Hugging the Bosphorus Strait, Beşiktaş is a scenic district in the European part of Istanbul. It’s home to a lively fish market and leafy Yıldız Park, as well as affluent residential streets dotted with authentic Turkish restaurants. Dominating the waterfront is the monumental Dolmabahçe Palace with its opulent collection of Sultans’ possessions.
Things to do in Besiktas
If you’re interested in Istanbul’s maritime heritage, visit the Naval Museum, which occupies a modern building near Beşiktaş’ ferry port. In addition to ship figureheads, models and military artefacts from the Ottoman Navy, you can see sections of a Byzantine chain that was once used to block enemy ships from entering the Golden Horn.
South of Beşiktaş is Dolmabahçe Palace, which served as an administrative hub for the Ottoman Empire during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is the largest palace in Turkey, with more than 280 rooms decorated in a combination of Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles. Dolmabahçe Palace is renowned for its handmade carpets from the Hereke Imperial Factory and is home to the largest collection of Bohemian crystal chandeliers in the world.
Occupying the Crown Office is the National Palaces Painting Museum, which showcases paintings that were commissioned by the Ottoman sultans during the 19th century. Wander through its 30 galleries where paintings belonging to Sultan Abdulmecid and Sultan Abdulaziz are exhibited, alongside works by the Russian Romantic artist Ivan Aivazovsky.
Getting around Besiktas
Beşiktaş is around 10 minutes’ drive from the centre of Istanbul and 40 minutes from Istanbul Airport, which has flights to destinations across the globe. Buses travel throughout Beşiktaş and ferries travel across the Bosphorus Strait to Üsküdar on the Asian side of Istanbul. Many of Beşiktaş’ attractions can easily be accessed on foot.