Istanbul Asian Side: 5 Best Things to Do on the Anatolian Shore

Most first-time visitors never cross the water. They land, base themselves in Sultanahmet or Beyoglu, tick off the big monuments, and fly home thinking they have seen Istanbul. They have seen half of it. The Istanbul Asian side, the Anatolian shore that locals just call “the other side”, is where the city feels lived-in rather than performed for tourists. It is greener, calmer, more opinionated about its coffee, and honestly where a lot of Istanbulites would rather spend a Sunday.

Getting there is half the fun and costs almost nothing. The Kadikoy ferry from Eminonu or Karakoy runs constantly, so you rarely wait more than a few minutes, and at the time of writing a single crossing is around 59 TL on an Istanbulkart (well under two dollars). Twenty minutes of sea air, gulls trailing the boat for simit crumbs, the European skyline shrinking behind you, and you step off into a different mood entirely. Here are the five things I would actually send you to do once you land.

Where should you have Turkish coffee on the Asian side?

Start with coffee, because the Asian side treats it as a ritual rather than a takeaway transaction. Kadikoy and Moda are full of small cafes where people sit for an hour over one small cup, and that is the point. Order a Turkish coffee, specify your sugar level when you order (sade is unsweetened, az sekerli is lightly sweetened, orta is medium), and let the grounds settle before the first sip. It arrives with a glass of water and usually a small Turkish delight on the saucer.

The neighbourhood to wander for this is Moda, just south of the main Kadikoy market. The backstreets are full of independent roasters and old-school spots, and the walk down to the Moda seafront promenade is lovely in its own right. If you want to understand why Turks are so particular about the ritual before you go, my guide to where to drink Turkish coffee in Istanbul breaks down the proper spots and the etiquette. Pair the cup with a slice of cake or some lunch and you have an easy, very local first hour on this side of the water.

Is Buyukada worth a day trip, and can you still cycle it?

Buyukada is the biggest of the Princes’ Islands, and it is the closest thing to total calm you will find within the city limits. No private cars, no engine noise, just pine forest, old wooden mansions, and the sea on every side. The ferry to the islands leaves from Kadikoy and Bostanci on the Asian side (the journey is part of the experience), so it slots neatly into an Asian-side itinerary.

One honest update before you pack a picnic: the island has tightened up on bikes. The classic horse-drawn phaetons were retired back in 2020 and replaced by electric minibuses, and bicycle rules now shift with the season and the crowds, so check on the day rather than assuming you can rent at the dock. When cycling is open, renting a bike near the pier and looping the quieter southern roads is still the best way to see the place, Lovers’ Road included. If bikes are restricted, the electric shuttle and your own two feet do the job perfectly well, and the climb up to Aya Yorgi monastery rewards you with the view everyone comes for. For the full picture across all four inhabited islands, and a quieter alternative if Buyukada feels too busy, read my guide to the Princes’ Islands, known locally as Adalar.

What street food should you try in Kadikoy?

If you only do one thing on the Asian side, eat your way through the Kadikoy market. This is, for my money, the best concentrated street-food zone in the whole city, better than anywhere on the European side for sheer density of good, cheap, honest food. The Tuesday market spreads out, but the permanent food streets behind the ferry terminal are busy every day.

Go hungry and graze. Lahmacin (thin flatbread with spiced minced meat, rolled up with lemon and parsley) from one of the stone-oven spots is the obvious starter. Then chase it with a kumpir (a fully loaded baked potato), a wet burger, some midye dolma (stuffed mussels you eat by the dozen), and finish with sutlac, baked rice pudding, or a tub of Turkish ice cream. Save room for a proper sit-down meze meal too, because Kadikoy’s tucked-away ocakbasi and meyhane restaurants are excellent. I have rounded those up separately in my guide to the best restaurants in Kadikoy, and if you are new to eating on the street here, my Istanbul street food guide covers what to order and how to do it safely.

Is Bagdat Avenue good for shopping?

Bagdat Avenue (Bagdat Caddesi) is the Asian side’s answer to a high-end shopping district, and it could not feel more different from the chaotic covered bazaars across the water. Picture a long, plane-tree-lined boulevard running parallel to the Marmara coast, broad pavements, no haggling, and a calm, residential elegance. The liveliest stretch runs roughly between Bostanci and Kiziltoprak, about six kilometres of shops, cafes, and patisseries.

You will find the full spread here, from international names like Zara, Mango, and Sephora through to luxury houses and strong Turkish labels such as Beymen, Vakko, Ipekyol, and Yargici. It is genuinely a place to stroll rather than rush, ideally with an ice cream in hand and a coffee stop halfway. To get there from Kadikoy, take the M4 metro to Ayrilik Cesmesi and change to the Marmaray, or just grab a taxi for the short hop. If you would rather see how it compares to the malls and the Grand Bazaar before deciding where to spend, my Istanbul shopping guide lays out all the options side by side.

Which landmarks should you see in Uskudar?

The Asian side is not all coffee and shopping. Uskudar, the conservative, historic district just north of Kadikoy, holds some of the city’s best landmarks, and the waterfront here gives you the European skyline as a backdrop.

Beylerbeyi Palace is the big one, a summer palace built in the 1860s for Sultan Abdulaziz, all marble, crystal, and Bosphorus-front gardens. It is open Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays), and at the time of writing the foreign-visitor ticket runs around 800 TL. Down the shore at Salacak sits the Maiden’s Tower, the little tower on its own islet that you have already seen on a hundred postcards. It reopened in 2023 after a careful two-year restoration, and you reach it by a short shuttle boat from the Uskudar (Salacak) or Karakoy piers.

For the best view in the whole city, head uphill to Camlica Hill, the highest of Istanbul’s seven hills at 267 metres, where Ottoman-style teahouses sit in a park looking out over the Bosphorus, both bridges, and the islands. The park itself is free; from Uskudar pier the 15C bus drops you near the top. While you are up there, the giant Camlica TV tower has an observation deck and a revolving restaurant worth a look, which I cover in detail in my Camlica Tower guide. If you want to time your visit for golden hour, the Moda and Uskudar waterfronts both feature in my list of the best places to watch the sunset in Istanbul.

Plan an easy day on the Asian side

Here is how I would string it together: morning ferry across, coffee and a wander in Moda, a long lunch grazing through the Kadikoy market, an afternoon along Bagdat Avenue or up at Camlica for the view, and a sunset back on the Moda seafront before the ferry home. Cross the water once and you will understand why so many locals never want to live anywhere else.