Karaköy: the back story

About Karaköy: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Istanbul Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Karaköy, at the foot of Galata where the Golden Horn meets the Bosphorus, was the city’s port and banking quarter for centuries. After a long, quiet spell it has been reborn, with museums on the waterfront, restaurants in old warehouses and hotels in banking palaces.

The port quarter

In Byzantine times this shore belonged to the Genoese colony of Galata, whose tower still rises above it. Under the Ottomans and into the 20th century, Karaköy was the port, with banks and shipping offices along Bankalar Caddesi, the “street of banks”, and a mix of Greek, Armenian, Jewish and Turkish traders.

Reborn

Today the old banks hold galleries and hotels: SALT Galata, in the former Ottoman Bank, has a research library and exhibitions, with Neolokal on its top floor. Along the water, Galataport has opened more than a kilometre of promenade, and Renzo Piano’s Istanbul Modern stands at its edge.

Karaköy is at its best at dusk, when the ferries cross to Asia and the old city turns gold across the water.

Eating

Karaköy Lokantası, under its turquoise tiles, serves meze and lokanta classics; Tershane and Mürver are close by, and Karaköy Güllüoğlu is the place for baklava.

Our advice: start with Istanbul Modern in the morning, take a hammam at Kılıç Ali Paşa in the afternoon, and dine in Karaköy as the lights come on along the Bosphorus.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Karaköy: the back story before you go.