Hotels near Balat and Fener

Balat and neighbouring Fener run along the Golden Horn northwest of the old city and were historically the Jewish and Greek quarters of Ottoman Istanbul. What survives is a hillside of narrow lanes and painted timber houses in ochre, red and blue, plus the Ahrida Synagogue dating to the 15th century, the iron-built Bulgarian St Stephen Church on the waterfront, and the red-brick Phanar Greek Orthodox College standing over the whole district.

This is a walking entry rather than a ticketed one and it takes a couple of hours. The lanes climb steeply from the shore, the cafes are small and largely local despite a recent wave of attention, and October light on the painted facades is better than the flat glare of summer. It is a residential neighbourhood, so the usual courtesies apply about photographing doorways and people.

Pro Tip: Arrive by ferry to Ayvansaray or Fener rather than by bus. You come in from the water with the whole hillside of coloured houses rising in front of you, which is the view that makes sense of the place, and the walk up from the shore sets the route for you.