7 Best Sights in The Bosphorus, Istanbul

This picturesque European-side neighborhood just below Bebek is a pleasant place for a stroll. The waterfront is taken up by a row of beautiful 19th-century wooden yalıs, some of which now house fish restaurants. Up the hill from the water, narrow streets are lined with more old wooden houses, some with trailing vines.

One of Istanbul's most fashionable suburbs is 20 to 30 minutes by taxi from central Istanbul and is especially popular with the affluent boating set, thanks to the area's pretty, natural harbor. The European-side neighborhood has a number of cafés and restaurants, as well as a few upscale boutiques selling clothing and jewelry, on both sides of the main coastal road. There's also a small, shaded public park on the waterfront. The stretches of coastline both north and south of Bebek are perfect for a promenade.

This quiet European-side suburb is best known for its large, attractive, public park, Emirgan Korusu—formerly an estate owned by the Khedive of Egypt—which has flower gardens, a small pond, paths, and picnic areas. Three restored, 19th-century, wooden pavilions house restaurants and cafés. During Istanbul's Tulip Festival in April, visitors flock to Emirgan Korusu for its striking flower displays—each year, a million or more tulips in dozens of varieties are planted in this park alone. The flower, which takes its name from the Turkish word tülbend (turban), was most likely introduced to Europe in the late 16th century via the Ottoman Empire, setting off the famous "tulip craze" in the Netherlands. Emirgan is also where the Sakıp Sabancı Museum is located.

Popular with both locals and visitors, this charming neighborhood is a lovely place to spend a summer afternoon or evening. Restaurants and cafés cluster around the small square on the European-side waterfront, which is dominated by the iconic silhouette of Ortaköy Camii, an elegant, 19th-century, Ottoman mosque designed by the same Armenian architects who built the Dolmabahçe Palace. The mosque overlooks the water, with the imposing Bosphorus Bridge (built 1973) behind it. On Sunday, the narrow, cobblestoned surrounding streets are lined with stalls selling jewelry, scarves, trinkets, and small antique items. Ortaköy is also considered the best place in Istanbul to try the street food called kumpir (basically giant baked potatoes with a choice of fillings): look for the row of about a dozen food stands—selling kumpir, waffles, and other snacks—all competing for customers' attention.

Built on a hill on the European side of the city overlooking the water, Rumeli Hisarı is the best preserved of all the fortresses on the Bosphorus and well worth a visit. Constructed in just four months in 1452, this eccentric-looking complex was ordered by Mehmet the Conqueror to be situated directly across from Anadolu Hisarı, at the narrowest point of the strait. This allowed the Ottomans to take control of the waterway, and Mehmet and his troops conquered Constantinople the following year.

One of Istanbul's premier private museums has world-class exhibits and a stunning location in a historic villa overlooking the water in the leafy suburb of Emirgan, on the European shore of the Bosphorus. The permanent collection includes late-19th-century Orientalist and early Republican Turkish paintings, rare examples of Ottoman calligraphy, and antique furnishings such as exquisite Sèvres vases—all from the private collection of the industrialist Sabancı family. The biggest draws, though, are the world-class temporary installations, which range from retrospectives on major artists like Picasso and leading contemporary names such as Ai Weiwei to exhibits on Anatolian archaeology and masterpieces of Islamic art. The beautiful grounds, with 150-year-old monumental trees and a variety of rare plants from around the world, are perfect for a stroll after viewing the art.

One of the northernmost settlements on the European shore of the Bosphorus, Sarıyer, centered on a small harbor and backed by a row of seafood restaurants, still feels like a fishing village. As you stroll along the Bosphorus, you'll see majestic old yalıs—some of which are beautifully kept up, and others that have been abandoned and are in a sad state. Sarıyer is one of the stops on the full Bosphorus cruises that leave from Eminönü and is a nice place for a fish lunch.