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 sunday market at Ortakoy used to be a great place for hand made crafts and antiques. The cafes were good spots to spend the afternoon playing backgammon and drinking tea or beer. The goods are all junk from China, the cafes are overpriced and pushy. Having the Radison Hotel just to the south has turned it into a tourist…
Nice little town by the water. Lots of tables selling accessories and jewelry (sort of swap meet feel). Nice cafes (Kitchenette) where you can sit, have turkish coffee and people watch while enjoying the views.
A great spot for an evening walk with views and atmosphere that are even nicer that Istiklal avenue.
It is only a brief trip over on the ferry which is most enjoyable as there are fabulous views of the Istanbul skyline from the ferry. Ortakoy is a busy shopping area with lots of restaurants specialising in fish. We had a delicious meal on the terrace of some restaurant which had a 3 piece Turkish group playing. You can…
Ortakoy is famous for its waffles and baked potatoes. The waffles are amazing. You can add as much filling, stuffing, sauce, ice cream as you want and the kind man at the counter of the numerous waffles shops will fold it into a sandwich for you.
You can take them to the water's edge which is a minute's walk and…
nice place to visit and have a coffee in sunset, there are modern and Turkish coffee shops, also you can find hand made accessory.
Ortakoy is such a small place almost under the first Istanbul bridge.The area has a beautiful mosque (Ortakoy Mosque) that can be seen both from the land and from the Bosphorus channel. Many postcards photos from Istanbul are from this lovely area and totally worths the visit!
Excellent place to feel Istanbul as the locals do. There are some small Mosques and simple but excellent restaurants, mainly focused on seafood. Not considered a must in Istanbul, as most of the visitors just pass by that when doing the Bosphoro boat trip, but, if you have a time, an afternoon at this place worth it!
Loved having breakfast right on the water. It was wonderful to see the boats and ships pass along side of us.
You can enjoy the Turkish street food culture at Ortakoy. You can eat kumpir, gözleme, fresh fruit juices, nargile and crepe. I recommend Mado at the arena of Ortakoy, it is economic, clean and prices are stable(not overcharged :)).