The most beautiful parts of Istanbul aren't in Sultanahmet but along the water: the palaces and mansions of the Bosphorus, wooden Eyüp on the Golden Horn, the forests up north and the islands in the Sea of Marmara. This is a selection from my saved list; where I left a note, those are my words, the rest is compiled from Google Maps reviews. Dolmabahçe, Rumeli Hisarı and Pierre Loti I added on the advice of travel guides.
Ticket prices are from Google reviews, café prices are Google's average spend per person; valid as of 1 October 2026. Rate: 1 ₺ ≈ $0.020, 1 € ≈ $1.13.
In short
- Free and unusual: contemporary art inside an Ottoman mansion, the Abdulmecit Efendi Pavilion above Kuzguncuk.
- Weekends only: Borusan Contemporary — a company office that turns into a museum on Saturdays and Sundays, with one of the best rooftops on the Bosphorus.
- Mondays: both Dolmabahçe and Rumeli Hisarı are closed.
- Best view of the Golden Horn: Pierre Loti hill — take the cable car up from Eyüp and pay with your Istanbulkart.
- The prettiest mansion you can't enter: the Egyptian consulate in Bebek — see it from the water.
- A whole day outdoors: Belgrad Forest with its 6 km lake loop, or Büyükada and the climb to the Aya Yorgi monastery.
The European shore of the Bosphorus
Dolmabahçe Palace
Beşiktaş · palace museum · 2,000 ₺ (≈$41) for foreigners, per reviews · Tue–Sun 9:00–17:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · Dolmabahçe Cd.
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 96,000+): the 19th-century palace the sultans moved to from Topkapı — right on the water, with lavish halls and the famous giant chandeliers. The ticket is expensive, but nearly everyone says it's worth it; you can see both the men's quarters (Selamlık) and the harem, plus the gardens and a painting museum. Arrive at the 9:00 opening to skip the queue, and walk there along the waterfront from the Beşiktaş pier. 34travel recommends it too (article).
The Consulate General of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Bebek · mansion, consulate · not open to visitors
Google Maps · Cevdet Paşa Cd., 12
The Egyptian consulate, in an unbelievably beautiful Art Nouveau mansion.
According to Google Maps reviews (3.5 from 660+ — rating the visa service, not the building): a former mansion designed by the architect Antonio Lasciac. People call it elegant but in need of restoration; it's best seen from the water, from a Bosphorus cruise boat.
Rumeli Fortress
Rumeli Hisarı · fortress · around €6 (≈$7), per reviews · Tue–Sun 9:00–17:30, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · Yahya Kemal Cd., 42
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 14,000+): Mehmed II's 1452 fortress at the narrowest point of the Bosphorus, facing Anadolu Hisarı and next to the second bridge. The view of the strait is the point; you can wander the courtyard with its cannons and mosque and sit on benches under the trees. Downside: the walls and towers have been closed for restoration for years, so you can't climb up — go for the view rather than the castle.
Borusan Contemporary
Rumeli Hisarı · contemporary art · 250 ₺ (≈$5), per reviews · Sat–Sun only, 10:00–18:00
Google Maps · website · Baltalimanı Hisar Cd., 5
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 880+): the red Yusuf Ziya Paşa mansion from the 1910s, which stood empty for decades and was known as the haunted house. On weekdays it's now the Borusan group's office; at weekends it's a museum — exhibitions on the lower floors, and you can walk through the offices with the staff's things still on their desks. The highlight is the rooftop, one of the best Bosphorus views, plus a small café.
The Asian shore: Kuzguncuk and Beykoz
Abdulmecit Efendi Pavilion
Kuzguncuk · mansion and exhibition · free
Google Maps · website · Kuşbakışı Cd., 18
There's some seriously cool exhibition on here.
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 4,000+): a late-19th-century Ottoman summer mansion above Kuzguncuk turned into a free contemporary art museum — the works range from mesmerising to frankly weird. Beautiful tilework inside, and you get a booklet at the door; pens, make-up and water go into a locker, so there can be a 10–15 minute queue. It's awkward to reach by public transport. Down the hill are Kuzguncuk's houses and garden.
