Istiklal Street in Istanbul / Istiklal Caddesi

What to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting

Tourist street Istiklal (Istiklal Caddesi, Independence Street) - it is the main pedestrian tourist area of Istanbul, the heart of Beyoglu tourist district. In fact, it is conditionally pedestrian, since a historical tram runs along it, the roadway crosses in several places, and also along the street itself you can often see moving cars of special or service Services. However, this transport does not particularly interfere with tourists, because it moves slowly and carefully.

The length of Istiklal Street is a little less than one and a half kilometers. All along it is packed with shops, boutiques, cafes, restaurants, fast food stalls, souvenir shops, currency exchange offices, banks, Turkish sweets shops, there are international restaurants McDonalds and Burger King. It even houses the Consulate General of the Russian Federation. In the evening, in different places you can see performances of street artists, exhibitions of artists. True, the police do not allow them to work here, periodically conducting raids and dispersing, and the scale of street shows is far from the same as, for example, on the Arbat in Moscow. Nevertheless, in general, on Istiklal you can find everything that the soul of a tourist can need.

Therefore, Istiklal is without embellishment, the most saturated and interesting place for tourist walks. It seems that all tourists in Istanbul rush here in the evenings, there are so many people here. To be honest, in the peak season (spring and autumn) it even creates discomfort: the flow of people is so dense that during a walk you have to dodge oncoming passers-by so as not to collide.

However, keep in mind that this is also a place of concentration of tourist crooks and deceivers. Among the traditional wiring allegedly representatives of the Red Cross, UNICEF, shoe cleaners, friends-breeders, etc. there are several outlets selling ice cream with shows that deceive tourists. Learn more about fraudsters and tourist wiring in Istanbul read here.

Often on the internet you can find the opinion that Isktiklal very high prices. This is partly true, but not everything is unambiguous. In fact, prices here vary greatly from store to store, and from Cafe to Cafe. But if you take your time and search, or bargain (this can be done even in cafes and shops), then here you can find the same prices as everywhere else in Istanbul, and sometimes even cheaper. But if you could not bargain, just go to one of the neighboring alleys (better down, towards the Bosphorus embankment), and it will be easier to find low prices in cafes and shops.

There are many currency exchange offices, there are ATMs. The exchange rate is quite acceptable, you can change small amounts, but you should walk down the street and find the most profitable, it varies here. If you need to change a few hundred dollars or euros, it is better to go away from Istiklal, for example, take the T1 tram to the lalei quarter (Fatih district), where the rate is higher. For example, on one day the dollar exchange rate for Istiklal was 5.56 and for Lalei it was 5.72. When exchanging 100 dollars, this is not significant, but if you change 500, the difference will be 80 lire (1.71 USD, see Turkish currency and exchange rate).

And finally one more important point-toilets. Unfortunately, we did not find separate paid toilets here. You can go to the free toilets in one of the shopping centers, for example, in Demirören Istiklal; go down to the end of the street to Galip Dede Caddesi, where there is a paid toilet at the mosque (1 lira); ask for one of the restaurants.

But what sights can be seen on Istiklal

To be honest, there aren't many attractions on the street. Mostly it is architecture, and several conventional museums. Directly on the street you can visit or see:

• Taksim Square.
• Historic tram. The famous historic red tram, on which you can ride or at least take a photo. Learn more about the historical tamvaychik.
• Galata Mevlevi or Museum of Dervishes (Galata Mevlevi Museum). Dedicated to the whirling ceremony of the dervishes, it is located in a former Sufi monastery converted into a museum in 1946. Learn more about the Dervish Museum.
• Galata Tower. It is a historical and architectural landmark of Istanbul, an important symbol of the city. You can climb it. Learn more about the Galata Tower.
• Flower passage. Three-storey building built in 1876.
• Madame Tussauds. Traditional wax museum.
• Museum of illusions. A museum with 3D paintings to photograph.
• Church Of The Holy Trinity (Aya Triada Rum Ortodoks Kilisesi). The largest Orthodox Church in the city.
• Church Of St. Anthony Of Padua (Sent Antuan Kilisesi). The old Catholic Church.

In addition to an independent walk and sightseeing attractions in Istanbul, you can also book an author's group or individual tour in Russian on one of these trusted sites:

• Excursions from the tour operator TezTour
• Excursions from Sputnik8
• Trips from Tripster