Istanbul Guide

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travels to Aksaray via Edirnekapı, allowing you to stop and visit the Kariye Museum. ¨ From Hasköy Buses 36T, 54K or 54HT travel to Taksim. Buses 47, 47E or 47N travel to Eminönü.

ther Hasköy (for the Rahmi M Koç Museum) or Eyüp (for the Eyüp Sultan Mosque) and then reboarding a ferry for the return trip. If you have a full day, you could visit both of these sights and also visit Aynalıkavak Kasrı before or after visiting the Rahmi M Koç Museum. Another good option is to alight at Ayvansaray on your return trip, follow the historic land walls up the hill and visit the Kariye Museum (Chora Church). The Best… ¨ Sight Rahmi M Koç Museum (p 172) ¨ Local Life Eyüp Medanı ¨ Place to Drink Pierre Loti Café (p 122) Top Tip If visiting the Eyüp Sultan Mosque (p 118), dress appropriately (no shorts or skimpy skirts and tops). Females should bring a scarf or shawl to use as a head covering. ¨ İstanbul Şehir Hatları (İstanbul City Routes; % 153; www.sehirhatlari.com.tr) Operates the commuter Haliç ferry service. Departs Üsküdar hourly from 7.30am to 8.45pm and travels up the Golden Horn to Eyüp, picking up most passengers in Karaköy and Eminönü; the last ferry returns from Eyüp at 7.45pm (8.45pm on Sunday). The trip takes 55 minutes (35 minutes from Eminönü) and tickets cost ₺4 ( ₺ 2.30 with an İstanbulkart). If you alight, you’ll need to pay a new fare for the next leg. Note that all passengers must alight at Eyüp. Check online for timetable and fare updates. ¨ Dentur Avraysa ( % 444 6336; www. denturavrasya.com) Offers a hop-on, hop off tour ( ₺ 15) departing from Beşiktaş at 10am, noon, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm, stopping at Kabataş (where most people board), Hasköy, Eyüp and the Miniatürk theme park in Sütlüce before making the return trip. Check online for schedule updates. Bus All bus tickets cost ₺4 (₺2.30 with an İstanbulkart). ¨ Fom Eyüp Buses 36CE, 44B, 48E, 99, 99Y and 399B/C travel to Eminönü from the Necip Fazıl Kısaküre stop in front of the ferry via Balat, Fener and Karaköy. Bus 39C Getting There & Around Ferry

Need to Know ¨ Area Code % 0212 1 SIGHTS

Day Trips THE GOLDEN HORN

Few visitors to İstanbul have heard about the ferry route up and down the length of the Golden Horn (Haliç). Until recently, this stretch of water to the north of the Galata Bridge was heavily polluted and its suburbs offered little to tempt travellers. All that’s changing these days, with the Haliç suburbs being gentrified and beautification work, including the creation of many parks, being undertaken along both sides of the water way. The ferry trip to Eyüp offers magnifi cent views of the imperial mosques atop the Old City’s hills, glimpses of the historic city walls and panoramas of ancient suburbs including Fener, Balat and Ayvansaray. On the opposite shore, vistas include Ottoman mezarlıgıs (cemeteries) and the remnants of Ottoman arsenals and naval docks. 1 Üsküdar to Kasımpaşa After departing from Üsküdar on the Asian side, the ferry stops at the Haliç iskelesıs (Golden Horn ferry docks) at Karaköy and Eminönü . The Karaköy iskele is on the northern side of the Galata Bridge, before the large Kadıköy iskele . The Eminönü iskele is on the western side of the Galata Bridge behind a car park next to the bus station. From Eminönü, the ferry passes underneath the Haliç Metro Bridge and the Atatürk (aka Unkapanı) Bridge before stop ping at Kasımpaşa on the opposite side of the Golden Horn. This area is where the Ottoman imperial naval yards were located between the 16th and early 20th centuries, and some of the original building stock re mains. The palace-like building to the left of the iskele is the 19th-century Bahriye Nezareti (Map p172; f Kasimpaşa) , where the Ministry for the Navy was once based. It is currently undergoing a major restoration. On the hill above is an 18th-century build ing with a clock tower. This was originally