Walking along Bosphorus

The Bosphorus shoreline has a mesmerizing effect on people. Hours can be whittled away enjoying the changing light, the boat traffic and the birds. A walk along the Bosphorus should ideally start in Ortaköy and continue on through Kuruçeşme, Arnavutköy, Bebek and all the way on to Rumeli Hisarı Ğ from palace to fortress. The entire length of the once forested Bosphorus, especially on the European side, contained the occasional hunting lodge, small settlements and fishing villages. For much time the easiest way to get up the Bosphorus must have been by boat.

As Istanbul’s population grew, it was natural for it to move northward along the Bosphorus. Once roads began connecting the villages, it became easier to move between them. Eventually real roads were built and horse and carriage gave way to cars. The beautiful but delicate caiques - small, wooden Turkish boats - gave way to sturdier ferryboats with landings at each village. When the sultans built their palaces at Çırağan and Dolmabahçe, they gave further impetus for members of the court and the imperial family as well as the leading statesmen and administrators to build their homes along the shore.

Some of the most fascinating engravings show the many palaces and mansions that lined the Bosphorus. Today some of these buildings have remained but most have not. They have been replaced with modern buildings, mostly apartments but then it’s easy to see how one would be willing to pay a lot in order to spend time watching the Bosphorus.

Starting from Ortaköy, there’s a beautifully laid out cultural center and cinema with restaurant on the waterside in an old police station. Its name is Feriye and has a long shoreline with a bar at one end serviced from the restaurant. Ortaköy’s main attraction is the market that has grown up around the south side of the village’s mosque. Numerous restaurants serve fish every day until late at night while a small arts and crafts market occupies the side streets.

The houses that were there have been spruced up and some restaurants are to be found there as well. Many smaller boats offer Bosphorus tours and they seem to be very busy whenever the weather is good. Before leaving Ortaköy, a visit or at least a look at Esma Sultan gives one a sense of what a palace belonging to a member of the imperial family must have looked like. Today it serves as a venue for catered receptions, art exhibits and conferences.

Istanbul’s prominent nightclubs in Kuruçeşme

After leaving Ortaköy, there is a fairly wide pavement for those who enjoy walking. The next stop up the Bosphorus is Kuruçeşme, where Istanbul’s most prominent nightclubs are to be found such as Reina and Laila. Here are the places to go in order to see and be seen, drink, dance and gossip. The paparazzi are out in force usually in hope of getting that great shot some magazines and newspapers pay big money for. It should be mentioned though that the village has a rather nice park along the shore.

The next village north is Arnavutköy. It’s quite a nice, rather sleepy village until the people there are threatened over the building of a third Bosphorus Bridge. Then they come out of their homes in noisy protest. But in the meantime because of the crush of traffic along the shore, a portion of the road now juts out over the water and a small island of wooden houses tries to maintain a precarious dignity. But before that was built, there were many nights spent eating and drinking rakı or wine as the moon came up over the Bosphorus Ğ romantic to the nth degree. Today there are still some good restaurants but also quite a few on the main street that can only be found by walking around this village.

Moving along and next stop is Bebek, the place where every foreigner wants to live. It is marked by the extraordinary baroque architecture of the building that for years has been used as the Egyptian consulate general. From there a park has been laid out up to the small mosque. If you have a taste for coffeehouses, then the little place next to the mosque serves a great Turkish cup. Keep going and you’ll find a series of restaurants including Koru Kahvesi, which provides a great meal and a Bosphorus view.

Once clear of Bebek (and Küçük Bebek), there’s a long promenade all the way to Rumeli Hisarı, good for walking and bicycling. Quickly stride by the big yachts tied up lest you become too envious.

Here is the entrance to the famed Bosphorus University, where you can take on the steep hill for a great view from the top.

Keep going, past the amateur fishermen trying their luck from the shore, and you’ll shortly see your goal: the Rumeli Hisarı beginning to tower above you. Here was the first foothold that Sultan Mehmed had on the European shore prior to his conquest of Constantinople.

Nestling under the fortress are several restaurants that have served several generations of Istanbul residents indulging in a favorite pastime of drinking rakı and eating freshly caught fish. See you there!