5 Hidden Places in Istanbul from an Old Istanbulite’s Eyes

These 5 hidden places in Istanbul were my favorites when I lived there many years ago. Istanbul, my darling city, I never get bored writing about you or visiting you. Before New York, you were there, and you will always be there. (If we get rid of all this political nonsense in the country, I would consider without a second thought I prefer to be in both countries)

As you know, I had a month-long vacation between April and May. I started my vacation in my hometown, Adana, and then continued in Ankara (the capital of Turkey) and Istanbul for two days. After Dubai and the Maldives, we stayed in Istanbul 3-4 days more for Fatih’s business meeting and to enjoy the city as tourists.

The city has suffered a lot from the damage in the last 2 years. Istanbul was the most visited city in Europe back in 2014. Back-to-back bomb attacks, the Syrian Refugee crisis, and a very sympathetic government bring everything to today’s situation. Even though with too many problems, the city never loses its beauty for true Istanbulite. Whenever I pass the Bosphorus with those nostalgic ferries, I forget everything bad about the city.  It is the most magical 20-minute ride of my life, undoubtedly, every time.

Since I love the city so much, I decided to write about my favorite places this time. I show a glimpse of local Istanbulites’ Istanbul. After visiting these places, please comment here and tell me if you like it.

I have more places to share with you, but I picked these places to show you a bit about the modern Istanbulite lifestyle. So here are 5 Hidden Places in Istanbul.

5 Hidden Places in Istanbul

Limonlu Bahce

Limonlu Bahce is one of my favorite places in Beyoglu. I remember always thought it was a little bit pricey for my student budget, but I believe it is definitely not pricey now. This place is hidden in a backyard in one of the old buildings in Beyoglu District. You can pet the street cats and smell divine lemon trees because the literal translation of this place is “Lemon Garden.”

Cihangir Mosque’s Garden

I want to thank my dear friend Emre for this magical place. Years ago, he brought me to this place, and I asked, What will we do in the Mosque? Generally, people rarely go to mosques if they are not practicing religion. And we were definitely not practicing or praying at that time. But After I saw that beautiful view of the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea, I was in total amazement. It was one of the calming places, and most of the time, there were no people, so you could listen to the city and fall into the depths of Bosphorus’ water. (Btw, Cihangir is one the sons of Suleiman the Magnificent)

Dogatepe

Dogatepe has truly one of the best views in the city. You can see the whole Bosphorus, one of Istanbul’s hills. It is just right near FSM Bridge, which is the second bridge in the Bosphorus. Dogatepe offers soft drinks like tea, coffee, etc., during the day, but they also have a restaurant, so you can enjoy a nice meal with a beautiful view of Istanbul.

Kale Kahvalti Salonu

If you do a little research about Turkey or Turkish people upfront, you must know that we people are obsessed with our breakfast. It’s a true entertainment for especially the people of Istanbul to go somewhere near water (Bosphorus or the Marmara Sea) and have a 2-3 hour long breakfast (or, might wanna say, brunch). Kale Kahvalti Salonu (Castle Breakfast Parlor) is the best place to have a traditional breakfast. Since you have no idea what is coming to the table, I’ll tell you what to order:

• Menemen (scrambled egg with tomato and green pepper) or Scrambled egg with braised meat
• Halloumi cheese
• Sigara Borek (cigar-shaped pastry filled with feta cheese) or Pacanga Borek (a pastry filled with pastirma)
• Sucuk (fermented sausage) or Pastirma (dried meat)
• Simit (bagel-like but definitely more delicious bread)
• Olives plate
• Sogus Salata (Tomato, cucumber, green peppers, sometimes parsley, too)
• Cheese Plate (variety of Turkish cheese including Turkish feta)
• Fresh-squeezed OJ (I mean freshly squeezed. We Turks don’t count fresh-squeezed if the fruits were squeezed more than 5 minutes ago.)
• Bal Kaymak (honey and cream, this is a must)

I know you think all this stuff is for 4 or more people, but It’s not. This is pretty much what you order for two people in any breakfast/brunch parlor in Turkey. Please enjoy! You’ll thank me later.

Cinaralti Cay Bahcesi

This place was one of my favorite places as a college student. This place is more humble than any other place I mentioned below. This place is also considered a breakfast parlor, but It’s not. We can say this place is a cafe that serves breakfast in the morning, but you don’t have to order food from here. If you want you can only order tea or coffee and bring your own food which can be “Borek” (pastry filled with cheese or meat) from just at the corner of this place. You shouldn’t expect an incredible service from here. These guys are the tea men who keep walking around the tables and asking if you need more tea.

Cinaralti is a humble place, but it has one of the best views of the Bosphorus from the Asian side. I especially love the old fisherman boats. The photos you take of this place will definitely bring you so many likes. You’ll see.

Don’t forget to take a picture of the 800-year-old plane tree. (Plane trees are a very iconic symbol of Turkic mythology)

BONUS: Kunguncuk Mahallesi:

This neighborhood is one of my favorites in Istanbul. It is one of the rare places that doesn’t get hurt by urban sprawl. You can still find neighborhood groceries, bakeries, butchers, etc. in this place. Kuzguncuk has one of the best pieces in a full family, friendly environment and the best view of the Bosphorus.

Extra Bonus: See the places I mentioned on the map accordingly.

I hope you love “my” 5 Hidden Places in Istanbul. It was a pleasure to share these beauties with you.

Take a look at the places you can book below.