Europe or Asia? The two shores of the Bosphorus
Palaces and lively villages on one side, green hills and wooden mansions on the other: how the two shores differ.
Published
Istanbul is the only great city split between two continents, and the Bosphorus is the line between them. The two shores have kept surprisingly different characters.
The European shore
The western bank is the busier one. It carries the 19th-century palaces of Dolmabahçe and Çırağan, the lively quarters of Ortaköy and Bebek, the old fishing village of Arnavutköy and, at the narrows, the fortress of Rumeli Hisarı. Further north, Emirgan and Yeniköy are known for their waterside mansions.
The Asian shore
The eastern bank is greener and quieter. Kuzguncuk keeps its small-town streets; Beylerbeyi has its summer palace; Kandilli and Kanlıca are lined with wooden yalı mansions. Opposite Rumeli Hisarı stands the older Anadolu Hisarı, and nearby the little Küçüksu Pavilion.
Seeing both
A round-trip cruise shows you both: up one shore and back down the other. To spend time on land afterwards, ferries link the two sides throughout the day.