Istanbul/Asian Side

The Asian Side (Turkish: Asya Yakası) or the Anatolian Side (Anadolu Yakası, which is the more common designation for the area in Turkish) is the half of Istanbul that is on the Asian mainland, east of the Bosphorus.

Understand
Kadıköy (ancient Chalcedon) and Üsküdar (ancient Chrysopolis or Scutari) form the historical cores of this area. Both started as independent ports — indeed Chalkedon was founded 30–40 years before the oldest parts of Istanbul — and were only incorporated into the city of Istanbul in the late 19th century. Regular steamer ferries began to ply the Bosphorus between them; it would be another 150 years before bridges and tunnels created a land connection.

Today Kadıköy and Üsküdar are the main areas of visitor interest on the Asian side. Inland are miles of bland suburbs, with high-rise apartment blocks and shopping malls, which sprang up when the first Bosphorus bridge made inter-continental commuting easier. The Asian Side houses about 5.6 million people (2021), a third of Istanbul's population, and more than 2 million of them commute daily to Europe. However there's a string of interesting places along the Bosphorus coast, with old palaces, mansions, and neighbourhoods with character, and stretches of parkland along the Marmara coast. In 2005 the city boundaries were extended to engulf the former "Istanbul Province" on both the Asian and European sides. So nowadays the city, and the scope of this page, goes all the way east to the boundary with Kocaeli Province, from just north of Gebze on the Marmara coast to Ağva Merkez on the Black Sea coast. These new areas of Istanbul are mostly rural, but suburban developers are eagerly marking out plots and cranking up their cement mixers.

From beyond Istanbul
And see main Istanbul page for details of these links.

By plane:

There's a hotel at the airport, some half a dozen (e.g. a Hilton) at Kurtköy 2 km north, then another dozen at Pendik town (on the Marmara coast near the YHT station) 6 km south.



By train: Istanbul's terminus for high speed trains from Ankara and other eastern cities is, near the disused historic terminus of Haydarpaşa. These trains also stop at near the ferry pier, and, which is convenient for reaching Sabiha Gökçen Airport. Bostanci and Pendik mainline railway stations are about 1 km south of the metro stations of the same name.

By bus, Harem is the main bus station, with buses arriving from all over Asian Turkey. It’s mid-way between Üsküdar and Kadıköy and has frequent ferry links with Eminönü/Sirkeci. There aren't many amenities, so bring a book or commune with your i-phone if you’re going to be there long.

By boat: Fast ferries from towns along the southern coast of the Marmara Sea, such as Yalova or Bandırma, land at the pier at Bostancı. Some are direct, while others transfer to a smaller ferry after arriving at Yenikapı pier on the European side. The fast catamarans offer a smooth and pleasant ride - a great option for reaching İznik or beyond.

From European Istanbul
Metro: the Marmaray line rushes between continents in a very few minutes.



By boat across the Bosphorus is the most pleasant method, and always quicker than trying to cross the congested bridges. The main ferry lines are:
 * Kadıköy - Eminönü
 * Kadıköy - Karaköy via Haydarpaşa
 * Kadıköy - Beşiktaş
 * Üsküdar - Eminönü
 * Üsküdar - Beşiktaş
 * Üsküdar - Eminönü and then on to Eyüp along the Golden Horn

Ferries from the western suburbs eg Bakırköy also run to Kadıköy and Bostancı, but they are much more expensive than local ferries.



Buses across the bridges are slow at any time, and tediously slow in rush hour (07:00-10:00 going west into Europe, 18:00-20:00 coming east into Asia). Buses across the bridges require two tickets (or the equivalent cash) rather than one (one exception is #129L Levent-Kozyatağı which visitors are unlikely to use). The most useful inter-continental buses are:


 * 110 - Taksim and Beşiktaş to Kadıköy
 * 120 - Mecidiyeköy to Kadıköy
 * 112 - Taksim and Beşiktaş to Bostancı
 * 128 - Mecidiyeköy to Bostancı
 * 129T - Taksim and Beşiktaş to Bostancı, via the foot of Çamlıca Hill

However the metrobüs (#34A) is quicker, as it has a dedicated bus lane, and only needs one ticket. It runs from Beylikdüzü out in the western suburbs via Edirnekapı just outside the old city and Mecidiyeköy in the business district to Söğütlüçeşme just east of downtown Kadıköy. Metrobüs stations are usually a little off the usual tourist trail, but easily reached by a variety of public transportation, including the metro from Taksim Square for Mecidiyeköy station.

Dolmuş routes run 24 hours a day between Taksim-Kadıköy, and Taksim-Bostancı. They depart from the street next to Atatürk Kültür Merkezi in Taksim Square (opposite edge of the square from Istiklal Street) and cost about 5.50 TL/person.

