Walking through the Galata District – Istanbul || Turkey Real Travel Experience
Istanbul. What an INCREDIBLE city. I have spent a considerable amount of time there, although it’s never enough. With 4 trips there in the last 4 years, I have many places still on my list to discover in Istanbul.
But one place that never disappoints is the Galata District. Wandering through the Galata district you are sure to see so many amazing things that are so “Istanbul”.
Before every Travel Experience in Turkey, I like to do a walking tour with my guests of Galata District. Istiklal Street. St Anthony’s church. THe music stores. The Pera Palace. The Galata tours. The cafes. The shops. It’s endless.
Wander through it with me…
Riding the Tram along Istiklal street, albeit “tourisy”…its really fun. And cheap. And beats walking UP the hill back from the bottom. 😉
Having a Cay or tea is absolutely a part of Turkish culture. They drink tea so often. Black tea. Apple Tea. Pomegranate Tea.
As well, the “snacks” along the way – freshly roasted chesnuts, Turkish delight or pomegrante juice freshly squeezed, warm donairs, and of course Turkish coffee- are a must. So don’t eat before you head out there!
So as you walk down Istiklal street, you will notice that it’s a pedestrian street – the SWARMS of people coming and going is increidble, at most any time of day and any time of year.
Be sure to stop into the old St Anthony’s Catholic church on Istiklal as well – It’s this serene quiet right off the busy street. 
And the shops to shop in, wander through…the endless sidestreets to “get lost” in…do it! You really can’t get lost!
Then at the bottom of Istiklal with a jog to the right, then to the left you will come upon the lovely Galata Tower a medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karaköy quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, just to the north of the Golden Horn‘s junction with the Bosphorus. One of the city’s most striking landmarks, it is a high, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline and offers a panoramic vista of Istanbul’s historic peninsula and its environs. (Yes I totally just took that from Wikipedia so I wouldn’t have to type it) 🙂
It was finished being built in 1348 AD. The surroundings as well are so quaint and the view from the top looking across the Bosporus to old Istanbul – breathtaking. Definitely worth the entrance fee and wait (if there is a line).
People will mill around at the base or at the coffee shops surrounding it. It’s lovely to people watch there.
Yes a walking tour through Istiklal and Galata District is definitely time well spent. You can even visit museums, the Pera Palace, Jewish synagogues as well as the whirling dervishes. So much to do, see and experience. 🙂
Join me in Turkey and I will walk you through the Galata District. It would be my pleasure.
xxtracey
(All photos taken with iPhone 4s, 5 and 6)
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