Today Kadikoy is a hive of activity, packed with cheesemongers and charcuteries, cafes and coffee shops galore, popular bars, cheap student eats and a smattering of upmarket restaurants. So much so I decided to write this brief Kadikoy guide so you can find all my posts about the neighbourhood in the one place.
In an effort to improve my Turkish and learn what’s going on in my neighbourhood, I regularly check out the Kadikoy Council website. That’s how I discovered their initiative, Dukkan Kadikoy Council Waste Free Shop. It sells products and foods that are long-lasting, ecologically sustainable, produced from indigenous seeds, non-poisonous and seasonal, sourced from local…
Get more out of your next trip to Istanbul by coming to the Asian side of the city and exploring Kadikoy with the help of a long term resident. I’ve used my knowledge and years of experience to research and create a self-guided Kadikoy walking tour called Stepping Back Through Chalcedon: A Kadikoy Walking Tour…
I’m a long time Kadikoy resident and I love it. The maze of backstreets with no names where it’s easy to get lost as you stop and stare, duck in and out of little shops to taste and touch and buy. However when you’ve only come over on a day trip from your hotel in…
On my way back from taking photos for my post on Turkish tombs I rediscovered the wonderful neighbourhood of Yeldegirmeni Kadikoy. The suburb gets its name from four mills that were erected here by Sultan Abdülhamid I in 1774. They supplied the flour used over in the Topkapi Palace kitchens. In the years since I…
The complete version of “Antique Street Kadikoy” is available in the 2nd edition ofInside Out In Istanbul: Making Sense of the City. For as long as I can remember, Tellalzade Sokak in Kadikoy on the Asian side of Istanbul, has never been referred to by its registered name. Streets in Turkey are called after a…
Despite the heat of summer I decided to prowl the backstreets of Rasimpasa Kadikoy. This neighbourhood sits between the popular and well known centre of Kadikoy, and the now very hipster Yeldegirmeni neighbourhood. Foundation stones like this one are living proof of one of the many minority groups that lived in Rasimpasa Kadikoy in the…
Recently, my neighbourhood Goztepe Istanbul, 20 minutes inland from Kadıköy by bus, has become somewhat popular with Chinese and Taiwanese tourists. Apparently my middle class, middle average nothing much happens mahalle has been featured on Weibo, what I’m told is the Chinese version of Instagram. The very fact Goztepe’s so normal and ordinary is what…
Of the nine Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara off Istanbul, Heybeliada is the second biggest after Büyükada. The Turkish name translates as Saddlebag Island, as hills at either end of the land mass make it resemble one. However locals call it Halky (pronounced halki) which is also the Greek name for the island….
Pera Palace Hotel History The Pera Palace Hotel opened in 1895 to host passengers arriving in Istanbul on the famous Orient Express train. Renowned architect Alexander Vallaury oversaw the construction of the building. It has an Art-nouveau façade and inside, the grand ballroom and the glorious Kubbeli Lounge, combining oriental grandeur with geometric patterning where…