This horn-shaped estuary divides European Istanbul. One of the best natural harbours in the world, it was once the centre for the Byzantine and Ottoman navies and commercial shipping interests. Today, attractive parks and promenades line the shores, a picturesque scene especially as the sun goes down over the water. At Fener and Balat, neighbourhoods midway up the Golden Horn, there are entire streets filled with old wooden houses, churches, and synagogues dating from Byzantine and Ottoman times.
Standing at the front entrance of Pera Palace, cross the road and take the first turn off left onto Asmali Mescit Sokak, follow it straight ahead and take the second right turn off and you will find yourself in the midst of a magnificent and picturesque little winding narrow cobbled street, criss-crossed in dangling green vines and ivies dashing against colorfully washed walls of delightful old residences. Here you will find the popular Babylon nightclub and live music venue. This backstreet club hosts a varied program of live acts, including big names from the realms of jazz, house and world music.
Istiklal Caddesi is the heart of Beyoglu, the more modern district of Istanbul built during the 19th century.The city’s most popular strolling, shopping and snacking street, now reserved for pedestrians, is lined with boutiques, cafes, consulates, restaurants, galleries, cinemas and banks, with residential apartments above.
When 19th-century travelers spoke of Istanbul as the Paris of the East, they were thinking of the Istiklal Caddesi and its half-European, half-Asian culture.
Area: 5.712 km²
Population: 10.018.735 (2000)
Traffic Code: 34
The god and human, nature and art are together in there, they have created such a perfect place that it is valuable to see.” Lamartine’s famous poetic line reveals his love for Istanbul, describing the embracing of two continents, with one arm reaching out to Asia and the other to Europe.
A stay in Istanbul is not complete without a traditional and unforgettable boat excursion up the Bosphorus, that winding strait that separates Europe and Asia. Its shores offer a delightful mixture of past and present, grand splendor and simple beauty. Modern hotels stand next to yalı (shore-front wooden villas), marble palaces abut rustic stone fortresses, and elegant compounds neighbor small fishing villages. The best way to see The Bosphorus is to board one of the passenger boats that regularly zigzag along the shores. You embark at Eminönü and stop alternately on the Asian and European sides of the strait.
Considered to be a symbol of Istanbul, this tiny tower was established on a small island at the entrance of the Bosphorus. In the past, Kiz Kulesi was used as a watchtower and a lighthouse, until its present purpose of a tourist attraction. Western sources describe this as Leander’s Tower, who was drowned while swimming, to reach his lover Hera.
Galata Tower was built by the Genoese in 1348, during their occupation of the area, primarily to prevent attacks. Originally known as the Tower of Christ, it stood above the fortification surrounding the Genoese city-state.
Polonezkoy is in the Beykoz district of Istanbul, in the Marmara Region.
Transportation: There is no public transport to the village of Polonezkoy, but private vehicles can access the area from the centre of Istanbul towards the coast, on the Asian side.
One of the most astounding and popular places to visit in Istanbul is Topkapi Palace, the symbolic and political centre of the Ottoman Empire in between the 15th and 19th centuries. It stands on the tip of land where the Golden Horn, the Sea of Marmara and The Bosphorus come together, and is a maze of buildings centered around a series of courtyards, typical of Islamic tradition. Such is the complexity of each building, it will take many hours in order to be explored properly.
Built in the reign of Sultan I Abdulmecit during the 19th century, this over-ornate palace lies along the European coast of The Bosphorus. The palace constructed in between 1843 and 1856, mixing different European artistic influences and built by Abdulmecit’s architect, Karabet Balya. It was built over three levels, and symmetrically planned, with 285 chambers and 43 halls.
