Local Discovery

The Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque, barely a hundred metres away, is a jewel by Mimar Sinan often skipped by tourists. Its interior walls are covered with some of the finest İznik tiles in Istanbul, and small fragments said to come from the Kaaba in Mecca are set above the entrance and the mihrab. Visitors should dress modestly and avoid prayer times.

Down the lane, the Küçük Ayasofya Mosque, once the Byzantine church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, predates Hagia Sophia and is believed to have served as an architectural model for it. The courtyard with its small tea garden is a peaceful stop, and the building itself shows the transition from Byzantine to Ottoman use in a compact, intimate space.

The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are uphill within ten to twelve minutes, and on the way the Arasta Bazaar behind the Blue Mosque leads to the Great Palace Mosaic Museum, which preserves floor mosaics from the Byzantine imperial palace. It is small, rarely crowded and remarkable.

Toward the sea, Kennedy Avenue runs along the Marmara shore with a green coastal park and stretches of the ancient sea walls. Families picnic on the grass on summer evenings, and fishermen cast lines from the rocks. With the hotel bicycles this is the best way to see the old city from the water side.

About three hundred and fifty metres west, Kumkapı is the traditional fish restaurant quarter, where meyhane taverns serve meze, grilled fish and rakı, often accompanied by live fasıl music. Prices vary widely, and asking for the menu with prices before ordering avoids surprises.