Architectural Discovery I: Pera from Taksim to Tünel

You may have walked down İstiklal Avenue a hundred times. This time we look up at the facades. On this walk from Taksim Square to Tünel we read the architecture of Pera’s buildings, and talk about who designed them, who first owned them and the lives lived inside.

From the old gazinos of Taksim and the schools of Sıraselviler to Hagia Triada, from the Cercle d’Orient and the Tokatlıyan to Çiçek Pasajı, the Fish Market and the Avrupa Passage, from Galatasaray High School to the churches of Saint Anthony and Santa Maria Draperis, the Botter Apartment and Narmanlı Han, every building has a story. Built in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, their eclectic facades mix styles from many periods; criticised in their own time, today they make İstiklal an open-air museum.

About 4–5 hours, on request, in English or Turkish, for up to 30 guests; guided by Osman Altay or one of our guides. €100 per person, minimum 2 travellers; children under 12 free; private tours €250 per group. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.