Türkiye has no shortage of places to visit, but Balat is one that should not be missing from your Istanbul itinerary. Here are my recommendations for what to see in Balat. This old quarter on the Golden Horn was long overlooked; today it is one of the most visited neighbourhoods in the city.
It is the perfect place for a long, unhurried walk, stopping to photograph the painted houses or to sit down for a proper Turkish coffee. The streets are also full of craft workshops and vintage shops you will find hard to leave. So let's get started, because there is a lot to see in Balat.
What to see in Balat: the historic sights
Exploring Balat means losing yourself in narrow, winding lanes lined with wooden houses of every shape and colour. Alongside them stand churches, synagogues and mosques from Byzantine and Ottoman times: for a long time Balat was the Jewish quarter of the old city, while neighbouring Fener was the Greek one. One of the most important landmarks is the Phanar Greek Orthodox College, better known as the Red Castle or the Red School.
The school was founded in 1454, the year after the Ottoman conquest. The imposing red-brick building you see today, rising over the hill of Fener, dates from the 1880s, and its bricks are said to have been shipped from France. It still operates as a school for the city's small Greek minority.
No less significant is the Patriarchal Cathedral of St George, the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople since 1600. It is revered by Orthodox Christians much as St Peter's Basilica in Rome is by Catholics.
Beyond its history, Balat is full of everyday life: street cats dozing in doorways, children playing football, washing strung between balconies. History is on every corner, and the neighbourhood makes a perfect setting for photographs.
The colourful houses of Balat
If you know Balat from Instagram, you will already know how photogenic its painted façades are. Finding them in the maze of steep streets is not always easy, but it is worth the effort to get that perfect shot. Here is where to look.
The old Greek mansions of Kiremit Street
These houses, once home to the Greek elite of Fener, are one of Balat's main attractions and a fixture on Instagram feeds and magazine covers.
They stand where Kiremit Street meets Usturumca Street, and their bright colours make a wonderful backdrop. For the best view, I recommend walking down Usturumca Street: from there, the row of coloured houses is simply spectacular.
Merdivenli Yokuş: the stepped street
Its name means "the stepped slope", and it is one of the most picturesque corners of Balat. Its unusual layout has made it popular, and today it is firmly on the list of places to see in the neighbourhood.
The street is very steep, with flights of steps running along both pavements, which makes for unusual compositions. It sits on the boundary between Fener and Balat, where two lively neighbourhoods meet.
How to get to Balat
To reach Balat, take bus 99, 99A or 99Y from Eminönü (route numbers at the time of writing, 2026) and get off at the Fener stop, just before Balat, where most of the sights are. From Üsküdar, on the Asian side, you can take the Golden Horn ferry, which calls at Balat pier. And if you would rather explore the neighbourhood with someone who knows its stories, I run a private Balat and Fener day tour.