Çatalca sits on the route: 10 minutes from Muratbey, 43km from Balat & Fener.
Çatalca is in Istanbul, Turkey, with about 19,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Muratbey, about 6 km away.
Çatalca (Turkish pronunciation: [tʃaˈtaɫdʒa]) is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 1142 km2, making it the largest district in Istanbul Province by area. Its population is 77,468 (2022). It is in East Thrace, on the ridge between the Marmara and the Black Sea. Most people living inRead more Çatalca are farmers or owners of vacation homes. Many families from Istanbul come to Çatalca for weekend hiking or picnics.
A hilltop coffeehouse above Eyüp cemetery with the best view down the Golden Horn, named for the French novelist who drank here in the 1870s while writing Aziyadé. A cable car climbs to it from the waterfront.
41 km · about 45 min drive
photogenic
Balat & Fener
Steep cobbled lanes of tall narrow houses painted in blocks of colour on the Golden Horn, the old Jewish and Greek Orthodox quarters of Istanbul. The red-brick Phanar Greek College looms over the rooftops.
43 km · about 50 min drive
landmark
Grand Bazaar, Istanbul
One of the world's oldest and largest covered markets with over 4,000 shops spread across 61 streets, a sensory overload of commerce since 1461.
45 km · about 50 min drive
landmark
Galata Tower
Medieval stone tower rising above Istanbul's Galata quarter, offering 360-degree panoramic views of the city and Bosphorus.
45 km · about 50 min drive
landmark
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
An iconic 17th-century Ottoman mosque famous for its six minarets and interior adorned with over 20,000 handmade İznik blue tiles.
46 km · about 55 min drive
museum
Topkapi Palace Museum
The lavish Ottoman sultans' residence for 400 years, housing imperial treasures, holy relics, and the famous Harem.
46 km · about 55 min drive
landmark
Hagia Sophia
An awe-inspiring 6th-century architectural masterpiece that served as a church and mosque, with a massive dome that revolutionized world architecture.
46 km · about 55 min drive
landmark
15 July Martyrs Bridge (Bosphorus Bridge)
First bridge to span the Bosphorus strait connecting Europe and Asia, an illuminated icon of the Istanbul skyline.
49 km · about 55 min drive
Driving roads near Çatalca
49 km15 July Martyrs BridgeThe first suspension bridge across the Bosphorus, opened in 1973, linking the European and Asian sides of Istanbul.
50 kmBosphorus StraitThe legendary waterway dividing Europe and Asia, lined with Ottoman palaces, mosques, and wooden mansions best seen from a scenic ferry cruise.