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Yeniköy to Tarabya Along the Bosphorus Summer Shore
Cultural

Yeniköy to Tarabya Along the Bosphorus Summer Shore

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On the European shore of the Bosphorus, once you pass the bay of İstinye the coast opens up to the north and the cool air of the Black Sea begins to reach you. Yeniköy and Tarabya are the two old summer retreats of this shore.

Sarıyer, İstanbul
Cultural
Radar Editör
September 24, 2026

About Trip

On the European shore of the Bosphorus, once you pass the bay of İstinye the coast opens up to the north and the cool air of the Black Sea begins to reach you. Yeniköy and Tarabya are the two old summer retreats of this shore. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam entry on waterfront mansions, Yeniköy, Tarabya and Büyükdere were mostly home to the summer residences of foreign nationals and embassies. Walking the coast road today, you can still read that past in the façades of the mansions, in the fountains and in the large walled gardens around the bay of Tarabya. This outing suggests a short shoreline walk from the southern end of Yeniköy to Tarabya bay.

Getting there

Hacıosman, the last station on the Yenikapı to Hacıosman metro line, lies within the Tarabya neighbourhood, but according to Wikipedia it is about three kilometres from the waterfront, so you will need a bus or taxi down to the shore. Bus lines following the coast road between Beşiktaş and Sarıyer pass through both villages. If you prefer to come by ferry, the nearest Şehir Hatları piers on this shore are İstinye and Sarıyer; check sailing times on the Şehir Hatları website.

The story of two names

Yeniköy's name looks simple, but there are several layers behind it. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, the Byzantines called the place Komarodes because it was famous for its strawberries, and Eudios Kalos because of its calm water. The village grew and prospered under Süleyman the Magnificent and took the name Yeniköy. Wikipedia notes that the Greek name was Neohorion, "new village". According to the encyclopedia, by the mid-seventeenth century Yeniköy was a settlement of some 3,000 houses with vineyards and gardens, most of its people came from the Black Sea coast, and the village had mosques built by Güzelce Ali Pasha and Zenbillizade Molla Çelebi. In the nineteenth century wealthy Greek families built elegant, ornate mansions here.

Tarabya's name is older still. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam says that Tarabya, a natural harbour like İstinye, was called Pharmacias in antiquity, later took the name Therapia, meaning healing, because of its fine air, and that the present name derives from it. Wikipedia adds that the old name was linked to "pharmakon", meaning poison, and to the legend of Medea, and that by tradition Patriarch Atticus disliked the association and changed the name to Therapeia. According to the encyclopedia, Selim II often came here with his companions Şemsi Pasha, Celal Bey and the poet Baki and held banquets; he ordered a town to be founded in Tarabya, which then had nothing but fishermen's huts, and built a pavilion for himself. As Wikipedia relates, Evliya Çelebi wrote that Tarabya had about 800 houses.

The southern end of Yeniköy

Start at the southern end of Yeniköy, facing İstinye. A four-storey, symmetrical, brilliant white timber mansion stands out on the shore here. According to Wikipedia, the Ahmed Afif Pasha Yalı was designed by the architect Alexandre Vallaury around 1900 to 1910, an eclectic building whose corner towers set it apart from the classical Bosphorus mansion tradition. The nearby Osman Reis Mosque is part of the same story. According to Wikipedia, the mosque was built in 1645 by the naval captain El-Hac Osman bin Abdullah and was rebuilt in an eclectic style in 1903 to 1904 by Ahmed Afif Pasha, again to a design by Vallaury. Seeing a mansion and a mosque by the same architect for the same patron a few steps apart is a good way to understand turn-of-the-century taste on the Bosphorus. If you want to see the mosque inside, go outside prayer times, wear clothing that covers shoulders and knees, women should cover their hair, take your shoes off at the entrance and keep quiet.

The Köybaşı mansions and the Lion Mansion

Walking north you reach Köybaşı. The TDV entry on waterfront mansions names a row of mansions here from the second half of the nineteenth century: the Prince Burhaneddin or Ahmed Münir Pasha Yalı, known today as the Erbilgin Yalı, and the Cezayirliyan, Kuyumcuyan, Allahverdi, Selim Melhame and Evyenidis mansions.