Molla Gürani Viyadüğü
Beykoz · motorway viaduct · a view from the car
Google Maps · E80 motorway, Rüzgarlıbahçe
A bloody amazing view of the city from the bridge. Nearby, from the footbridge at the Kavacık Sapağı bus stop, the view might be great too.
According to Google Maps reviews (4.3 from 20+): this is a motorway viaduct, so you can't walk here — the view opens on your right as you drive towards Beykoz and the second bridge. Locals ask drivers to keep their eyes on the road anyway.
Beykoz Kundura Cinema & Studios
Beykoz · film studio, cinema and restaurant · daily 9:00–21:00
Google Maps · website · Süreyya İlmen Cd., 1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 1,800+): a former shoe factory on the Bosphorus where Turkish films, series and music videos are now shot, with a cinema, a theatre stage and the Demirhane restaurant serving everything from breakfast to dinner. The feel is industrial, and some nights there are events in a Berlin-club spirit. Downside: it's far from the centre — late at night, a taxi is the only way back.
The Golden Horn: Eyüp
Eyüp Vapur İskelesi
Eyüp · ferry pier
Google Maps · Silahtarağa Cad.
A sweet little neighbourhood of wooden houses and mosques.
According to Google Maps reviews (4.4 from 130+): a small pier at the very end of the Golden Horn — the ferry goes no further. Reviewers recommend coming by boat from Eminönü for the ride itself; morning ferries are almost empty, and across the water you see Bilgi University in the old slaughterhouse buildings. Downside: the ferry stops at every pier, and getting to Kadıköy with a change takes an hour and a half — the bus back is quicker.
Pierre Loti
Eyüp · viewpoint and café · 200–600 ₺ (≈$4–12) · daily 8:30–0:00
Google Maps · website · İdris Köşkü Cd.
According to Google Maps reviews (4.3 from 48,000+): a hill above Eyüp named after the French writer who liked to sit here, with a panorama of the Golden Horn. A cable car runs up from Eyüp (about five minutes, Istanbulkart or bank card), and the café at the top does tea, coffee, toasties and breakfast. Sunset is the best time. On holidays and weekends it's very crowded, and the service suffers.
Forests and islands
Belgrad Forest Hiking
Sarıyer · forest and lake trail · small entry fee · Mon–Sat 9:00–20:00 per Google
Google Maps · Bahçeköy Kemer
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 1,400+): a large oak and hornbeam forest in the north of the city with a 6 km red-dirt track around a small reservoir — for walking, running and cycling. Plenty of picnic tables, and you can bring your own food; toilets are only at the entrance, and there's parking. Google lists Sunday as closed, yet reviewers specifically advise coming on Sunday before 10:00 to beat the crowds — check before you go.
Cendere Art Museum
Ayazağa · art space in an old pumping station · Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · Cendere Cad., 128
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 280+): a pumping station from the reign of Abdülhamid II, now home to contemporary art shows (one was all about water), a small library and a café. The star is a plane tree nearly 400 years old in the garden, full of parrots, with concerts and workshops held beneath it. Downsides: it's awkward to reach without a car, and it sometimes closes without notice — call before you go.
Greek Orthodox Monastery of St George Koudounas
Büyükada · hilltop monastery · daily 10:00–16:00
Google Maps · Sanatoryum Yolu Sk., 5
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 5,300+): Aya Yorgi is a Greek monastery on the highest point of Büyükada, the largest of the Princes' Islands. From the square where the minibus drops you, a steep climb of about a kilometre begins — around 40 minutes up and 15 down; it's hard work in the summer sun, so bring water and good shoes. At the top: calm, a plain-looking church with a rich interior, and views over the sea and the island, best at sunset.
One last thing
Most of this is easiest to link up by water: the ferries between Eminönü, Beşiktaş, Üsküdar and Kadıköy are the cheapest Bosphorus tour there is, and boats to Büyükada and Eyüp leave straight from the centre. Just don't plan the European shore for a Monday — Dolmabahçe and Rumeli Hisarı are shut — and save Borusan Contemporary for a Saturday or Sunday.