Kuzguncuk: the colourful village on the Asian shore

Updated on October 4, 2026

Kuzguncuk is a former Bosphorus village now part of the Üsküdar district, on the Asian shore, between Üsküdar and the 15 July Martyrs Bridge. Long home to Greeks, Armenians, Jews and Turks, it has kept from that mix neighbouring places of worship and a main street lined with painted wooden houses. It is one of the most pleasant neighbourhoods on the Asian side for a quiet stroll, with no monument to tick off: you come for the atmosphere, a coffee or a lunch. The neighbourhood can be covered on foot in one to two hours, free of charge. Allow half a day if you add lunch and the climb up to the heights.

Highlights

The wooden houses

Yellow, blue or white façades, overhanging balconies, lattice windows: the old houses of Kuzguncuk, small wooden buildings many of them dating from the 19th century, rise in tiers along sloping streets. They are people's homes: photograph the façades from the street, without going up close to the windows.

İcadiye Street and the neighbourhood vegetable garden

İcadiye Street (İcadiye Caddesi) is the village's shopping street: cafés, bakeries, greengrocers' stalls, second-hand dealers and small shops. It runs down towards the Bosphorus; the community vegetable garden of the neighbourhood, the Kuzguncuk Bostanı, lies on the slopes behind the street.

A mosque, churches and synagogues side by side

Near the ferry stop, the Armenian church of Surp Krikor Lusavoriç (rebuilt in 1861, dedicated to St Gregory the Illuminator) stands next to the Kuzguncuk Mosque, under domes of the same height: it is the best-known image of the neighbourhood's coexistence. The area also has a Greek Orthodox church (Agios Panteleimonas) and two synagogues, Bet Yaakov (1878) and Bet Nissim (1840s). These are active places of worship whose doors mostly stay closed to visitors: look from the street.

The heights of Nakkaştepe

Above the village, the hill of Nakkaştepe has a public garden with views over the Bosphorus and the bridge. You can walk up from the village, or take a bus.

Infos pratiques

Tips

No ticket is needed. In the village, the cafés and restaurants of İcadiye Street are more pleasant on weekdays, when the neighbourhood is quiet; at weekends it is very busy, especially in late morning. To extend the walk, follow the seafront to Üsküdar or continue north to Beylerbeyi Palace. Our guide to the Asian shore of the Bosphorus links Kuzguncuk with the other villages along the coast.

How to get there

Kuzguncuk, Üsküdar, Istanbul. First get to Üsküdar by ferry from Eminönü, Karaköy, Kabataş or Beşiktaş, or by Marmaray, then take bus 15 or 15F towards Beykoz: Kuzguncuk is about three stops away. Allow about a quarter of an hour on foot from Üsküdar along the seafront promenade.