Located on two continents, Istanbul is one of the most incredible and exciting cities! They say that if you want to see gold, you don’t need to visit a jewelry store; instead, you should take a sunset stroll along the Golden Horn Bay! Here, you can witness some of the most beautiful and unique views. And once you reach it, your eyes can’t help but be drawn to the magnificent Galata Tower standing proudly in the distance!
I have passed by this tower many times, but until now, I have never gone inside. And there’s always a first time for everything 🙂 On the very last day of 2021, I had the pleasure of visiting this interesting tower, and I’ll tell you about it now.
Galata Tower is one of the oldest and tallest buildings in Istanbul, and for centuries, it has been a part of the city’s unique landscape. As you can guess from its name, it is located in the Galata district.
The Galata Tower, standing at 67 meters, is visible from almost every corner of Istanbul. It was built between 1348-49 by the Genoese, who at that time controlled the Byzantine territories. They named it the “Tower of Jesus.”
Some legends say that during the Middle Ages, an 8-meter-high cross stood atop the tower.
The diameter of the Galata Tower is nearly 17 meters, with walls about 4 meters thick, and it has a total of 9 floors.
Over the centuries, the tower has had various purposes. It has served as a warehouse, a prison, a lighthouse, and a fire tower. There are legends that it was even a windmill, but there is no evidence to support this. For several centuries, it was the tallest building in the city. The top of the tower was also used for many astronomical observations.
The diameter of the Galata Tower is nearly 17 meters, its walls are about 4 meters thick, and it has a total of 9 floors.
Another interesting detail is that during the Ottoman Empire, the adventurer Ahmed Çelebi Hezarfen, testing one of his inventions for flight with wings, flew from Galata to the opposite Asian side – Üsküdar.
In the early 1960s, the Galata Tower was restored, and a cone-shaped roof was placed at its top, which had been destroyed in 1875 after a devastating storm. A few years later, in 1967, the Galata Tower was opened to the public for visits.
The Galata Tower is one of the landmarks of Istanbul and is visited by thousands of tourists every day.
From the top of the Galata Tower, a memorable view of the city unfolds. From there, you can see the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn, and the Marmara Sea. The views are incredible, offering a mix of landscapes from both old and modern Istanbul. On one side, you can see the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque, while on the other side, the modern skyscrapers of the business districts Levent and Maslak rise in the distance.
The Galata Tower is accessible by two modern elevators. For the descent, you can use the stairs – it’s quite interesting to go down them!
The terraces of the Galata Tower are open every day from 8:30 AM to 12:00 AM. The entrance fee is 100 Turkish Lira. It is extremely easy to get there – take the high-speed tram and get off at Karaköy station, then walk a short distance, or you can take one stop on one of the oldest metros in Europe (known as “the Tunnel” by locals) and get off at Beyoğlu station. You can also take the second metro line, getting off at Şişhane station. For detailed information about the tower, you can find it here!
