Galata Bridge

Overview

Long fishing rods lean over the rail, and walkers squeeze past the fishermen on their way across. Below, the ferries of Eminönü come and go, and above the old city the domes of the New Mosque and Süleymaniye rise against the sky. This is the Galata Bridge, the short walk over the Golden Horn that joins old Istanbul to Karaköy.

So cross it slowly, at least once, and ideally near sunset.

The Galata Bridge Between Two Worlds

The bridge links Eminönü, in the old city, with Karaköy, the old Galata, on the northern shore. For a long time, however, these were two different worlds. On one side stood the palace, the great mosques and the bazaars, while on the other, foreign merchants, diplomats and many non-Muslim families lived and worked. In his novel Fatih-Harbiye, the writer Peyami Safa even described the crossing as a passage from one civilization into another.

History of the Galata Bridge

Leonardo’s bridge that never was

Sultan Bayezid II once asked for plans for a bridge here, and Leonardo da Vinci drew a single great arch. However, the sultan did not approve it, and Michelangelo, also invited, turned the job down. Centuries later, a small version of Leonardo’s design was finally built near Oslo.

Five bridges since 1845

A wooden Galata Bridge opened in 1845, and for decades everyone paid a toll to cross it. Pedestrians and carriages paid different tolls. An iron bridge on pontoons followed in 1875, and then in 1912, a German firm built the famous floating bridge that stood for 80 years. Its lower level was full of cafés and bars, and one of them, Kemancı, helped Turkish rock music grow up. The current bridge opened to traffic on 17 June 1992, and after a fire that May the old one was towed away.

What to See on the Galata Bridge

The fishermen

First of all, the fishermen. On most days, they stand shoulder to shoulder along the upper rail with their long rods, a scene that has become one of the classic images of Istanbul.

The restaurants below

Under the road, a lower level holds a row of fish restaurants and cafés, added in memory of the old bridge. Down there, you sit almost on the water, with ferries passing a few meters away.

Views from both ends

From the middle of the bridge, look in every direction. To the south, the New Mosque and Süleymaniye crown the old city. To the north, Galata Tower stands above Karaköy, and to the east, the Golden Horn opens into the Bosphorus.

How to Visit the Galata Bridge

Getting there

Take the T1 tram to Eminönü or Karaköy, or a ferry to either pier. The bridge is open at all hours, and the walk across takes about ten minutes. After dark, our Istanbul night photography tour crosses it for the lit skyline.

Seeing it with us

We cross the bridge on many of our Istanbul days, and it is a highlight of our Golden Horn tour. Before or after, visit the Spice Bazaar at the Eminönü end, wander through Karaköy and climb Galata Tower. For the waterway itself, read our guide to the Golden Horn.