Hidden Gems of the Istanbul: From Galata Tower to Balat
Description
Let's have an incredible journey around Istanbul's colorful streets! We will walk along the Golden Horn from the Galata Tower, through the backstreets of Galata and Karaköy, the Kamondo Stairs, one of the most spectacular staircases in Old Istanbul, and the SALT GALATA building, one of the oldest banks, to Balat and Fener, two colorful neighborhoods on the Golden Horn's old residential side. We will visit the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (St. George), which is still regarded the center of faith for Orthodox Christians, as well as explore the colorful staircases, bright wooden Ottoman mansions, the Iron Church (Sveti Stefan), and Balat's medieval lanes. Then we'll take a boat to Karaköy to visit the Golden Horn, a mythical stretch of the Bosphorus. Accompanied by a professional tourist guide, we will learn about Istanbul's full history and the locations we will visit, including exclusive admission chances and the ability to purchase tickets without waiting in line.
Tour Options
Itinerary
onsidered among the oldest towers in the world and one of the symbols of İstanbul, Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List in 2013. Galata Tower, one of the most important structures that make up the silhouette of İstanbul, was used as a long-term fire watchtower and was named Galata Fire Tower.
The Camondo Stairs are Art Nouveau-style stairs in the Galata district of Istanbul, Turkey. The stairs, completed in the 1850s, were built by the House of Camondo.
Salt Galata houses the Salt Research Gregory Michael Kiez Hall, a specialized library; the Salt Research Ferit F. Şahenk Hall, which researchers can use upon registration; the Auditorium, where talks and conferences are organized; and exhibition and event spaces. Salt Galata also hosts a permanent exhibition that sheds light on the 145-year history of the institution with documents from the Ottoman Bank Museum Collection.
We will take our ferry.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
Balat promises you a nice day with its cute cafes, colorful streets and houses that smell of history.
Balat, which has a rich Byzantine heritage, is an old Jewish neighborhood and still has a large Jewish population. In addition, the Sephardim, who were exiled from Spain in the 15th century, settled in Balat. Most of the houses in Balat, which is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and some of which have been restored, were wooden before the 18th and 19th centuries. However, due to the many fires that broke out here, most of the wooden buildings were burned down and masonry buildings were then preferred. There are very few single-story buildings and the houses are usually built in twos or threes.
The Bulgarian St. Stephen Church, also known as the Bulgarian Iron Church, is a Bulgarian Orthodox church in Balat, Istanbul, Turkey. It is famous for being made of prefabricated cast iron elements in the Neo-Byzantine style. The church belongs to the Bulgarian Christian minority in the city.
We'll watch the European and Anatolian sides of Istanbul from the estuary. We will discover the magnificent view of Istanbul on the magnificent waters of the sea.
One of the oldest bazaar in istanbul. We will taste turkish dessert and drinks free.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(7)
Great experience, lovely places to see outside of the usual tourist attractions. Our guide provided an amazing history background. Beautiful to walk the smaller streets
Nice to hear that. I hope to see you again.
We had a wonderful Galata, Fener, and Balat tour. Enru- our guide was extremely knowledgeable, very patient, and accommodating to our schedule. It made the experience relaxed and enjoyable. Highly recommended.
We are happy to hear of that. I hope we will see you again :)
Great tour, it's a mix of big tourist attractions and things that are off the beaten path. The guide Ebru loves Istanbul and is extremely knowledgeable about the city's history. Highly recommend!
Thank you for your wonderfull thought and review 🙏🏻
We got off on the wrong foot. The meeting directions were vague and after not being able to communicate by phone or what’s app, I had the hotel concierge call the guide directly. Together they confirmed the drop off point. I still was not convinced that it was 100% clear so I had the concierge explain the exact location to the taxi driver, who dropped us in Taksim Square - the wrong location. It was cold but not raining. Finally made contact with the guide and I said we were at the Monument to the Revolution in Taksim - waiting in the cold. She said we were at the wrong location. She asked us to start walking down Istiklal – I refused. There was no way to spot someone unknown to you in that crowd. She finally turned up and in hindsight I should have stopped the program then. I told her what had happened how many local people had been involved in finding the vague address and us waiting in the cold wind for 25 minutes. She started to get quite aggressive with me. She shouted at her phone for quite a while before calming down. The tour was extremely rushed. We did not go on a ferry. While getting onto a tram my wife was caught in a door half in/ half out before we finally got on board. At the spice markets we were steered to one vendor who delivered a very lengthy story. We left. For the Fener and Balat visit, she took us by tram and left us - end of tour. A highly unsatisfactory tour and extremely expensive for what was delivered. She appeared to have another far more important appointment elsewhere. Requesting a full refund. Not recommended.
We do not accept such unfair and unrealistic comments. The meeting place is already written in the content of the tour. As you mentioned, it is not our fault that the taxi driver dropped you off in the wrong place. In addition, our guide came to pick you up in a place that was not in the program to pick you up. We tried to reach you both on whatsapp and on the website, but you did not turn on your phone and internet. All of them are available in our hands with proof. The fact that you wanted to end the tour early because you could not walk at a normal pace is your request, not the guide's. In addition, we have not received any request from you for a refund. It is a very wrong attitude to blame other people for your own mistakes in this way. We recommend that you research the location you are going to next time thoroughly beforehand. Next time we would also like to avoid sharing our culture with you. We wish you a good day.
Fantastic experience, I 100% recommend. Emrullah tour was a great way to experience the local culture of the Asian side of the city. Kadikoy is a vibrant neighborhood filled Witt loads of restaurants, cafes and pubs. Emrullah does an excellent job of balancing history and modern culture while showing you around this area. The tour ended at pub where we all enjoyed some local beers.
It was amazing tour. Our friend recommended this guide and we loved it his knowledge. We feel like living not traveling. Definitely recommending him.
I am lucky one. We made solo like VIP tour. Emrullah was a good guide. He know everything about city and culture. Also showed me not only touristic places but also local insight. It is memorable tour.
Thank you!
