Since I have started posting colorful photos of our last trip to Istanbul on Instagram, everyone keep asking on where those photos were taken and how they can get there on their next trip to Istanbul. Searching the internet, you can find some information about visiting Balat but not too much, that’s why I decided to give some quick tips on how to get there and what to do in Balat and also how much time you need to visit Balat.
How To Get There?
Lets have a look at where Fener/Balat area is actually located comparing to major tourist attractions in Istanbul. it makes it easier then to plan on how to get there.If you search Balat on google map, you’ll see that the area is located on northern side of Taksim / Beyoglu area on the left hand side of the golden horn on European side of Istanbul. You can see the boundaries and the location of the neighborhood below:
If you are staying in Sultan Ahmet area or staying on the Asian side of Istanbul, get to Eminonu Bus station which is right next to the bridge on the golden horn for going to Taksim area. Getting to Eminonu from Asian side is easy, get on a ferry and you’ll be dropped om one of the ferry Iskelesi’s ( Ferry’s boarding ports) and you can walk in less than 5 minutes to the bus stop. If you are on Sultan Ahmet area either walk to Eminonu or take the tram and get off again at Eminonu station. One you got to Eminonu bus station, ask for the bus to Balat, and it’s easy enough to find it.
From Taksim go to Taksim bus stop and ask for Balat bus again, I found it easier than even bothering and searching the right bus on the google.
How to plan your walking tour?
No matter you are coming from Taksim or Eminonu, the bus will drop you at Balat bus stop ( make sure to ask the driver to let you know where the Balat station is) which is the next stop after Fener stop at Kennedy Cd by the water. There’s a green area between two lanes where taxi drivers stop for a nap. Cross the street and the green area to get to the other side, continue walking north and keep looking on your left for small narrow alleys going west and pick one to go up, yes up because it’s quite uphill.
From there, there is no plan, follow the bohemian extremely steep (sometimes!) alleys of Balat and enjoy the amazing colorful buildings and laid back lifestyle of the locals. The amazing part of going uphill is though the view! Try to look back and enjoy the view as you go up.
make sure that you make all the way up to get to the massive red break building, ” Greek Orthodox Patriarchate” The building of Orthodox Patriarchate is also the head of Orthodox Church. It’s still in the same place since 1602. The old throne of Patriarchate from the 5th century and as the belief says the column that Jesus had scourged is still there. These two pieces and the three Saints’ coffins are really important historical and cultural heritage for Christianity.
Go around the building and then look down through the steep ally down, the view is priceless.
Where to Eat in Balat?
Walking up and down and wandering around is what I love but obviously everyone loves to refuel and that’s the significant part of travelling, right? In Balat, you find cool cafes everywhere and they all look good, but I normally use my instinct for choosing cafes carefully because the great look won’t guarantee the great food especially in the area getting popular with the tourists recently, these cafes didn’t look like they are in business for that long. So we followed our gut feelings and stopped at the local bakery/Baklava place to make sure we get our treats as fresh as possible. If you don’t mind two item menu for your drink which is always tea and Turkish coffee, then I always recommend local ones, but if you prefer pages and pages of choices just for a cup of coffee and a great chill out area with free WiFi, Balat definitely won’t disappoint.
After we finished our tour and were ready to leave, we tried to find an epic lunch to finish of our day tour. I’m not sure if you have experienced it or not. It is when you are super hungry and exhausted but you almost had a clear vivid image of an amazing lunch in your mind since you started your day and you can’t let yourself down especially when there is too many options and you pass restaurants and cafes and keep wandering if it is the one. We had one of those moments that day and we finally found what we were looking for. That’s absolutely our recommendation for the lunch at Balat.
When you got your way out of Balat alleys downhill, you will find yourself on the same street that bus dropped you off. Walking to the bus stop to take the bus south to Eminonu, we found this gem, packed with locals all had the same order. Surprisingly enough it was only two minutes from Balat, but no tourist was among the customers. They kindly found three of us a tight spot inside and we had one of our most hearty dishes that we ever had in Istanbul.
What to buy in Balat?
Along side lots of new cafes popped up recently in the area, there are also lots of art galleries and handmade jewelries and furniture shops in the area. I found few cute pieces that I really liked but the prices looked a little bit high in my opinion but still I think that you can find stuff that you won’t find in rest of Istanbul. There are also some antiques shops there as well with some interesting items. As I was determined not to add any new item to my backup for the rest of the trip, I didn’t spend as much time as I usually spend in the areas like Balat, but if you dig enough, you will definitely find cool stuff there.
And here it is, a quick guide to Balat. We left hotel at about 9:00 and took our time through old city before getting on the bus and we were done by 3:00 so I think half a day will do the area the justice to see it all and not rush through it. On the way back, we just waited at the closest bus station to find our way back to Eminonu and pretty much you can pick any bus because they either go to Eminonu or to Taksim via Eminonu and it’s super easy to get on one. They all accept cash and Istanbul card but make sure to have small notes with you.
If you got a chance to go there, let me know about your thoughts.
