Flower Passage (Çiçek Pasajı) and the Beyoğlu fish market

Updated on October 8, 2026

On İstiklal Avenue, near Galatasaray Square, a covered neoclassical arcade leads to one of the most photographed addresses in Beyoğlu: the Flower Passage (Çiçek Pasajı). Completed in 1876 as the Cité de Péra, it was built for the Greek banker Hristaki Zoğrafos on the site of the Naum Theatre, destroyed by the Pera fire of 1870; the architect was Kleanthis Zannos. The building originally had 24 shops and 18 apartments. It owes its present name to the florists who occupied it in the 1940s, after exiled Russian aristocratic women had sold flowers there from 1917. Today it houses restaurants and taverns with tables inside the arcade. Behind it, a side door opens onto the fish market (Balık Pazarı) and its lanes of shops, cafés and meyhanes. Allow 30 to 60 minutes, more if you have lunch or dinner here.

Highlights

The facade and entrance

The entrance opens straight onto İstiklal, with a neoclassical facade that contrasts with the signs of the street. It is an easy landmark for finding your bearings.

The inner arcade

Inside the arcade, the tavern tables line both sides of the walkway. In the evening the place is lively, with musicians playing from table to table.

The fish market and Nevizade

Behind the passage, the market (Balık Pazarı) lines up fishmongers, fruit and vegetable sellers, cheese sellers and grocers. Nevizade Street, very close, is famous for its meyhanes with outdoor tables. See also our guide to where to eat near Taksim and İstiklal.

Practical info

Tips

Entry is free. Tavern prices are not regulated and the passage is a tourist spot: read the menu before sitting down and check the bill, especially for fish sold by weight and for musicians who stop at your table (a tip is customary if they play; you can politely decline as soon as they approach). For the risk of traps around İstiklal, see scams and safety, and for alcohol served on terraces, alcohol in Istanbul. The passage is best visited as an extension of a walk along İstiklal Avenue. Sources consulted in October 2026.

How to get there

İstiklal Caddesi, near Galatasaray Square, 34433 Beyoğlu, Istanbul (the passage is close to St Anthony of Padua church). Metro M2, Taksim or Şişhane station, then İstiklal on foot; nostalgic tram T2 between Tünel and Taksim. From Karaköy, the Tünel funicular climbs to İstiklal.