Ortaköy a neighbourhood, formerly a small village, within the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, located in the middle of the European bank of the Bosphorus.
Ortaköy was a cosmopolitan area during the Ottoman era and the first decades of the Turkish Republic, with communities of Turks, Greeks, Armenians and Jews. Today the neighbourhood still hosts many different religious (Muslim, Jewish, Orthodox, and other Christian) structures. It is also a popular spot for locals and tourists alike, with its art galleries, night clubs, cafés, bars, and restaurants.
The Neo-Baroque style Ortaköy Mosque is a beautifully ornate structure, right on the jetty of Ortaköy, bordering the waters of the Bosphorus, and thus highly visible from the passing boats.
Ortaköy was the site of George W. Bush’s speech during the NATO Summit of 2004, which he delivered at Galatasaray University.
Ortakoy district used to be a romantic fishing village. Today it is an affluent waterfront neighborhood located in the middle of Bosphorus’ European bank.
Ortaköy with many art galleries, night clubs, cafés, bars, and restaurants the district is hugely popular on weekends both among locals and tourists, one of the oldest buildings of Ortaköy is the nearly 500-year old Turkish bath. It was built by Ottoman star architect Mimar Sinan in 1556.
The Ortaköy Mosque is a beautifully ornamented Neo-Baroque style mosque. It was built in the 18th c, but only received its current ornate look in the middle of 19th c. Çırağan Palace was built in 1871 by Sultan Abdülaziz as his residence. Until a fire severely damaged the building in 1910 the palace served as the Ottoman Parliament. Today it is one of Istanbul’s most luxurious hotels.
Ortaköy Mosque and the Bosphorus Bridge.
Ortaköy is a popular spot for locals and tourists alike, with its art galleries, night clubs, cafés, bars, and restaurants and at night, the lights on the mighty Bosphorus Bridge change color, graceful without being kitsch.
Ortakoy, Istanbul,
The craft shops and cafes make Ortakoy a great place for hanging out on the shores of the Bosphorus. A sunny early winter day with a cup of salep or glass of tea watching the boats go by – lovely. Perfect for the pedestrian, but getting to and from in traffic can be tiring.
I love street market, food, cafe and restaurants, one hour boat trip and the mosque. worth to see.
Take a walk along the Bosphorus – lots of little shops and restaurants. Don't miss, Yeni Uğur for the best Turkish delights around.
If you have a time for Sundays, you should see this place. It is a nice restaurants, coffee zone to share with friends . If you don't want to spend to much money, you can sit at coffees and drink tea and play typical games or have nice conversations with friends with wonderful Bosphorus view. If you want to eat…
For our last night in Istanbul, I wanted to combine a nice dinner with a short cruise. We had already done the daytime Bosphorus cruise on a previous trip, and the dinner cruises didn't really appeal. Finally settled on this trip to Ortakoy.
It involved taking the public ferry from Eminonu to Uskudar, then another ferry from Uskudar to Besiktas….
a very nice area on the bosphorous, fantastic view, a great place to hang around at night or even in daylight. Just don't have your meal there, i've been to few and they are terrible, even the kumpir potatoes , have them regular better
If you want to get out of the busy city centre you should visit this area Ortaköy. It has nice restaurants, terraces and great views on the river Bosporus and it's bridge. If you are looking for tiny streets with shops, nice squares with restaurants, go there.
Very nice scenes. Eating baked potato in Ortaköy coast is a tradition. Yet unfortunately too commercialized and very overpriced. And always very crowded.
ortakoy or the middle village is a nice place to have lunch or dinner with friends or alone . don't miss the kumpir (the stuffed potato )
I enjoyed our visit to this district. It was a nice change of pace from old Istanbul, and you get to see the city natives in a natural setting. The prices of souvenirs here are significantly lower than you find in the city center. While out here we strongly suggest having an Ortakoy Kumpir. It's basically a baked potato with…