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Would you like to go on a walk in Istanbul?
Then check out the lesser visited Asian side of Istanbul. It’s right there, a short ferry ride away from the city center, and it’s definitely worth a visit. If you enjoy walking or running, more peaceful and chilled out environments, or you want to go on a long bike ride, this is the place for you. There are several options where to go. Today I’ll talk about Kadikoy.
Continue reading to learn more about it.
More: Best Hotels in Istanbul For Every Budget, Best Day Trips From Istanbul
Table of Contents
Is Istanbul in Europe or Asia?
Due to its location, Istanbul is located both in Europe and in Asia.
In fact, it’s the only city in the world located on two continents. The part where most tourists go is called the European side of Istanbul. This is also where the international airport is situated. The other side is called the Asian part of Istanbul, known also as the Anatolian side of Istanbul.
Walking on Asian Side of Istanbul: Basics
It’s just a perfect place for a walk, run or bike ride.
Once you arrive to Istanbul Asian side, you can start your walk. Nice pathways start right from the pier, and continue along the coastline for miles. You can easily rent a bicycle or electric scooter in several places along the way.
OUR ROUTE:
TIME & DISTANCE: around 7 miles / 11 km (90 – 120 minutes).
You can do as you wish — walk for 30 minutes, an hour or several hours. We chose to walk for around 2 hours, and then to go to the metro to go back to the ferry pier. On a map above I’ve also recorded our walk to metro station.
TIPS: it’s all flat, and you can easily walk or cycle there. There are benches and picnic tables in several places along the way. It’s nice right from the very beginning, where you can also rent a bicycle from one of the special stands.
Getting from the city center to Kadikoy, Istanbul
There are plenty of options — bus, taxi, metro, ferry.
In most situations ferry will be the best and also the fastest option to get from Istanbul European side to the Asian side. It’s right there, next to the Galata bridge, and it’s cheap. Just walk to the Eminonu station / pier, and take a ferry going to Kadikoy.
You need an Istanbul card to pay for the ride. You can purchase it from ticket vending machines near the pier. You may need to connect your card to your HES code. Google to find it out.
In April 2021, ticket cost 5 TL.
In most situations ferry will be the best and also the fastest option to get from Istanbul European side to the Asian side.
Asian Side of Istanbul: Our Experience
It was our third time in Istanbul, and first time on Asian side of Istanbul.
You know, what we expected of this part of Istanbul? We thought that it’s going to be a not so pretty part of the city, more chaotic face of it, but… it turned out that we were wrong, completely wrong. Asian part of Istanbul is beautiful. There’s this scenic seaside part which extends for miles, some historical buildings here and there, and a lot of newly built apartment buildings.
It looks like a beautiful European city or like some better off neighborhoods in Asian capitals.
We loved it, and so we kept walking and walking.
Here are a few photos from our afternoon walk.
Have you been to Istanbul? Did you visit the Asian side of Istanbul? What was your experience?
Book Your Trip Like a PRO
1. Book Your Flight. Find cheap flights using Kiwi.com, Momondo.com. Or subscribe to Dollar Flight Club, if you don’t want to be searching for the flights yourself. Kiwi currently is my first choice.
2. Book Your Accommodation. Booking.com, Agoda.com and Airbnb. I use Booking and Agoda at least a dozen times a year, and Airbnb – when looking for a long-term stay. My best tip is to ALWAYS compare the price. Sometimes the same hotel is cheaper on Booking.com, other times – on Agoda. Always compare the price!
3. Buy Your Travel Insurance. Ekta and SafetyWings are two companies I can recommend. Ekta offers some extra benefits, that will be important for those doing some higher risk activities (make sure to choose the right plan!), while SafetyWings is better for digital nomads. SafetyWings is also very affordable.
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