Eminönü before you board: three hours well spent

Eminönü, the district at the mouth of the Golden Horn, is the best place to spend the three hours before our dinner cruise. The Spice Bazaar, the New Mosque, Rüstem Pasha Mosque, Süleymaniye and the Galata Bridge are all within a short walk of one another, and from the bridge it is about 20 minutes to Cibali Pier by tram or on foot. Boarding opens at 20:00, so start about three hours earlier and follow the order below.

Why Eminönü works before the cruise

Eminönü is where the old city meets the water. The ferries from the Asian side land here, the T1 tram from Sultanahmet stops here, and the T5 tram to Cibali starts here, so it is easy to reach from anywhere and easy to leave. The sights are stacked within a few hundred meters of the tram stop, with one uphill stretch to Süleymaniye that pays for the climb with the best late-afternoon view over the Golden Horn.

The order matters. The Spice Bazaar closes in the early evening, so it comes first. The mosques stay open to visitors longer but close for a while around each prayer, and the sunset prayer falls inside this window. The Galata Bridge is at its best as the light goes and the fishermen's lamps come on, so it is last, and it is also where the tram and the waterfront walk to Cibali begin. Eat lightly: dinner on the boat starts with ten cold mezes and runs through a warm börek, a main course and dessert, and you will want the appetite.

Start at the Spice Bazaar

The Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı, the "Egyptian Market") is the L-shaped covered market beside the New Mosque, a few minutes' walk from the Eminönü tram stop. It was built in the seventeenth century as part of the mosque complex, and the name recalls the revenues from Egypt that paid for it. Inside are spices in pyramids, Turkish delight, dried fruit, nuts, herbal teas, saffron of varying honesty and the usual souvenirs. It is smaller than the Grand Bazaar and far easier to cover in the time you have.

Give it about 40 minutes. Go in one arm and out the other, taste what is offered, and if you want to buy, do it now rather than later: this is the one stop that closes in the early evening, and hours shift with the season and public holidays, so check the day's hours before you count on it. Come out of the exit facing the New Mosque.

The streets on the western side of the bazaar are the real market, selling coffee, cheese, olives and household goods to locals; a quick loop through them is worth more than a second pass inside.

The New Mosque and Rüstem Pasha's tiles

The New Mosque (Yeni Cami) is the large mosque on the square between the bazaar and the ferry piers. "New" is relative: it was finished in the seventeenth century after a long pause in construction. It is a working mosque with a broad courtyard, and it is the easiest of the three to visit because the entrance is right there on the square. Allow about 20 minutes.

Rüstem Pasha Mosque is the one people miss. It sits above the market streets a few minutes' walk west of the bazaar, raised on a platform over a row of shops, and you reach it by a narrow stone staircase that is easy to walk past. It was designed by Mimar Sinan for a grand vizier of Süleyman the Magnificent, and the point of the visit is the Iznik tiles: the walls, the pillars and the porch outside are covered in them, red and blue florals at a density you will not see anywhere else in the city. It is small, and fifteen minutes is enough.

Mosque etiquette in brief

The same rules apply at all three mosques. Shoulders and knees should be covered for everyone; women cover their hair, and a head covering is available at the entrance if you do not have one. Take your shoes off before the carpet and carry them or use the shelves. Keep your voice down, do not walk in front of anyone praying, and skip flash photography. Mosques close to visitors for a while around each of the five daily prayers; if you arrive as the call to prayer sounds, wait outside or move on to the next stop and come back.

Süleymaniye: the view over the Golden Horn

From Rüstem Pasha, Süleymaniye is about 15 minutes uphill through market streets that turn quieter and steeper as you climb. Süleymaniye is Sinan's largest mosque in the city, built for Süleyman the Magnificent in the sixteenth century, and it stands on the highest of the old city's hills. The interior is vast and calm, without the tile work of Rüstem Pasha but with a sense of space that photographs never quite carry. Allow about 20 minutes inside, and the etiquette above applies.

Then go to the terrace on the Golden Horn side. This is the reason we send people up here in the late afternoon. Below you is the whole inlet: the Galata Bridge, the Golden Horn Metro Bridge and the Atatürk Bridge, the ferries crossing, Galata Tower opposite and, along the near shore to your left, the long brick block of Kadir Has University with our pier beside it. You can usually pick out exactly where you will be in a couple of hours. In the garden behind the mosque are the tombs of Süleyman and Hürrem Sultan, worth a few minutes if they are open; check the day's hours.

Our cruise passes below this hill on the way out of the Golden Horn, and Süleymaniye lit up above the water is one of the first things you will see from the deck; we describe the whole route in Golden Horn to Bosphorus: what you see.

Galata Bridge: fishermen above, a snack below

Walk back down to the water, about 15 minutes, and head for the Galata Bridge. The upper level belongs to the fishermen, who line the railings from early morning until late at night with rods, buckets and small lamps once it gets dark. Walk a little way out along the bridge for the view back to the New Mosque and Süleymaniye, and across to Galata Tower. You do not need to cross the whole bridge; the middle is enough.

The lower level is a row of fish restaurants and cafes at water level, under the traffic. It is fine for a tea or a coffee with the ferries passing an arm's length away, but we would not eat a meal there tonight. Nearby, on the Eminönü side, are the fish sandwich boats and stands: balık ekmek, grilled mackerel in a half loaf with onion and lettuce, is a proper Istanbul thing and worth trying, but it is a snack, not dinner. Share one if you are curious. The main course you will choose on the boat is grilled salmon, sea bass, a chicken skewer or a beef skewer, with a vegetarian platter on request, and the full menu is on our home page.

Eminönü to Cibali Pier in about 20 minutes

From the Eminönü end of the bridge you have two good options, and both take about 20 minutes door to door. The first is the T5 tram from the Eminönü stop, which is signed for Alibeyköy: two stops, Küçükpazar then Cibali, and a short walk from the Cibali stop to the pier beside Kadir Has University. You need an Istanbulkart; buy or top one up at the machines in the Eminönü hub, and note that we do not quote fares because they change.

The second is to walk. Keep the water on your right and follow the waterfront past the ferry piers, under the Golden Horn Metro Bridge and the Atatürk Bridge, and on to the long brick building with the pier beside it. It is flat, takes 20–25 minutes, and the tram runs alongside if you change your mind. In rain, take the tram. For every other route, including taxi and our hotel transfer, see how to get to Cibali Pier.

Boarding opens at 20:00. Be on the pier by then or soon after: the mezes are on the table from the start, soft drinks are served as soon as you sit down, and you can settle in before we leave at 21:00.

A rough timeline

Use this as a shape, not a schedule. Everything is walkable and nothing here needs a booking.

1. Arrive at Eminönü about three hours before boarding, by tram, ferry or on foot from Sultanahmet.
2. Spice Bazaar, about 40 minutes, with a loop through the market streets outside if you are quick inside.
3. New Mosque, about 20 minutes, straight across the square.
4. Rüstem Pasha Mosque, about 15 minutes, up the staircase from the market streets.
5. Climb to Süleymaniye, about 15 minutes uphill, then about 20 minutes for the mosque and the terrace over the Golden Horn.
6. Back down to the Galata Bridge, about 15 minutes, then 20 minutes on the bridge and, if you like, a shared fish sandwich.
7. To Cibali Pier, about 20 minutes by T5 tram or on foot along the water, arriving as boarding opens at 20:00.

If you have less time, drop Süleymaniye and keep the rest. If you have more, add the Fener and Balat neighborhoods, which are just beyond Cibali on the same tram line.