Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

END SALT GALATA LENGTH 1.4KM; TWO HOURS

Start this walk in front of the 1 Galatasaray Lycée, a prestigious public school located on the corner of İstiklal and Yeniçarşı Caddesis. Established in 1868 by Sultan Abdül Aziz, it educates the sons of İstanbul’s elite. Walk south down İstiklal and you’ll pass the neo-Gothic 2 St Anthony’s Cathedral on your left. Built between 1906 and 1911, it is one of two churches fronting the street in this stretch. Further south is the 3 Netherlands Consulate General, a handsome building renovated in 1854 by the Swiss-born Fossati brothers, who designed many buildings for Sultan Abdülmecit I. Crossing Postacılar Sokak, you’ll see 4 ARTER, one of the city’s most exciting cultural centres. Continuing down İstiklal, the next major building is the 5 Russian Consulate, a grand building designed by the Fossati brothers and built in 1837. From here, veer left down steep Kumbaracı Yokuşu and then into the first street on your right. Walk up the hill past 6 Christ Church and then veer right and sharp left into one of Beyoğlu’s most interesting shopping streets, Serdar-ı Ekrem Caddesi. One of İstanbul’s most desired residential addresses, the historic 7 Doğan Apartments, is on the left. Home to artists, writers, celebrities and expats, the 1895 complex has a beautiful central garden and a handsome entrance featuring stained-glass panels. Continue straight ahead to 8 Galata Tower and then head down winding Camekan and Bereketzade Medresesi Sokaks. You’ll eventually come to the sculptural 9 Camondo Stairs, commissioned and paid for by the famous Jewish banking family of the same name. At the bottom is Bankalar Caddesi, centre of the city’s prosperous banking industry in the 19th century. It’s now home to the a SALT Galata cultural centre, a former bank building that now hosts a library, Ottoman banking museum, temporary exhibition space, cafe and restaurant.