Istanbul for free

Maiden Tower & Old Town View from Üsküdar, Istanbul Üsküdar provides one of the nicest viewpoints in Istanbul, even though it does not provide a view from above. But therefore it is one of the best spots to see the sun going down over the historical district of Sultanahmet with the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and the Haiga Sophia. And of course the  Maiden´s Tower , another one of Istanbul's famous landmarks, prominently situated some hundred meters off the Üsküdar shore. The most renowned sad legend says an emperor had a much beloved daughter and an oracle prophesied that she would be killed by a snake on her 18th birthday. The emperor, to keep his daughter away from land, had the tower built in the middle of the Bosphorus to protect his daughter until her 18th birthday. On the 18th birthday of the princess, the emperor brought her a basket of exotic sumptuous fruits as a birthday gift, delighted that he was able to prevent the prophecy. Upon reaching in...

Galata Tower - Istanbul The area around Galata, at the end of the main shopping street of Istanbul: Istiklal - serves basically two major viewpoints. Unfortunately they are both not for free, but nevertheless quite worth the view and at least with the latter option it is cheap and you get something for your money. And they are quite close to each other, both located in the southern part of Beyoglu. Viewpoint Galata Tower The well known sight of the area, the Galata Tower , provides a nice view of Beyoglu and the historical district Sultanahmet. The downside is, normally there are even queues of people waiting to get in, and there is an entry fee of 10 TL. Alternatively one can reserve a spot in the restaurant which happens to be in the tower, to enjoy the view accompanied with some good food, but be prepared, the food price charges the view also.  View from Galata Tower at Night  (by Kin Chan) Viewpoint Konak Cafe The other option is the Konak Caf...