Besiktas, Istanbul: Things to Do, See, and Insider Tips

Besiktas is the part of Istanbul I send people to when they want the city to feel real rather than staged. It sits on the European shore right where the Bosphorus opens up, and on any given afternoon you get students arguing over tea, a fish market that actually smells of fish, three imperial palaces within a short walk of each other, and one of the loudest football crowds in the country. It is loud, a little scruffy in places, and genuinely lovely. Here is how I would spend my time there.

Why visit Besiktas at all?

Short answer: it packs more variety into a small area than almost any other district on this side of the water. You have grand Ottoman history (Dolmabahce, Ciragan, Yildiz), a working market quarter called Carsi, a long Bosphorus promenade, the city’s biggest naval collection, and a nightlife scene that runs from craft-beer bars to proper clubs. The neighbouring stretches of the shore, Ortakoy, Arnavutkoy, Kurucesme and Bebek, are some of the most expensive real estate in Turkey, and you can stroll into them straight from the centre of Besiktas.

It is also a transport hub. Ferries from Kadikoy and Uskudar dock right in the middle of things, so it is easy to fold Besiktas into a day that started on the Asian side in Kadikoy.

Things to do and see in Besiktas

My honest advice: start at Besiktas Square and the waterfront, do the palaces in a loop, then drift north along the shore toward Ortakoy. That order keeps you moving with the Bosphorus on your right the whole way.

Besiktas Square and the waterfront

The square and the market behind it are the heart of the district. Grab a tea or a Turkish coffee at one of the cafes facing the water, watch the ferries come and go, and just take the tempo of the place. The famous Naval Museum and the tomb of Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, the Ottoman admiral, both sit right by the sea here, a two-minute walk from the ferry dock.

Besiktas Carsi (the market area)

Carsi is the bit locals love most, and it is the home turf of the Besiktas football supporters who go by the same name. Wander the lanes and you will find secondhand bookshops, small designer stores, a buzzing fish market, grocers, and a dense run of restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs and meyhanes (taverns). It is best in the early evening when the daytime shopping crowd swaps over for the drinks crowd. For more of this kind of wandering, the colourful back streets of Istanbul guide is a good companion read.

Besiktas Historical Pier

The old ferry terminal is worth a slow look on your way past. The tilework on the facade was made by the architect Ali Talat Bey (1869-1922) and is genuinely striking, the kind of detail most people walk straight past. The pier still runs public ferries across to Uskudar and Kadikoy, so you can admire it and then use it.

Naval Museum (Deniz Muzesi)

If you only do one museum in Besiktas, make it this one. The Naval Museum holds around 20,000 objects covering Turkish maritime history, and the showstoppers are the imperial caiques, the long, slender, gilded rowing boats the Ottoman sultans used to glide along the Bosphorus. They are enormous and ridiculously ornate, and the gallery built to hold them is a sight in itself.

Practical notes (at the time of writing, mid-2026): the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, roughly 09:00 to 17:00, and closed on Mondays. Tickets are modest compared with the palaces, so it is easy to fold in alongside a waterfront stroll. The museum sits right on the Big Bus Istanbul hop-on-hop-off route if that is how you are getting around.

The palaces of Besiktas

This is the real reason a lot of people come. Three former imperial residences, all within walking distance, all very different.

Dolmabahce Palace

Dolmabahce Palace is the headline act and one of the most visited sites in the whole city. Sultan Abdulmecit built it in 1856 (it was effectively completed in the mid-1850s) to drag the Ottoman court into the European age, and it shows: white marble, baroque grandeur, a four-and-a-half-tonne chandelier in the ceremonial hall, and acres of gold leaf. It is excessive in the best way.

A few tips. It is open daily except Mondays, usually 09:00 to 17:00 with the ticket office closing an hour earlier. At the time of writing the combined ticket (main building, Harem, and the Palace Collections museum) runs to around 2,000 TL for foreign visitors, so check the current price before you go since these fees move with inflation. Entry is by timed group, queues build fast in summer, and you walk in slippers over the parquet, so arrive early. It is a 10-minute walk south from Besiktas Square toward Kabatas.

Ciragan Palace

Between Besiktas and Ortakoy you pass Ciragan Palace, completed in 1871 under Sultan Abdulaziz. Today it is the Ciragan Palace Kempinski, a luxury hotel, so you cannot tour it like Dolmabahce, but the marble facade and the waterfront setting are worth the detour on foot. If you want to actually go inside, the move is the legendary Sunday brunch at the Laledan restaurant, served by the pool overlooking the Bosphorus, or dinner at the Michelin-recommended Tugra restaurant. Both are a serious splurge, so treat them as an occasion rather than a casual lunch.