Or go overland, the wrong way round just to prove you can: see the infobox.

Around the district
The main transport hubs here are Kadıköy and Üsküdar, with dolmuş, bus and minibus routes across the district. Bostancı on the Marmara coast is a secondary hub. Dolmuşes ply between Kadıköy-Üsküdar, Kadıköy-Bostancı and Bostancı-Kadıköy until late at night, and also run from Kadıköy to Acıbadem, Koşuyolu and various points.

Marmaray, the cross-city train line (B1), picks up at Üsküdar (transfer to M5), Ayrılıkçeşme (transfer to M4; 1.6 km north of the Kadıköy waterfront), and Söğütlüçeşme (transfer to Metrobüs; 1.7 km east of the Kadıköy waterfront) and serves the neighbourhoods and suburbs on the Marmara coast, as far east as Gebze.

Metro lines:
 * M4 runs from Kadıköy eastwards as far as Kartal, Pendik and Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
 * M5 runs from Üsküdar eastwards to Çekmeköy.
 * M8 connects these two with each other and with Marmaray at Bostancı.

By car: the major roads on the Asian side mostly follow a west-east axis. These are the three major roads which connect Kadıköy to locations in the east (from south to north)


 * The causeway (Sahil Yolu), which follows the Marmara coast.
 * Bağdat Avenue (one-way, and that is east to west which means you cannot enter from Kadıköy).
 * the road colloquially known as Minibüs Yolu.

From Üsküdar, the major highway D100 (but colloquially better known by its former European route number E-5) stretches eastwards into Asia, while another road also named Sahil Yolu (Causeway) connects the neighborhoods on the bank of Bosphorus in the north to Üsküdar.

By bicycle: there are some 20 km of marked bicycle lanes along the park which follows the coast, starting from a few km east of Kadıköy, passing by Bostancı and eventually reaching the eastern edge of the city. The bike lane is well-maintained but watch out for pedestrians who haven't quite grasped the concept.

Tram line T3 loops from Kadıköy along pedestrian Bahariye Cd and then around the peninsula of Moda back to Kadıköy, but it's more a nostalgia trip than practical transport.

Around Kadıköy

 * Just north of Haydarpaşa station and a little difficult to find (it is surrounded on three sides by Turkish military barracks) is the British cemetery with an obelisk commemorating the Crimean war and many Crimean war, Victorian era (and later) graves as well as a modern British and Commonwealth war graves cemetery. This is a beautiful, leafy oasis of calm, with views on the Bosphorus.
 * Just north of Haydarpaşa station and a little difficult to find (it is surrounded on three sides by Turkish military barracks) is the British cemetery with an obelisk commemorating the Crimean war and many Crimean war, Victorian era (and later) graves as well as a modern British and Commonwealth war graves cemetery. This is a beautiful, leafy oasis of calm, with views on the Bosphorus.

Üsküdar to Beylerbeyi

 * [[Image:Kuzguncuk 4.jpg|thumb|A street in Kuzguncuk]]

Further out

 * Black Sea Coast (Asia side): there's a string of small coastal resorts, from Poyrazköy just beyond the north Bosphorus bridge, through Anadolufenerli, Riva, (the largest) to Ağva / Yeşilçay at the eastern edge of the province. Usual beach attractions, but the Black Sea is often rough, and drownings are not uncommon.
 * Black Sea Coast (Asia side): there's a string of small coastal resorts, from Poyrazköy just beyond the north Bosphorus bridge, through Anadolufenerli, Riva, (the largest) to Ağva / Yeşilçay at the eastern edge of the province. Usual beach attractions, but the Black Sea is often rough, and drownings are not uncommon.
 * Black Sea Coast (Asia side): there's a string of small coastal resorts, from Poyrazköy just beyond the north Bosphorus bridge, through Anadolufenerli, Riva, (the largest) to Ağva / Yeşilçay at the eastern edge of the province. Usual beach attractions, but the Black Sea is often rough, and drownings are not uncommon.
 * Black Sea Coast (Asia side): there's a string of small coastal resorts, from Poyrazköy just beyond the north Bosphorus bridge, through Anadolufenerli, Riva, (the largest) to Ağva / Yeşilçay at the eastern edge of the province. Usual beach attractions, but the Black Sea is often rough, and drownings are not uncommon.

