Beyoğlu

The high-octane hub of eating, drinking and entertainment in the city, Beyoğlu is where visitors and locals come in search of good restaurants and bars, live-music venues, hip hotels and edgy boutiques. Built around the major boulevard of İstiklal Caddesi, it incorporates a mix of bohemian residential districts such as Çukurcuma and Cihangir, bustling entertainment enclaves such as Asmalımescit, and historically rich pockets such as Galata and Karaköy that have morphed into style centres.

Explore Beyoğlu

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Beyoğlu.

  • Museum

    Pera Museum

    There's plenty to see at this impressive museum, but its major draw is undoubtedly the 2nd-floor exhibition of paintings featuring Turkish Orientalist…

  • Museum

    Museum of Innocence

    The painstaking attention to detail in this fascinating museum/piece of conceptual art will certainly provide every amateur psychologist with a theory or…

  • Street

    İstiklal Caddesi

    Once called the Grand Rue de Pera but renamed İstiklal (Independence) in the early years of the Republic, Beyoğlu's premier boulevard is a perfect…

  • Gallery

    İstanbul Modern

    This lavishly funded and innovative museum has an extensive collection of Turkish art and also stages a constantly changing and uniformly excellent…

  • Museum

    Museum of Turkish Jews

    Housed in a building attached to the Neve Shalom synagogue near the Galata Tower, this museum was established in 2001 to commemorate the 500th anniversary…

  • Museum

    Galata Mevlevi House Museum

    The semahane (whirling-dervish hall) at the centre of this tekke (dervish lodge) was erected in 1491 and renovated in 1608 and 2009. It's part of a…

  • Market

    Fish Market

    Located opposite the grandiose entrance to the 1868 Galatasaray Lycée, one of the city's most prestigious educational institutions, this much-loved…

  • Cultural Centre

    SALT Beyoğlu

    With a brief to explore critical and timely issues in visual and material culture, the İstiklal branch of the SALT cultural centre is one of the city's…

  • Cultural Centre

    Depo

    Occupying a former tobacco warehouse, this alternative space is operated by Anadolu Kültür (www.anadolukultur.org), a not-for-profit organisation that…

  • Cultural Centre

    Galata Rum Okulu

    With works displayed under glass on top of worn wooden desks or lecterns, and exhibition titles written on blackboards, the historical atmosphere of the…

  • Gallery

    Anna Laudel Contemporary

    Contemporary Turkish and international artists are featured in the shows at this gallery space, opened in late 2016 in one of the historic buildings in…

  • Historic Building

    Pera Palace Hotel

    The Pera Palace was a project of Georges Nagelmackers, the Belgian entrepreneur who linked Paris and Constantinople with his famous Orient Express train…

  • Historic Building

    Çiçek Pasajı

    Back when promenading down the Grand Rue de Pera (now İstiklal Caddesi) was the height of fashion, the Cité de Pera building was İstanbul's most glamorous…

  • Cultural Centre

    Akbank Art Centre

    Turkey's big banks and philanthropic trusts vie to be seen as the greatest sponsor of the arts. İstiklal is a showcase for their generosity, and with this…

  • Tower

    Galata Tower

    The cylindrical Galata Tower stands sentry over the approach to 'new' İstanbul. Constructed in 1348, it was the tallest structure in the city for…

  • Cultural Centre

    SALT Galata

    The descriptor 'cultural centre' is used a lot in İstanbul, but is often a misnomer. Here at SALT Galata it really does apply. Housed in a magnificent…

  • Church

    Christ Church

    The cornerstone of this Gothic-style Anglican church was laid in 1858 by Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, known as 'The Great Elchi' (elçi meaning ambassador)…

  • Mosque

    Sokollu Mehmet Paşa Mosque

    This pretty mosque, designed by Sinan and built in 1577, is unusual in that it, and the minaret, are raised on a platform. It was commissioned by Sokollu…

  • Cultural Centre

    İstanbul Fransız Kültür Merkezi

    Set in a distinctive yellow building just off Taksim Square, the French Cultural Centre in İstanbul hosts regular art exhibitions (with a particular focus…

  • Cultural Centre

    İstanbul Arastırmaları Enstitüsü

    Associated with the nearby Pera Museum, this institution incorporates a publicly accessible research library focusing on the cultural and social history…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Beyoğlu.

  • Activities