Experiences
The 24 Hour Hustle and Bustle
And speaking of music, if you really want to let your hair down at night, there is no better place to be than the side streets of Moda and the back streets of Kadıköy, the venues of music stretch to the eclectic, it’s easy to see why locals call one particular nightlife hotspot Barlar Sokak (Bar Street).
The hustling, bustling nightlife of entertainment, music, and dance to the early hours of the morning is soon replaced with the same hive of activity around Kadıköy’s fabulous marketplaces.
Kadıköy developed into both a popular market area, due to easy access to the agricultural areas to the east and the Bosphorus Strait and a residential area for people commuting daily to work to the European side of the city.
The Kadıköy Marketplace is an aromatic, colourful, and enticing showcase for the city’s best fresh produce. It is the centre of gastronomy for locals and is an increasingly popular destination for visitors. It’s worth exploring and is small enough to retain a local flavour, but large enough to support a variety of specialist traders.
Cross Rıhtım Caddesi in front of the main ferry port and walk up Muvakkıthane Caddesi or Yasa Caddesi to reach the centre of the action. The best food shops are in Güneşlibahçe Sokak and Söğütlüçeşme Caddesi. Here you’ll see fish glistening on beds of crushed ice, displays of seasonal fruit and vegetables, honeycombs of amber honey, vats of spicy pickles, containers of freshly roasted nuts and so much more. From Söğütlüçeşme Caddesi, it is so easy to stroll aimlessly through the narrow pedestrian streets on the right. Of course, when one visits Kadıköy an unmissable feature, is the Boğa Heykeli. This striking and imposing sculpture of the Bronze Bull, is classic and popular meeting place for visitors, friends and incurable romantics seeking a rendezvous for their potential dates.
Kadıköy is ultimately a breath of fresh air for art, culture, shopping, entertainment, education, and sports. While it may not exude monumental architectural and historical landmarks of the European part of the city, it offers visitors a glimpse of modern Turkish life, and a day and a night in the heart of Kadıköy and Moda is an essential part of any İstanbul visit.
