Neighbourhood guide · Istanbul, Türkiye
Balat, Fener & Eyüp
Up the Golden Horn from the bazaars: the painted houses of Balat and Fener, the Chora and the land walls, and Eyüp with its holy mosque and hilltop café.
About Balat, Fener & Eyüp
Spend a day here: Fatih for pide, Balat and Fener for coffee and photographs, the Chora by the walls, and Pierre Loti Hill at sunset.
Where Balat, Fener & Eyüp is
Our 10 places in Balat, Fener & Eyüp
Restaurants in Balat, Fener & Eyüp
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Pide from the oven
Fatih Damak Pide
Long, boat-shaped pide from a wood-fired oven, near the Fatih Mosque.
Haydar Bey Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map
Cafés in Balat, Fener & Eyüp
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Coffee in colourful Balat
Coffee Department
A specialty coffee shop in the lanes of Balat, among the painted houses.
Kürkçü Çeşmesi Sokağı No:5/A, Balat, FatihExplore View on map
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Tea above the Golden Horn
Pierre Loti Hill tea garden
The hilltop café above Eyüp named after the French writer Pierre Loti, with a sweeping view down the Golden Horn.
Pierre Loti, EyüpExplore View on map
Sights in Balat, Fener & Eyüp
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Colourful lanes on the Golden Horn
Balat & Fener
The old quarters on the Golden Horn: painted houses, churches, synagogues, antiques and cafés.
Balat, FatihExplore View on map
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A church made of iron
Bulgarian St Stephen Church
The cast-iron Bulgarian Orthodox church of 1898 on the Golden Horn shore at Balat, restored and reopened in 2018.
Mürsel Paşa Caddesi, Balat, FatihExplore View on map
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The finest Byzantine mosaics
Chora (Kariye Mosque)
A former Byzantine monastery church near the land walls, with early 14th-century mosaics and frescoes; a mosque since 2024.
Derviş Ali, Kariye Camii Sokağı, FatihExplore View on map
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Istanbul’s holiest mosque
Eyüp Sultan Mosque
The mosque and tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of the Prophet, at the head of the Golden Horn.
Eyüp Merkez, EyüpsultanExplore View on map
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The walls that held for a thousand years
Theodosian Walls
The 5th-century land walls of Constantinople, running nearly 6 km from the Sea of Marmara to the Golden Horn.
Edirnekapı, FatihExplore View on map
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A Roman aqueduct over the traffic
Valens Aqueduct
The great 4th-century aqueduct that carried water into the city, striding over Atatürk Boulevard.
Atatürk Bulvarı, FatihExplore View on map
Arts & Culture in Balat, Fener & Eyüp
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The finest Byzantine mosaics
Chora (Kariye Mosque)
A former Byzantine monastery church near the land walls, with early 14th-century mosaics and frescoes; a mosque since 2024.
Derviş Ali, Kariye Camii Sokağı, FatihExplore View on map