of 6 – Sisli
East of 1 – Kadikoy
Sultanahmet & Eminönü
Tourist central – the easiest place to stay to tick off all of the main sites. Not many ‘real’ Istanbul locals living in this area though. However at certain times, such as Ramadan (while I was there), the historic sites draw a local crowd that is impressive to see and experience. Here you’ll find a ton of hotels, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Topaki Palace, Basilica Cistern, and a ton of tourist restaurants and souvenir shops. Good public transport…but not what I would call the ‘real Istanbul’.Karakoy/Galata
Galata’s modern name is Karakoy, but I found the two interchangeable. The area is actually a part of a much larger district called Beyoglu which also includes Taksim Square. This neighborhood is touristy, but intertwined within cruise passengers, and souvenir shops are locals who have lived in the area their whole life. I stayed for 2 weeks in Galata and felt like it was just the right mix of tourism and local culture. It’s great for shopping as little hipster boutiques are dotted among the old run down abandoned buildings giving you the preview of what is to come for this popular neighborhood. Plus – you’ll find the Istanbul Modern Museum in this area too – a great stop to make if you are in the area. I really did love the mix of visitors/locals/expats here. It was a neighborhood of diversity but most days I really felt like I was a part of the neighborhood as opposed to simply a visitor in a neighborhood. My pick for best location so you can get a bit of everything out of your stay.Şişli
This is where you’ll find everyday life of the business population – the streets are filled with banks, businesses, and shopping malls. In fact Europe’s largest and the world’s second largest (urban-area) shopping mall, Cevahir İstanbul, is situated here. It’s more modern and tidy than other parts of the city. It’s well served by transportation routes and subway and quite frankly – it’s where real middle class life takes place. I stayed for a week in an (very strange) apartment right behind the Cevahir Mall and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a completely different feel and vibe to Istanbul – one that felt very European/western and if you have been traveling for a while and are searching for something familiar – Sisli is the place to be!Fener, Balat, & Eyüpf
I did a brilliant walking tour through these lesser visited neighborhoods of Fener, Balat, and Eyup – and found that being able to take these neighborhoods in at a slow pace was best. There were really no tourists to speak of, but instead the streets were filled with locals and were generally pretty quiet. The neighborhood is best known as the Jewish and Greek Quarters of Istanbul. A walk through the cobblestone winding streets of this neighborhood will take you by mosques, churches and synagogues. One of the most important religious buildings is the Church of St. George, located in Sadrazam Ali Paşa Avenue. It is the most sacred place for Orthodox Greeks – our guide described it to us as the Vatican of the Greek Orthodox religion. Inside, the church was bejeweled in gold – a sight to see. The iconostasis (wall of icons) was in the front of the church and practically hurt your eyes ot look at it! Plus – it is believed to have the cross that Jesus Christ was crucified on inside the church.Eyup is located just outside of the city walls on the south bank of the Golden Horn and is named after Eyyub al Ensari, a companion of theProphet Mohammed, who is believed to have died here when Arabs sieged the city in the 7th century. It’s home to one of the most sacred and religiously significant mosques in all of Turkey. However since our walking tour was during Ramadam, the mosque was so crowded that we weren’t even able to get inside! Instead we sat in the main square, had coffee and talked about the history of the neighborhood further.
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