The best-known building on this shore is the Said Halim Pasha Yalı. According to the Sarıyer District Governorship's heritage page, it was built in the last quarter of the nineteenth century by an architect named Petraki Adamantini. Because of the two lion statues in front of the gate leading from the quay into the men's garden, it is also known as the Lion Mansion. The governorship notes that the bridges linking the mansion to neighbouring mansions and pavilions were demolished during road works in 1958. Wikipedia records that the neoclassical building suffered a major fire in 1995 and was brought back through an extensive restoration. The mansion is now run as an events venue; the best view is from the opposite pavement or from the water.

In the small seaside park stands the Mihrişah Valide Sultan Fountain. According to the governorship, it was built in 1805 by Mihrişah Sultan, mother of Selim III. It is entirely of marble, with a single façade in three sections; below the inscription is a horseshoe-arched section supported by two marble columns. The same source notes that the Austrian embassy's summer residence in Yeniköy was given by Abdülhamid II to the Austro-Hungarian emperor in 1898 and is used today as a consulate.

Passing Kalender

Beyond the northern end of Yeniköy you reach Kalender. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam entry on the Bosphorus, beyond the village there was a battery and further on the Kalender Pavilion built by Nevşehirli Damad İbrahim Pasha, and ever since the spot has been counted among the loveliest promenades of the Bosphorus. The same entry lists Kalender among the places named in Bosphorus songs and recalls the moonlight boat outings along the shores of Bebek, Kalender and Kanlıca.

According to the entry on waterfront mansions, the narrow road in front of the Köybaşı mansions once ran like a footpath to Kalender. Here, on the site of a mansion built by Kalender Çavuş, the contractor of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, stands the stone Kalender Yalı, commissioned from the architect Sarkis Balyan in the 1870s by order of Sultan Abdülaziz; it is used today as a military rest facility and is not open to visitors. The governorship's site says that during the Russian war of 1828 to 1829 Mahmud II stayed at the Tarabya Pavilion and used the nearby Kalender Pavilion as his headquarters. The Kalender picnic area still appears on the governorship's list of promenades.

Tarabya bay and the summer embassies

After Kalender the shore curves inland and the bay of Tarabya opens up. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam writes that Selim III confiscated the waterfront houses of the Ypsilantis, a prominent Greek family, and gave them to the French embassy as a summer residence. According to the same source, there had earlier been mansions for the Swedish and Neapolitan envoys, and the summer residences of the British, German, Romanian and Danish embassies were later added. According to the governorship, the grounds of the Tarabya Pavilion used by Mahmud II were given to the German embassy under Abdülhamid II after the pavilion was demolished. Wikipedia records that the German embassy's summer residence was built between 1887 and 1900 and that the Italian embassy's summer residence was built in 1905 to 1906 by the architect Raimondo D'Aronco. These are official buildings that can only be seen from outside; walking along the shore, it is enough to take in their wide gardens and façades.

The encyclopedia also records a mosque built by Elhac Osman Ağa in Tarabya and fountains of Mahmud II and Bezmialem Valide Sultan. According to Wikipedia, the village is known for the giant plane tree in its square and its marina full of boats, and its air is cooler than the surrounding area thanks to the winds from the north. Tarabya is also known for its waterfront fish restaurants. Stand on the edge of the bay and look back towards Kalender, and you see how the road you walked follows the shore in a gentle arc.

Suggested walk

Start at the southern end, by the Ahmed Afif Pasha Yalı and the Osman Reis Mosque. Follow the coast road past the Köybaşı mansions, pause in the park with the Mihrişah Valide Sultan Fountain and look at the lions of the Said Halim Pasha Yalı from outside. Then pass Kalender and reach Tarabya bay; wander around the plane tree in the square and along the marina. To return, take one of the buses on the coast road, or continue north towards Kireçburnu and Sarıyer. At a steady pace the route comfortably fills a morning.

Season and time of day

The European shore faces east, towards the Asian side; the morning sun rises over the opposite shore and lights up the water. In summer, Tarabya's cool air explains at once why this shore was chosen as a summer retreat for centuries. Spring and autumn are the best seasons for walking; traffic on the coast road can be heavy at weekends, so for a quiet walk choose a weekday morning.

Practical notes

  • The mansions are all private property and can only be seen from outside.
  • Embassy summer residences, consulates and military facilities are closed to visitors, and photography may be restricted around them.
  • The coast road carries traffic, so stay on the pavement and take care when crossing.
  • Visit the Osman Reis Mosque outside prayer times and in suitable clothing.

Sources

Location - Yeniköy to Tarabya Along the Bosphorus Summer Shore

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