Istanbul Galata
1.5 kmabout 21 min
Worth the walk
Set off in the day while the tower is open and finish on the promenade at Rıhtım Caddesi. You get the cobbled lanes and the sea in one walk.
Walking this another time?
The walk · 1.5 km, about 21 min
From Galata Tower through Alageyik Sokağı, Hoca Tahsin Sokağı and Kemankeş Caddesi to Rıhtım Caddesi: half a day on foot.
The tower is open from 08:30 to 18:30 for day visits and from 18:30 to 22:00 for evening visits. See it first, then head down into the lanes.
Each stop is a short walk from the next, so take your time: stop wherever something catches your eye.
Galata Tower, the neighbourhood from above
Galata Kulesi
Worth the stop
In Beyoğlu, Istanbul. The Tarık Tunaya cultural centre, free to enter, is on the walk up İstiklal Avenue from the tower.
Until the mid-20th century it stood among Istanbul's tall buildings. From the top floor the city still spreads out below.
From above you can see where the lanes lie before you go down into them.
The lanes round the tower are narrow and paved with stone, with lights strung outside the cafés.
Settle before you come · Türkiye
A private yacht on the Bosphorus: how many to make it pay?Worth it from seven people, with nobody else on deck. At four you pay a little more for a boat of your own. Two people should take the ferry.
From seven people, before dark
Alageyik Sokağı, a cobbled lane uphill
Worth the stop
About 300 m from Galata Tower, around 4 minutes.
Motorbikes ride up the cobbles between walls and plants, past a shop with bags hung out by the lane.
Graffiti covers the old walls, which makes it a good stretch for photographs. Walk through rather than linger.
Watch your footing on the cobbles.
Hoca Tahsin Sokağı, somewhere to sit down
If you have time
About 350 m from Alageyik Sokağı, around 5 minutes.
One place here serves a green wrap on marble-patterned tables. After the rough stone outside, it is neat inside.
The next stop is a street of restaurants, so unless you are hungry, have a look and move on.
Kemankeş Caddesi, a street of tables
Worth the stop
About 350 m from Hoca Tahsin Sokağı, around 5 minutes.
Tables line both sides of a narrow passage by a yellow building with balconies, and you walk between the restaurants.
There are terraces framed by green plants, tables under big grey parasols and long tables with white cloths, so pick whichever you like.
If you have not stopped yet, this is the place to sit down. The passage is narrow, so go slowly between the tables.
Rıhtım Caddesi, a walk that ends at the sea
Worth the stop
About 500 m from Kemankeş Caddesi, around 7 minutes. You are there when a stone promenade meets the water.
After the narrow lanes the view opens all at once: rippling blue water, hills beyond it, and a passenger ferry moored by the edge.
No need to pick a shop. Walk along the promenade with the sea beside you and the half day is done.
More photographs from Istanbul Galata
See the tower first in daylight, then follow the walk down through the lanes and the restaurants to the sea. The tower also opens from 18:30 to 22:00, so an evening visit works too.
If you are short of time, walk straight through Alageyik Sokağı and eat only at Kemankeş Caddesi.