Although most tourists visit istanbul to enjoy famous sights, some others actually skip all of that and go to walk between the hoods. Don’t be surprised, some neighborhoods have great views, far from the city noise, and famous for its nice and cool design. One example of such a neighborhood is Karakoy, it is one of the most famous neighborhoods in Istanbul because of its rich history, many restaurants, and charming streets.

Probably the most lovely street in karakoy is the famous Umbrella Street or Şemsiyeli Sokak -as Turkish people call it- where everyone is taking pictures. Its original name is Hoca Tahsin Street but people call it the Umbrella Street because of the famous colorful umbrellas hanging from an upper net making it look like a lovely colorful street from one of Disney movies.

It is not very different from other streets in Istanbul but still you will not get enough of it, maybe because it is cosy in the winter or full of life in the summer, or maybe because of its simplicity.No one actually knows but what all people agree on is that the lovely time you are going to spend there, is unforgettable.

So What Can You Do There?

If you visit Umbrella Street In the morning you can enjoy a pleasant the Turkish breakfast at Marjo Restaurant with your Turkish coffee then, prepare your camera to take some pictures with your friends under the lovely colorful umbrellas.

While at night you can get yourself a delicious coffee with a fresh baked cookie from Han Karakoy and sit on a small chair by the side of the street to enjoy the lovely view or enjoy reading a book at one of the coffee shops because Umbrella Street has some of the best coffee shops in Istanbul.  You can also have a delicious dinner at one of the restaurants there with your friends, the food at Umbrella Street is very tasty and compared to other places it is cheap too .

Here is another tip. If your more of a cool guy and want to do something special for your girl let’s say a proposal, then Umbrella Street is -with no hesitates- the perfect spot for you to do it. All you need to do is grab her hand while walking, take some pictures of her, tell her how pretty she looks, and then surprise her with a shiny ring. I mean you would still pay alot for the ring but still, you will forget all of the bad days you lived in your life when you see that gorgeous smile on her face.   

How To Get There?

Umbrella Street is easy to reach. You can get there using Tramway line toward Karakoy Station and then walk for 5 minutes and you will reach your destination.

You can also reach it using Kadikoy-Karakoy ferry to karakoy station and then walk for about 10 minutes. If you are not okay with ferries you can use one of the busses that goes to Karakoy, you can know their numbers from a Trafii “a public transportation mobile application”

At the end if you get lost you can easily ask anyone about Umbrella Street it is famous in Istanbul.

The beauty of this street is in its simplicity. Lovely at day time, calm at night time, small coffee shops, colors all over the place, and perfect to spend time with friends far away from city traffic and its noise.

All you have to do is to charge your camera battery and come to visit the colorful Umbrella Street.