Galata Bridge: fishermen, restaurants and views over the Golden Horn

Updated on October 4, 2026

The Galata Bridge (Galata Köprüsü) spans the Golden Horn at its mouth and links Eminönü, at the foot of the old city, with Karaköy, at the bottom of the Galata district. The current bridge, a bascule bridge 490 m long and 42 m wide built by the Turkish company STFA, was completed in December 1994. It has two levels: on top, the roadway, the T1 tram and the pavements where fishermen line up their rods; below, a promenade lined with restaurants and cafés at water level. Crossing is free and open day and night. Allow about ten minutes to walk across, an hour if you take time to watch the fishermen, the view and the comings and goings of the ferries. The crossing naturally links the Spice Bazaar and the New Mosque, on the Eminönü side, with the Galata Tower, on the Karaköy side.

Highlights

The fishermen on the upper deck

From morning until late at night, dozens of amateur anglers stand shoulder to shoulder along the railings, rods held out over the water, buckets and bait at their feet. They mostly pull up small fish. As you walk, keep an eye on the lines and hooks that swing over the pavement when they cast.

The view of both shores

On the Eminönü side, the New Mosque and, higher up the hill, the Süleymaniye Mosque tower over the quays and ferry piers. On the Karaköy side, the Galata Tower rises above the rooftops. To the east, the eye runs towards the mouth of the Bosphorus and the Asian shore. At the end of the day, the sun goes down in the west, over the Golden Horn, and the outlines of the mosques stand out against the sky.

The lower level

Beneath the roadway, a pedestrian gallery runs along the water from one end of the bridge to the other, lined with fish restaurants, cafés and hookah bars with terraces. It is a pleasant spot for a tea facing the ferries, but many places live off passing trade: touts at the entrance, fish sold by weight, meze brought to the table without being ordered.

Five centuries of bridges

Leonardo da Vinci drew a bridge for Sultan Bayezid II around 1502-1503 that was never built, and according to his biographers Michelangelo was approached too. The first bridge, made of wood, opened in 1845; several others followed, including a floating bridge built by a German company and brought into service in 1912. Damaged by a fire on 16 May 1992, it was towed further up the Golden Horn, between Balat and Hasköy, before being removed from it in 2016.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Crossing is free, on foot along the upper level or through the gallery on the lower level. For balık ekmek, Eminönü's grilled fish sandwich, head instead to the boats moored at the Eminönü quay, next to the bridge, which cook it from morning to evening. In the restaurants on the lower level, ask for the menu with prices before you sit down, have the price and weight of the fish confirmed before it is cooked and do not follow the touts; the rules on price display and how to complain are covered in our guide to scams and safety in Istanbul. The bridge is very busy at rush hour and at weekends: keep an eye on your bag and phone, and politely turn down shoe shiners offering a "free" shine.

How to get there

Galata Köprüsü, between Eminönü (Fatih) and Karaköy (Beyoğlu), Istanbul. Tram T1, Eminönü stop (old city side) and Karaköy stop (Galata side), at either end of the bridge, which the tram crosses. The Eminönü and Karaköy ferry piers are at either end of the bridge. On foot, allow about twenty minutes from Sultanahmet; our guide to the Galata and Karaköy district takes over on the other shore.