Do

 * is Turkey's main motor-racing circuit, irregularly staging Grand Prix or Formula One racing. The last time it did so was in 2021 and it isn't in the tournament schedule for 2024.
 * is Turkey's main motor-racing circuit, irregularly staging Grand Prix or Formula One racing. The last time it did so was in 2021 and it isn't in the tournament schedule for 2024.
 * is Turkey's main motor-racing circuit, irregularly staging Grand Prix or Formula One racing. The last time it did so was in 2021 and it isn't in the tournament schedule for 2024.
 * is Turkey's main motor-racing circuit, irregularly staging Grand Prix or Formula One racing. The last time it did so was in 2021 and it isn't in the tournament schedule for 2024.
 * is Turkey's main motor-racing circuit, irregularly staging Grand Prix or Formula One racing. The last time it did so was in 2021 and it isn't in the tournament schedule for 2024.

Buy

 * You can go shopping in Kadıköy, Üsküdar and Bağdat Street. The sale (prices 50% off) season for winter is after New Years Day and for summer after July.
 * Smart locals do a lot of their shopping at the Salı Pazarı or Tuesday Bazaar, located in Hasanpaşa not far from the Fenerbahçe Stadium. You can get good deals here on everything from produce to clothes to housewares. This is a less touristy bazaar experience than what many see at the Grand Bazaar on the European side.
 * The fish bazaar in the Kadıköy market area is where the locals go for fresh fish and seafood. Fish shops are open all week long; most of them will clean the fish for you (though not necessarily the hamsi, or delicious local anchovies). Keep an eye out for stray cats sneaking off with bits of abandoned fish. In the upper streets, you can find anything from herbal stores to secondhand bookshops (which often have English language material in their stock).

Budget

 *  Balık-ekmek  (literally “fish-bread”, a grilled fish sandwiched inside half a bread) is an increasingly popular low-budget meal in buffets in Kadıköy coast, which can be had for 3-3.50 TL. The best balık ekmek can be bought from any of the stands just off the ferry dock. Some of the various fish restaurants in the market area a little inland also sell balık ekmek and mussel sandwiches with garlic sauce onto the street.
 *  Balık-ekmek  (literally “fish-bread”, a grilled fish sandwiched inside half a bread) is an increasingly popular low-budget meal in buffets in Kadıköy coast, which can be had for 3-3.50 TL. The best balık ekmek can be bought from any of the stands just off the ferry dock. Some of the various fish restaurants in the market area a little inland also sell balık ekmek and mussel sandwiches with garlic sauce onto the street.
 *  Balık-ekmek  (literally “fish-bread”, a grilled fish sandwiched inside half a bread) is an increasingly popular low-budget meal in buffets in Kadıköy coast, which can be had for 3-3.50 TL. The best balık ekmek can be bought from any of the stands just off the ferry dock. Some of the various fish restaurants in the market area a little inland also sell balık ekmek and mussel sandwiches with garlic sauce onto the street.
 *  Balık-ekmek  (literally “fish-bread”, a grilled fish sandwiched inside half a bread) is an increasingly popular low-budget meal in buffets in Kadıköy coast, which can be had for 3-3.50 TL. The best balık ekmek can be bought from any of the stands just off the ferry dock. Some of the various fish restaurants in the market area a little inland also sell balık ekmek and mussel sandwiches with garlic sauce onto the street.

Drink
Kadıköy has a nightlife scene of its own, almost as lively as Beyoğlu on the European Side, if a bit smaller. From the quays and seaside square, cross the main street, then turn right, and from the corner of Starbucks turn left. You’ll come across two churches facing each other; turn right there. On that street and the upper one parallel to it, you’ll find lots of bars (some of which offer live music), pubs, and Turkish taverns. A few blocks uphill from there is the street colloquially known as Barlar Sokağı (Turkish for “Bars Street”), where there are more places for a drink. If you somehow get lost, ask young people for directions to Rexx Sineması, a widely known cinema which is very near.


 * Coffee chains around the Anatolian side (Kadıköy and Bağdat Caddesi) are very popular: Starbucks, Gloria Jean's Coffee, and Kahve Dünyası (especially for Turkish coffee). Kahve Dünyası is well worth a visit as a comparatively upscale, indigenously Turkish take on the Starbucks theme.
 * Coffee chains around the Anatolian side (Kadıköy and Bağdat Caddesi) are very popular: Starbucks, Gloria Jean's Coffee, and Kahve Dünyası (especially for Turkish coffee). Kahve Dünyası is well worth a visit as a comparatively upscale, indigenously Turkish take on the Starbucks theme.
 * Coffee chains around the Anatolian side (Kadıköy and Bağdat Caddesi) are very popular: Starbucks, Gloria Jean's Coffee, and Kahve Dünyası (especially for Turkish coffee). Kahve Dünyası is well worth a visit as a comparatively upscale, indigenously Turkish take on the Starbucks theme.

Sleep
There's a slew of inexpensive places between Kadıköy ferry pier and the old railway terminus.



Connect
The area code of this half of the city is (+90) 216, which is different from the European Side.