When we think about Galata, we immediately think about Galata Tower. However, Beyoğlu area, especially Galata, is composed of beautiful historic streets containing many old decorative buildings, chic restaurants, cozy cafés, small boutiques, gift shops and more. Galata is a journey in itself. It has become popular amongst the youth population of Istanbul recently and is always alive with loads of things to experience. Serdar-I Ekrem Street is now one of the trending locations of Galata. It is one of the oldest streets of Galata, has the famous Dogan Apartment, and is loaded with many galleries, cafés and boutiques. If you have time, you should definitely spare a day to explore Serdar-I Ekrem Street and what’s around it. Let’s begin by figuring out how to go to Serdar-I Ekrem Street. If you are coming from the Anatolian side of Istanbul, you might take the ferry from Kadikoy Port to Karakoy and then walk upwards to Galata from there. If you are coming from the European side, it is much easier if you take the M2 metro line and take off at Sishane Station. You can walk from there as well. How far is Serdar-I Ekrem Street from Galata Tower is the next question we should be answering. Serdar-I Ekrem Street is approximately 300 meters away from Galata Tower, so they are really very close.
Exploring Serdar-I Ekrem Street
We should begin by one of the most famous apartment buildings of Istanbul, Dogan Apartment. Even when you take your first step on the street the gigantic, yellow colored building will catch your attention from the other end of the street immediately. It was built by a banker family towards the end of 1800s. It is able to beautify the street all by its own with the harmony of the yellow walls and green blinds. There are rumors about the building that is has hosted many film productions and has been home to actors and TV personalities for years. It is said that the building also was the first building to have an elevator. Unfortunately entering this building complex is very challenging, however you will be aesthetically satisfied even from the outside. If you are an art enthusiast, you will be pleased to know that there are a few good art galleries on this street. First one is called Collective Istanbul. The gallery aims to provide affordable art therefore the prices are lower compared to the market. Every collection has been determined by the artist before and all the art works are formed in a harmony and are categorized according to themes. Next one is called 7 Art Gallery. This gallery is another trending one on Serdar-I Ekrem Street. It is decorated in a plain but elegant way and draws attention with its unique lighting. As you already realized this street is full of art and history.
When you are done feeding your soul with art, the next thing to do is to shop like crazy. The next stop is called Cicek İsleri (Flower Works). It is a beautiful shop containing special designed objects and home decorations. There are tons of options for souvenirs and gifts. If you taste the sweet taste of shopping and are asking for more the next stop should be Lunapark Shop. This shop is filled with designed objects like the previous one and presents the works of young and fresh designers of the industry. The ones who are into pop culture and collectible figures, should stop by our next suggestion which is called Pop Culture Toys & Collectibles. Heroes of comic books, TV series and video games all came together in this shop. From Marvel to Harry Potter there are tons of comics, action figures, magazines, collectibles and many more. Next stop is for vintage lovers and is called Atolye Do Bora. The interesting thing about this place is that it has hair stylists among the vintage items and old records. You might begin again by styling your hair after you are done with shopping or even for a small talk about Istanbul you may stop here.
Deeper in Serdar-I Ekrem Street and Galata
You have seen art, bought beautiful pieces that will remind you of your trip to Istanbul and now want to rest while enjoying a good meal. You might be wondering what to eat in Serdar-I Ekrem Street since you don’t want to go out of the street because now it enchanted you. These next few are some Serdar-I Ekrem restaurants and the ones around Serdar-I Ekrem for you to enjoy. Leb-I Derya is a fish restaurant that has been serving for fifteen years. It is the perfect choice for fish lovers. Galata Tower has a restaurant that provides with the greatest view of Istanbul and delicious food so you might as well try that. Next, Galata Meyhanesi brings you a classic Beyoglu night since 1993 along with traditional Turkish alcoholic drink accompanied by good appetizers. Our final recommendation for you to stop by to eat is Karakoy Galata Simitcisi which is serving fresh out the oven traditional bagel. If you spend your whole day at Serdar-I Ekrem Street, best way to conclude your day might be stopping by one of the Serdar-I Ekrem Street bars or the bars around it. Snog Roof Bar is one of them which has the view of Galata Tower.
While you are there, exploring further around the street should be nice. Here are a few suggestions on what to do near Serdar-I Ekrem Street. Since it is a very central location and so close to Galata Tower, there are lots of things to do around the street. When the visitor is done their journey on Serdar-I Ekrem Street, they should definitely continue towards Galata Tower. You might want to attend a Galata Genoese Walk Tour because it would be useful to know where to go for enjoying your Galata visit to the fullest. When you are walking on Galata it would be a shame to leave without seeing Istiklal Street. So you may attend a tour that includes both Istiklal Street and Galata walk.
