Galata Tower and Istanbul's old city

A tower that faces the old city

The Golden Horn separates the historic centre of Istanbul from the rest of the city, and Galata Tower looks straight across it. The old city's monuments lie on the far shore: Hagia Sophia, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Topkapı Palace and the Süleymaniye Mosque are among the key monuments of the Historic Areas of Istanbul, inscribed by UNESCO in 1985. That makes the tower a good place to see the city's layout before you walk it, and a good place to end a day in the old city.

Start at the foot of the hill in Karaköy

Karaköy is the modern name for old Galata. It has been a port since Byzantine times, and Voyvoda Street became a banking and insurance district. Today the waterfront has cafés, galleries and fish restaurants, and the Galataport development includes the Istanbul Modern museum. Starting here lets you walk uphill to the tower rather than down to it, and passes the Camondo Stairs on the way if you take the detour.

The two-hour guided walk

If you would rather have a guide, the GetYourGuide walking tour of Galata, İstiklal Avenue and Karaköy lasts two hours and starts on the Karaköy waterfront. Its stop list, subject to change, includes İstiklal Avenue, the Casa Botter building, two Catholic churches, Galatasaray High School, several arcades, the Camondo Stairs and Galata Tower. Entry to the tower itself carries an extra fee and is not included, so you would buy the tower entry separately.

Heading to İstiklal Avenue

From the tower you can walk to Tünel Square, the southern end of İstiklal Avenue. The avenue is about 1.4 kilometres long, runs to Taksim Square and is pedestrian apart from a historic tram. On the way you pass the church of Santa Maria Draperis, the church of St Anthony of Padua, Galatasaray High School and the Çiçek Pasajı arcade. The Tünel funicular links the top of the avenue with Karaköy, so you can make a loop of the climb and the descent.

Crossing the Galata Bridge

The bridge connects Karaköy with Eminönü, on the old-city shore. The bridge in use today was completed in December 1994 and is 490 metres long. It has tram tracks down the middle, anglers along the rails and a row of restaurants beneath the deck. Crossing it on foot takes you from Galata to the old city's waterfront, where ferries leave for the Asian shore. Cross at the start of a day in Sultanahmet, or at the end to return to the tower for the evening view.

A day in two halves

A simple plan: cross the Galata Bridge in the morning to the old city, spend the day at its monuments, then return across the bridge and climb to the tower for the late-day view back over the places you have seen. Reverse it if you prefer to open with the overview. Either way, book the tower slot so that it fits the end of your walk, not the middle, and leave time for the security queue. Add a ferry crossing if you have an hour to spare.

Who this plan isn't for

A tight half-day does not need a plan this ambitious. Pick either the tower with Karaköy and İstiklal Avenue, or the old city's monuments, and see the other side from a distance. Visitors with limited mobility should note that Galata is a hill and that the ticket is marked as not suitable for wheelchair users. For them, the view across the water from the Eminönü shore or from the Galata Bridge gives the same skyline without the climb.

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