Istiklal Avenue

Must Things to Do in Istiklal Street

• Walk through Istiklal Avenue, from Taksim Square to the Tunnel

• Try fried and stuffed mussels and drink a beer in the Fish Market.

• Rest by the window in a cafe facing Istiklal Avenue and watch the surrounding area.

• Have a feast of Rakı (Turkish traditional alcoholic drink) and Meze (a selection of small dishes in order to accompany Raki) in the Meyhanes (traditional restaurant or bar) of Çiçek Arcade, Nevizade, Asmalımescit or under the Galata Bridge.

• Try the rich variety of street food around Istiklal Street; fried mussels, kokorec, stuffed mussels, filled meatballs, and many others. 

• Enjoy Rakı, Mezes, and a nice, deep chat in Historical Cumhuriyet Meyhanesi, Yakup, or Refik.

• Taste profiterole at Inci Patisserie.

• Tour the arcades – the symbols of Beyoğlu – and buy souvenirs, alternative clothes, incense, posters, or tiles.

• Join a Fasıl while having a glass of Rakı. Fasıl actually is the name of the pieces of Ottoman classical music, but now used as both the music you can find in Meyhane’s and also the act of having fun with this kind of music.

• See the hundred-year-old street lamps of Cezayir Street.

• Go to the St. Antoine Church, light a candle, and become a part of the quiet and tranquil atmosphere.

• Try the unique sweets in the Markiz and Lebon Patisserie, particularly their pastries.

• Buy very cheap jeans and clothes in the Beyoğlu Trade Center or Terkos Arcade.

• Take a seat in one of the bars in Nevizade to drink beer and eat iced almonds.

• Go to a bar with a terrace and enjoy your drink while watching the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.

• Watch the Mevlevi Sema Ceremony in the Galata Dervish Lodge.

• Go inside the music shops in Tünel to examine the various Turkish instruments.

• Take a break in the cafes and restaurants inside the Geçit Inn across Tünel Square.

• Tour the narrow streets in Asmalımescit and see the restored historical buildings.

• Visit the famous nightclubs, “Indigo” and “Babylon”.

• Sit up all night in one of the bars of Istiklal Avenue, Sıraselviler or Tepebaşı.

• Have lunch in Hacı Abdullah and taste traditional Turkish cuisine.

• Buy creamy Turkish delight, Turkish delight with rose or double roasted from Ali Muhiddin Hacı Bekir.

• Taste Burma Kadayıf with walnut in Beyoğlu Saray Muhallebicisi, located on Istiklal Avenue.

• Eat Kokoreç or Zümküfül in the kokoreç houses inside the Fish Market.

• Go shopping in the Atlas Arcade for incense, candles, and posters.

Turkish Coffee

• Drink Turkish coffee in Manda Batmaz, which is on a small street on the right just before the Odakule.

• See one of the international collections exhibited in the art galleries on Istiklal Avenue.

• Buy various kinds of spices in the Fish Market.

• Watch Istanbul from 360 degrees on the Galata Tower.

• Go shopping in the bazaars set on Sundays in Çukurcuma and in the antique shops of that neighborhood.

• Visit the Istanbul Modern Arts Museum. After the museum, go to the nargile cafes in the Tophane district, drink apple tea and play backgammon.

• Eat something in the restaurants that cook home-style meals in Asmalımescit.

• Buy one of the unique hand-made oil lamps from a shop in Aznavur Passage.

• Eat the famous sauced hamburgers of Kızılkayalar in the Square buffets and drink churned Ayran.

• Go fishing and take pictures on the Galata Bridge.

• Watch and enjoy the “Mehter Show” performed daily at Harbiye Military Museum. Mehter is the Ottoman Military Band

• Get on the underground tram in Tünel to go Karaköy.

• Take a trip with the nostalgic tram from Taksim Square to Tünel.

• Taste the famous Baklava of the Karaköy Güllüoğlu.

• Take a tour on the underground shopping center in Karaköy.

• Drink Rakı on the Galata Bridge facing the Bosphorus and the sunset.

• By doing these things, you will maximize your Beyoğlu experience!

Without these, you can not enjoy Beyoğlu!