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A Day in Moda Between the Cape, the Pier and the Old Mansions
Cultural

A Day in Moda Between the Cape, the Pier and the Old Mansions

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Walk south from the Kadıköy market and the streets widen, the sea appears between the apartment blocks, and eventually the land becomes a cape reaching into the Sea of Marmara.

Kadıköy, İstanbul
Cultural
Radar Editör
September 24, 2026

About Trip

Walk south from the Kadıköy market and the streets widen, the sea appears between the apartment blocks, and eventually the land becomes a cape reaching into the Sea of Marmara. Moda is the neighbourhood on that cape, between central Kadıköy and the Kurbağalıdere stream, looking straight across at the historic peninsula. Officially it belongs to the Caferağa quarter, but to everyone it is simply Moda.

Three things define Moda today: the shoreline path around the cape, the historic pier out in the water and the old mansions scattered over the slopes. This walk links the three, and half a day at an easy pace is enough.

Getting There

From the European side the nicest way in is the ferry to Kadıköy. From the pier you can walk through the market to Moda Caddesi and follow it to the tip of the cape in about twenty minutes, or take the nostalgic tram. Metro İstanbul's T3 Kadıköy-Moda line opened on 1 November 2003. The 2.6 km line runs as a loop, climbing to Moda through Bahariye and returning by way of Mühürdar, and it uses old Tatra cars brought from Germany. The Moda and Moda İlkokulu stops leave you in the middle of the neighbourhood. Trams are nothing new here: they also ran between Kadıköy and Moda from 1934 to 1966.

Moda Pier takes ferries again, too. Since 1 January 2024 a line between Bostancı, Moda, Karaköy and Kabataş has called here, but sailings are few, so check the current Şehir Hatları timetable first.

From Chalcedon to the Mansions

Moda Point lies at the edge of one of Istanbul's oldest settlements. According to Kadıköy Municipality, ancient Chalcedon stood between today's Moda Point and Yoğurtçu and was known for its temple of Apollo. Nothing survives above ground; finds made during construction were recovered in rescue digs, and some are on display at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums.

The name is old as well. Its origin is disputed, but this shore already appears as Moda on the Istanbul map in Katip Çelebi's 17th-century Cihannüma.

The 19th century made Moda what it is. Once regular ferries to Istanbul began in 1857, Kadıköy changed from a seasonal retreat into a year-round home. After the 1870s wealthy non-Muslim families built mansions on the large plots of the cape; the British Whittall family from İzmir were among the best known. Mahmut Muhtar Pasha's neoclassical Marble Mansion went up in the same years and now houses İstanbul Kadıköy High School, while the French Lycée Saint-Joseph, founded in 1870, began the area's school tradition.

A pier was added in the early 20th century and the Moda Sea Club was founded in 1935. Garden mansions dominated until the 1950s; later, apartment blocks replaced some of them. In the 1990s the shoreline was widened with landfill. The steep slopes behind today's seafront path are cliffs the sea once cut into, and the beach that carried Moda's name vanished under the fill.

Moda Pier

On the western side of the cape, at the end of a short causeway, stands the white two-storey building that is Moda's emblem. It was designed by Vedat Tek, architect of the Haydarpaşa pier and the old Kadıköy pier, and sources date it to 1916-1917 or to 1919. Before that, boats unloading at the Moda Sea Club's wood store used a small spit here; a 1904 photograph shows it extended into a pier with a domed ticket booth at its end.

The four facades all differ, so walk right round. The south front has five symmetrical pointed arches; look for the Ottoman inscription reading "Moda" above the door of the passenger hall. The landward north front has three arched doors, with the pointed windows of the old ticket booths at either end. A spiral staircase still leads upstairs.

Ferries stopped calling in 1986 for lack of passengers. The building later served as a yacht club and a seaside restaurant, among other things, and was shut completely in 2015. Restored by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, it reopened on 19 August 2022, with the İBB Moda İskele Library upstairs and a book café below. You can read at tables facing the sea; check opening hours on the libraries page of İBB Atatürk Kitaplığı.

Moda Caddesi and the Mansions

Walk back up to Moda Caddesi, the neighbourhood's spine. At its start stands Caferağa Mosque, built by Cafer Ağa, Chief Black Eunuch of the palace, who also gave the quarter its name. The small mosque with masonry walls and a timber roof was renovated in 1900, and its founder is buried beside it. If you go in, avoid prayer times, take off your shoes at the door, cover shoulders and knees, women should cover their hair, and keep quiet.

The side streets reveal old garden walls and facades squeezed between apartment blocks. The most visited house is the Barış Manço House. According to Kadıköy Municipality, this building, also known as the Whittall Mansion, was built between 1895 and 1900 in a Victorian style to a design by the Ottoman Greek Pape; the lively keystones around the facade and the double wrought-iron balconies are typical of the period. Barış Manço bought it in 1984 and had it faithfully restored, and the municipality later turned it into a house museum, opened on 9 June 2010. It is closed on Mondays, public holidays and religious holidays; check other days on the museum website.

Records list more than fifteen historic mansions in Moda, among them the 1903 Arif Sarıca Mansion, home of the pianist Ayşegül Sarıca. Most are private, so admire them from the gate.

Walking the Shoreline

The real pleasure of Moda is the path around the cape. Start at the pier, round the tip and head on towards Kalamış, with the sea on one side and grassy slopes and benches on the other. On a clear day you can make out the skyline of the historic peninsula and, to the southeast, the Princes' Islands. Finish at Yoğurtçu Park, where the Kurbağalıdere meets the sea, and return to Kadıköy through the inner streets; taken slowly, this stretch takes about an hour.

Moda's well-known ice cream makers and tea gardens line the shore and the tops of the slopes. Sitting on the grassy bank above the pier with a glass of tea is the most Moda thing you can do.

Suggested Walk

Start at Kadıköy pier and go through the market to Moda Caddesi. After a look at Caferağa Mosque, follow the avenue and dip into the side streets to see the mansion walls. Visit the Barış Manço House, then go down to the pier and climb to the library for the view. Follow the shoreline path around the tip towards Yoğurtçu Park, and if you are tired, walk up to the Moda tram stop and ride back to the market. With time in the museum and the library, it makes a three to four hour outing.

Season and Time of Day

Sunset is Moda's best hour. The cape faces west, so depending on the season the sun goes down over the historic peninsula or over the Marmara, and summer evenings are busy on the seafront. For a quiet visit, come on a weekday morning when the tea gardens are still empty. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons. When the southwesterly lodos blows in winter, waves can break over the path, so keep away from the edge.

Practical Notes

  • Moda is hilly and the streets from the shore to the avenue are steep. Wear comfortable shoes.
  • The tram runs in a loop, so the ride back passes through different streets, a good chance to see another side of Moda.
  • The Barış Manço House is closed on Mondays.
  • The Süreyya Opera House, opened in 1927, is in Bahariye within walking distance; follow its programme on the official website.

Sources

Location - A Day in Moda Between the Cape, the Pier and the Old Mansions

Trip Info
CityKadıköy, İstanbul
TypeCultural
DateSeptember 24, 2026
SourceRadar Editör
Radar TürkiyeAuthorRadar TürkiyeVisit SourceGet Directions