Istanbul 21 April 2025

On our way from St Petersburg to Manchester, we spent a whole day in Istanbul. We tried to avoid touristy places and explore the real city. It is quite difficult to do it in one day, but we tried. From the new airport, which is next to the Black Sea coast, the metro goes into the city. We travelled to Yenikapi station, which is located almost on the shore of the Sea of Marmara, and walked along the sea towards the centre.

The houses on this street are very attractive, each in their own way.

We came across a very picturesque fish market (Kumkapı Balık Pazarı) near the marine terminal.

We walked down the streets and gazed around.

The parking is top class.

Tourists don't venture into these neighbourhoods.

We didn't expect to see wooden houses here.

Modern houses are neighbouring wooden ones.

The closer we got to the historic city centre, the more ornate were the houses. The old wall is the remains of a Roman hippodrome.

We went into Gülhane Park to look at the tulips.

All April long, Istanbul hosts a tulip festival.

We came a bit late, but it was still impressive.

Turkish grannies with a grandson on a bench.

A carpet of colourful tulips.

A road sweeper nearly fell into the Bosphorus Strait.

A young family trying to cross a very busy motorway.

There are different kinds of vehicles on the road.

In the shadow of the mosque, a man guards his possessions.

A monument to a Sherpa. Behind it there is a very colourful character.

A fabric shop. Kittens are climbing out of the basement window.

The big bazaar takes up an entire city block. There is a lot of stuff here! Shops selling similar goods are located in the same street, so there is a street of shoes, a street of hats and scarves, a street of crockery, a street of fabrics, a street of spices...

A small cafe with a friendly owner.

View of the city from the Süleymaniye Mosque

Süleymaniye Mosque. There was no service, so we went inside.

There is not much vegetation on the streets of the city, so it was difficult to pass by such an unusual tree. This is a princess tree or empress tree or foxglove-tree (Paulownia tomentosa).

On our way to the metro station, we ended up in a beautiful wooden neighbourhood.

Cast iron lanterns decorate the facade of this house.

Looking back at Süleymaniye Mosque from the bridge over the Golden Horn Strait. The Haliç metro station is located right on the bridge. It is accessible on foot from either side of the strait. It was a non-trivial idea to build a bridge for the metro and open a station on it.

We spent a whole day in Istanbul. The city is very big. There are about 15 million people living in it, and it is simply impossible to see everything in one day. We really enjoyed exploring the non-touristy parts of the city. We will have to come here again.