Galata Tower, Istanbul

13/04/2024

Galata Tower represents the remains of fortifications built by the Genoese in the 14th century. The tower is located on the Galata Hill of the same name in the European part of Istanbul, on the other side of the Golden Horn from the historical center of the city (Sultanahmet district).

Getting to the Galata Tower is not difficult. From the central pedestrian Istiklal Street you can walk to the tower in 5 minutes. If you go to the tower from the Sultanahmet area, then after crossing the Galata Bridge to the other side of the Golden Horn Bay, you will need to take an underground funicular that will take you to the top of the hill almost to the tower itself. Or you will have to walk about 20 minutes uphill. Our advice is to use the funicular, which, by the way, is one of the oldest in Europe.

The height of the tower is 61 meters, and its diameter is about 9 meters. Once there was a fortress here, and stone walls rose around the tower. But, unfortunately, they have not survived to this day. Only scattered fragments of them remain.

Over its long history, the Galata Tower was part of the fortress, a lighthouse – a landmark for sailors, and a fire tower. Now it houses a museum.

The entrance ticket to the Galata Tower in 2024 cost about 30 euros. By paying this money, you will be able to go to the elevator, which will take you up to the roof of the tower. There is a canopy along the entire circumference of the tower on which you can walk. There is also a popular restaurant and nightclub in the city upstairs. However, in April 2024, the tower was closed to tourists for an uncertain period of time.

The main advantage of the Galata Tower is the panoramic all-round view of the central part of Istanbul, which opens from its roof. From here you can see the Golden Horn Bay, the main attractions of the Sultanahmet area (Topkapi Palace, Aya Sophia Cathedral) and the Bosphorus Strait with the famous Bosphorus Bridge.

Our overall impression of the tower was mixed. On the one hand, from its roof there is a beautiful view and good photographs. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who want to climb the tower. The queue here is no less than at the entrance to the Hagia Sophia Cathedral. Having climbed to the top of the tower, we also did not feel very comfortable, since the passage itself was very narrow and there were a lot of people crowding there.

The prices for souvenirs here are high, it is better to buy them elsewhere.
The tower is located in a small area, from which good photographs of this attraction are obtained. Address of Galata Tower in Istanbul: Bereketzade Mh., Galata Kulesi, Beyoğlu

To visit the tower you need to have about 1-1.5 hours of free time, since the queue of tourists can be very long.