Our first full day in Istanbul was a Saturday, so everyone approached the day in a relaxed manner. Last night, our friends Sam and Tommy welcomed us to the rental we were staying in. They had helpfully gone grocery-shopping after they arrived, so this morning Sam made scrambled eggs on toast for us for breakfast.
When we had packed our suitcase in London, the weather forecast predicted some slight rain for this morning, but sunshine for the rest of our stay. The prediction rang true, so we didn’t rush breakfast, to wait out the rain. Finally, we figured it was time, so we ordered an Uber to Galata Tower. This landmark was the anchor for today’s activity.
Our goal was to reach Karaköy Lokantası, to nab a table for lunch without a reservation. Mike and I always check the Bib Gourmand section of the Michelin guide when we plan holidays, as this highlights restaurants providing good quality, good value cooking. They provided us with the day’s menu, and I had the spinach casserole with yoghurt, and ayran to drink.
Afterwards, we doubled back to a sweetshop that we had passed by on our way to the restaurant: Özsafalar Turkish Delight Karaköy. Most of us bought some baklava there to have as dessert. This was very sticky, so I recommend saving the wet wipes restaurants regularly provide!
Well-fed, we headed back to Galata Tower, to go up the tower and get a better view of the city than last night. There is a ticket booth outside of the tower, but the level of English across staff is not uniform. Somehow we found ourselves paying a little extra for audioguides that we didn’t need, and that didn’t work!
Interestingly, Galata Tower is modernised on the inside, so we took a lift up. There was a model of the city, elevating sights to see for a 360-degree view. Binoculars magnified spots, such as the Bosphorus river. Heading up one set of stairs, we reached the outside viewing platform for the tower, also providing a 360-degree view. It was very busy up there, but well worth navigating.
As the image above portends, rain clouds persisted overhead. As we descended the stairs of the tower, taking in historical artifacts and fact boards, it started pouring.
We were speaking with more friends, who had come over for the wedding since the morning, keeping them posted about our adventure. They had found refuge in the Tower pub, and invited us to join them. So we did! It turns out Callum, Tash, Billy and Cath had all explored this neighbourhood earlier today in a walking tour. Then Chase and Yaz joined us as well, who had a more leisurely morning.
While the rain eventually stopped pouring, the mood in the pub was a good one, as the football was on. Eventually, Adam, Aimee, Chase and Yaz peeled off to try out a shisha cafe nearby. Cecilia, Tash and I opted to wander around the neighbourhood a bit more before we would all have dinner together. I found out that San Sebastian cheesecake is a very popular dessert, as many cafes advertised it in their displays.
After dipping into some shops to look at bags and scarves, we all headed to a nearby restaurant, F&B Culture, for dinner. I ate a chicken and aubergine dish, with a generous glass of red wine (measures seem absent from menus, or small pours are just not an option).
For dessert, once more we chose to look elsewhere. Tash mentioned she’d seen a TikTok for a dessert parlour, where you can customise your order. So off we headed to Factory Karaköy. It all looked very decadent, and sadly like too much so late in the day, so I ordered the giant macaron with minimal fillings. Some other folks preferred to go to the pub opposite (Insta Karaköy), where we hung out with the groom, Ali, for the first time this trip.
The Karaköy neighbourhood is incredibly lively at night. Callum, Tash and I took the opportunity for a small stroll to see more of it. There is a spot with umbrellas hung between buildings for photos, there are DJs playing sets, and there are many spots for food and drink around. Eventually, we called it a night, and ordered an Uber to take us home again.
Costs to date:
- Uber to Galata Tower: £1.64
- Karaköy Lokantası: £15.05
- Özsafalar Turkish Delight Karaköy: I can’t remember! But you can get a feel for their pricing on their website.
- Galata Tower: £33.23 (Turkish nationals pay subsidised prices, so check whether a ticket bundle for tourist attractions works better for you)
- Tower Pub: £15.85
- F&B Culture: £27.56
- Factory Karaköy: £6.00
- Uber home: £3.66
Total: £102.99
As a reminder, our travel day was £190.54, so the running total is £293.53.
The NESSENTIALS 
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