Yildiz Palace and Yildiz Park

Up the hill behind Barbaros Boulevard is Yildiz Palace, the last great Ottoman palace complex, spread across roughly 500,000 square metres of pavilions, kiosks and 19th-century villas set in gardens. It reopened in July 2024 after about six years of restoration, and several sections, including the Harem, the Cit Pavilion and the Small Mabeyn, are open to the public for the first time in over a century. At the time of writing it is open daily except Wednesdays, around 09:00 to 17:00, with the foreign-visitor ticket sitting near 900 TL. You can read more in the dedicated Yildiz Palace guide.

The palace gardens flow into Yildiz Park, which I would happily recommend even to people who never set foot in the palace. It is one of the loveliest green spaces in the city, full of ponds, little waterfalls and shaded paths, with some trees reckoned to be over 400 years old. Take a slow walk, find a bench, and let the noise of Besiktas fade out for an hour.

Ihlamur Pavilion

A lesser-known one, tucked into the Ihlamur Valley between Yildiz and Nisantasi behind the Besiktas hills. The Ihlamur Pavilion is a small, jewel-box of a 19th-century imperial summer retreat, far quieter than the big three. Combine it with a leisurely breakfast at its garden cafe and you have a calm morning away from the crowds.

Ortakoy

Right next door, Ortakoy is Besiktas’ prettiest seaside corner. There is a colourful little market, narrow lanes full of cafes and shops, and the famous square in front of the neo-baroque mosque where the Bosphorus Bridge frames every photo. The classic move here is a stuffed baked potato (kumpir) from the stalls, eaten by the water. It gets busy with both locals and tourists, especially at sunset. For the history and how to time a visit, see the Ortakoy Mosque guide.

Where to eat in Besiktas

Besiktas runs more or less around the clock, and the food spans cheap-and-brilliant to genuinely fancy. The densest eating is in the Carsi market, the lanes behind the fish market, along Barbaros Boulevard, and up Ihlamurdere Street.

A few names worth knowing, with the usual caveat to confirm they are still trading before you make a special trip:

• Sohretler Koftecisi in the market for classic grilled meatballs (kofte).
• Asim Usta for doner if you want it done properly.
• Kartal Canim Cigerim for grilled liver and skewers, a real local staple.
• Vogue Restaurant in nearby Akaretler if you want a polished meal with a view.

Beyond the headliners, just follow your nose around the fish market for fresh seafood, or sit down at one of the old-school cafes in Carsi for a Turkish coffee. If you are after a serious morning feast, the district borders the spread covered in our Turkish breakfast guide.

Nightlife in Besiktas

Besiktas after dark is one of the more honest nights out in the city, more neighbourhood bar than velvet-rope club. The three zones to aim for are the waterfront, Akaretler, and the Carsi market. You will find craft-beer spots, live-music bars, gastropubs and bistros packed cheek by jowl. It draws a younger, studenty crowd, so it is lively without being pretentious. For a wider survey of the city’s options, our Istanbul nightlife guide maps out the bigger clubs too.

Where to stay

Besiktas covers the whole range, from budget aparthotels to five-star landmarks. The obvious top end is the Ciragan Palace Kempinski, but you do not have to spend palace money: there are plenty of solid mid-range hotels around the centre and toward Akaretler. The advantage of basing yourself here is the ferries, you can be on the Asian side or down at the historic peninsula quickly without ever touching a taxi.

How to get to Besiktas

Getting to Besiktas is easy, which is half the reason it works so well as a base or a day stop.

By ferry: from Kadikoy and from Uskudar on the Asian side, public ferries run straight to the Besiktas pier. This is genuinely the nicest way to arrive, with the skyline opening up as you cross.

By tram and metro: from Sultanahmet and Eminonu, take the T1 tram to Kabatas (the last stop), then it is about a 10-minute walk along the shore to Besiktas. The M7 metro line also reaches the area if you are coming from further out. Our Istanbul metro guide is handy for planning connections.

By bus or dolmus: from Taksim you can take a public bus or a shared dolmus down the hill to the square.

From the airports: from Istanbul Airport (IST) it is roughly 45 km and around 90 minutes, and from Sabiha Gokcen (SAW) on the Asian side, plan for a similar stretch of time depending on traffic. The Havaist and Havabus airport shuttles run to Taksim, from where you transfer down to Besiktas, or you can book a private transfer if you would rather skip the changes. A pre-booked car is the least stressful option after a long flight.

That is Besiktas. Palaces in the morning, a long walk by the water, fish for lunch and bars in Carsi after dark. Do it in that order and you will see why it is one of my favourite corners of Istanbul.