8 notable places within an hour's drive.
cafe
Pierre Loti Kahvesi
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.
12 km · about 20 min drive
scenic viewpoint
Bosphorus Strait
The legendary waterway dividing Europe and Asia, lined with Ottoman palaces, mosques, and wooden mansions best seen from a scenic ferry cruise.
15 km · about 30 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.
15 km · about 30 min drive
landmark
Galata Tower
Medieval stone tower rising above Istanbul's Galata quarter, offering 360-degree panoramic views of the city and Bosphorus.
16 km · about 30 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.
16 km · about 20 min drive
bridge
15 July Martyrs Bridge
The first suspension bridge across the Bosphorus, opened in 1973, linking the European and Asian sides of Istanbul.
16 km · about 20 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.
17 km · about 20 min drive
museum
Topkapi Palace Museum
The lavish Ottoman sultans' residence for 400 years, housing imperial treasures, holy relics, and the famous Harem.
17 km · about 20 min drive