FISH MARKET (BALIK PAZARI)

Although it has lost some of its picturesque charm since the restoration of 2006, Galatasaray's market remains one of the most beautiful markets in the city. You can easily access it from the Çiçek Pasajı, behind which you will find shops and stalls, in passages or open skies. Take your time to appreciate the colours and scents of this truly typical place. The products are generally of excellent quality, and if you want to buy pastries, for example, this is a good place. In addition to the Pera passage, other passages communicate with the market:

The passage Crespin (Aslıhan Pasajı) which leads to Hamalbaşı street. We always like to call it the Passage passage (or Crespin), but there is nothing left of the th century passage built by the Crespin, a French family of French origin. It is now a three-storey building dating back to the 1970 s, to which the many bookshops installed offer a certain charm. Indeed, again, it offers a completely different face today. There are also vinyl, posters and old postcards. Little attended.

The passage from Europe (Avrupa Pasajı) also leads to Hamalbaşı Street. A symbol of Beyoglu. Originally, the site was occupied by a nearby theatre of the Flower Garden which extended to the English consulate. Renowned artists arriving from the West were there, but the whole thing burned in 1870. The latter is replaced by the current passage built in a neo-Renaissance style (1874). Then called a passage from Europe (or passage from the Mirrors), it houses on both sides 22 stores. The decoration is in the pure taste of the time and the narrow gallery doesn't feel like venturing there first. However, with a careful eye, you will note the many small details that transport you to the th century, even if recent restorations have altered the original composition somewhat. As soon as you enter it, the high ceiling and the roof roof attract attention. The mirrors had been designed to enhance lighting. Today, tourists like the local population are computer by jewelry shops, antiques, Grand tiles, silver trinkets or old books…

In the middle of the Istiklal avenue, the little Galatasaray Square (Galata Palace) is a kind of central node with the old tram stop, which allows the Boğazkesen Caddesi to go down to the Tophane district. The district, especially known for its soccer team, is symbolized by the famous Francophone lyceum, which since the late th century has formed the istanbul of the istanbul society. It is impossible to miss the building with its gardens and its monumental portal. You will also notice that Galatasaray forms a sort of invisible border: going to Tünel, the population becomes easier, the addresses are more elegant. Note that the buildings in the neighborhood are not very old, this part of Pera was destroyed by a great fire in 1871, but many present a beautiful Art nouveau architecture.