📍 Karaköy★ Our favourite
📷 Hancı Global
Fasuli Kurufasulye
Famous for its kuru fasulye, the Turkish white-bean stew. Try the chef's plate, and do not skip the kavurma (slow-cooked meat).
We live and work in Galata and Beyoğlu, and these are the tips we give our own guests. Every place in these guides is one we personally go to.
🏠 Where to stay in Istanbul: the best neighbourhoods, honestly compared
Galata, Karaköy, Taksim, Cihangir, Sultanahmet, Beşiktaş, Nişantaşı or Kadıköy? Who each Istanbul neighbourhood suits, how well it is connected and its downsides — from a local host team.
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🗼 Galata Tower guide: tickets, hours, the best views and where to stay nearby
Everything about visiting Galata Tower in 2026: ticket price, opening hours, how to skip the worst queues, its 700-year history, the best free viewpoints of the tower and the streets around it — from hosts who live at its foot.
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🗺️ Istanbul in 3 days: a local itinerary starting from Galata
A realistic 3-day Istanbul itinerary: the old city and bazaars, Galata and the Bosphorus, then the Asian side by ferry — with opening days, 2026 ticket prices and where to watch the sunset.
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🛥️ Bosphorus cruise guide: public ferry, tour boat or private yacht?
Every way to cruise the Bosphorus in Istanbul compared honestly: Şehir Hatları short and long tours, hop-on boats, sunset cruises, private yachts and dinner cruises — with 2026 prices, times and what you will see.
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📅 Best time to visit Istanbul: weather, crowds and prices month by month
When to go to Istanbul: average temperatures, rain and sea temperature by season, festivals, Ramadan and Eid dates for 2027, and when apartments are cheapest — from a local host team.
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✈️ How to get from Istanbul airports to Galata & Taksim
Taxi, Havaist/Havabus shuttle and metro routes from Istanbul Airport (IST) and Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) to Galata, Taksim and Beyoğlu — with times, prices and the last steps to our apartments.
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🍽️ Where to eat and drink in Galata & Beyoğlu: our local picks
The restaurants, cafés, bars and dessert shops in Galata, Karaköy, Cihangir and Beyoğlu that we recommend to our own guests.
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🗼 Things to do in Galata & Beyoğlu: a local guide
Galata Tower, the Camondo Stairs, Pera Museum, Istanbul Modern, Çukurcuma and more — plus easy day trips to the Old City — from a team that lives in Galata.
Read the guide →Our favourite places
The spots we send our own guests to first.
📍 Karaköy★ Our favourite
📍 Asmalımescit★ Our favourite
📷 Hancı Global
📍 Karaköy★ Our favourite
📷 Hancı Global
📍 Asmalımescit★ Our favourite
📷 Hancı Global
📍 Asmalımescit★ Our favourite
📷 Hancı Global
📍 Galata★ Our favourite
📷 Hancı Global
📍 Karaköy★ Our favourite
📷 Hancı Global
Galata Tower
Built by the Genoese in 1348 — the best views of Istanbul are from the top.
Pera Museum
A must-see permanent collection — including Osman Hamdi Bey's “The Tortoise Trainer” — and rotating exhibitions.
Istanbul Modern
Turkish contemporary art in a striking new waterfront building in Karaköy.
Kılıç Ali Paşa Hamamı
Our pick for a proper Turkish bath. Built by Mimar Sinan in 1580 and beautifully restored, it offers a calm, high-quality hammam ritual a few minutes' walk from Karaköy. Book ahead.
Photo credits appear on each photo.
Stay in the heart of Galata
Our apartments in Galata, Taksim and Beyoğlu are a short walk from everything in this guide. Book direct and pay 10% less than on Airbnb.