İstiklal Avenue & Taksim Square
İstiklal Caddesi · Taksim Meydanı
The liveliest pedestrian street in the New City, with a red vintage tram running through it and 19th-century European buildings, churches, bookshops and street food lining both sides.
İstiklal Avenue stretches about 1.4 kilometers from Taksim Square to Tünel. It is Istanbul's busiest pedestrian street, with over a million people passing through each day. The red nostalgic tram runs up and down the entire avenue and makes a classic photo. Along the way are the Church of St. Anthony, the Flower Passage (Çiçek Pasajı), the fish market alleys, meatball sandwich shops and ice cream stalls. At the northern end, Taksim Square has the Republic Monument and the newly opened AKM Cultural Center. The street is free, and it is even livelier after dark. Keep an eye on your belongings and beware of people who approach you to sell things. Getting there: take the M2 metro to Taksim station, or ride the Tünel underground funicular up from Karaköy.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Pera Museum
- Istanbul Modern
- Galataport
- Galata Tower
- Galata Bridge & Eminönü
- Rüstem Pasha Mosque
- Spice Bazaar
- Topkapi Palace