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Climb the walls for the Best View in Istanbul

The Best View in Istanbul, Turkey

November 25, 2013 By Jan Robinson 17 Comments

This post may contain compensated links. We may earn a small percentage if you book through a compensated link, but it won’t cost you any more by doing so. You can read our full disclaimer here.


Many cities claim to be built on seven hills, not the least of which is the exotic spice laden city of Istanbul, Turkey.

A city that encompasses seven hills is sure to be dripping with views, but Istanbul has many man made viewpoints as well.

The Best View in Istanbul.

Climb the walls for the Best View in Istanbul

The view from the top of the 5.7km protective wall, built in the fifth Century by Theodosius II impressed me more than any other view in Istanbul. 

I know that you are thinking I must be mad to choose just one, but read on and find out why I did.

At first while trudging up the hellishly hot streets behind the Chora Church (Kariye Museum) in the Fatih District, I wondered if we would even succeed in finding the damn wall, but then we took a right turn and nearly ran into it.  How could we ever have missed it?

We climbed the steps that adjoined the wall

My eyes were immediately drawn to the steep stairs.   Vertiginous thoughts raised their ugly heads.  There were no handrails.  But hey – the stairs were wide – I could do it.

Theodosius II must have had tiny feet. My average sized feet left no room for error on those midget steps.  I thought of  my Grandmother’s goats.  I could use some of that cloven hooved traction!

At the top (think Everest) I made my way to a raised central section of wall where some teenagers sat talking, thankfully oblivious to my sweaty palms and racing pulse.

As I turned to join them on their perch, the wind and the view grabbed me simultaneously.  An involuntary “W.O.W.” burst from my mouth, which in turn started the group giggling and mimicking – but I could tell they were pleased at my reaction.   The ice having been successfully broken, the boys started showing off while the girls and I rolled our eyes and giggled – some things are the same wherever you are in the world – and I like that.

Those minutes were filled with freedom. I had conquered my fears. There were no physical barriers and the chrystal clear view spread lazily in every direction.

From my Byzantine seat, high above Fatih, I watched women hanging clothes on a rooftop terrace.  I had a birds eye view of the crumbling Ottoman houses we had walked by admiringly only minutes before.  The hills gave a sense of place and it was fun finding already visited locations, like Eyup on the Golden Horn inlet.  Satellite dishes perched nonchalantly atop ancient buildings, while the distant skyscrapers of Lavent seemed from some future time.  The Mihrimah Camii (mosque) built for Suleyman the Magnificent’s daughter in 1565, sat regally on the sixth hill of Istanbul on my right, guarding a distant view of the Sea of Marmara and its islands.

The Best View in Istanbul!

Sitting with the kids on top of the wall in Istanbul

How long was I there?  Maybe 20 minutes max?  I drank it in – taking photos of the kids and of the view, laughing as the wind buffeted me, sitting glued roller-coaster-like to my seat – a roller coaster I could have ridden indefinitely.  Even now some three months later I remember with clarity the wildness of the wind, the exhilleration of the climb and the jaw-dropping views and I find myself smiling.

Views from the Top

Views from the top of the wall. The Best View in Istanbul - Theodosius II Defensive Walls No. 3 The Best View in Istanbul - Theodosius II Defensive Walls No. 4 The Best View in Istanbul - Theodosius II Defensive Walls No. 6 The Best View in Istanbul - Theodosius II Defensive Walls No. 8 The Best View in Istanbul - Theodosius II Defensive Walls No. 10

Eventually B.H. who was in his element exploring the extremities of the wall returned and it was time to descend – him nonchalantly going first and me following gingerly behind – where were those hooves!  He was on a quest to tackle another section of the wall that involved climbing a ladder to the highest point.  A point which he assures me had the best views of all.

Looking up at the highest point of the wall Near Chora Church

The only mention I found of the walls was a sentence in Lonely Planet’s Turkey, describing the Chora Church as being “Nestled in the shadow of Theodosius II’s monumental land walls”.  That one sentence however was enough to inspire me to go there.

I urge you to continue on uphill before or after visiting the Chora Church Museum and see The Best View In Istanbul for yourself!

For views of another city built on seven hills click HERE.

#1 FREE THINGS TO DO IN ISTANBUL.

This post is linked to Travel Photo Discovery where Noel has captured some great Japanese images.  Dawn from We Call It Junkin has invited me to post this article on We Call It Olde link-up as well, so if you like Olde things pop on over.

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Filed Under: Istanbul, Turkey

About Jan Robinson

Jan Robinson writes about travel on her Budget Travel Talk blog. A solo traveller in her teens, for the last 40 years Jan has travelled through Australia, Asia, Europe, Turkey and New Zealand with her husband. They specialise in road trips, caravanning and Independent travel without spending a fortune. Her favourite destination is Turkey and she is currently dreaming of Myanmar and Mexico.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Muza-chan

    November 25, 2013 at 4:37 pm

    Great view…

    Reply
    • Jan

      November 25, 2013 at 8:48 pm

      Thanks Lily

      Reply
  2. Bronwyn Joy

    November 25, 2013 at 10:21 pm

    Wow! Yes indeed.

    I love this kind of exploring – just walking by foot and finding things. I’d probably even climb that if by myself (not sure about watching the kids clamber up, though…)

    Reply
    • Jan

      November 26, 2013 at 11:07 am

      Kids would probably be fine with the stairs. Just make sure they are in front of you on the way up and behind you on the way down 🙂

      Reply
  3. noel morata

    November 26, 2013 at 4:59 am

    That is a spectacular view and what a gorgeous day, most of the travel time to Istanbul was cold and rainy wish I had a beautiful day like that!

    Reply
    • Jan

      November 26, 2013 at 11:07 am

      We were so lucky with the weather Noel. We had 2.5 weeks in Istanbul and the weather was gorgeous. The weather really can impact on a holiday.

      Reply
  4. Dawn @ We Call It Junkin

    November 26, 2013 at 9:13 pm

    Thank you so much for this wonderful tour. It’s hard for me to imagine something being from the 5th century, here in the US nothing is anywhere near that old! I invite you to share this on my link party today, We Call It Olde, for history and vintage posts, it’s perfect! Take care – Dawn @ We Call It Junkin.com http://www.wecallitjunkin.com

    Reply
    • Jan

      November 27, 2013 at 12:02 pm

      Thanks Dawn, I’ll pop over and have a look 🙂

      Reply
  5. Rachel M

    November 27, 2013 at 11:26 pm

    Great view … worth every effort.

    Reply
    • Jan

      November 28, 2013 at 10:06 am

      Yes I am so glad we did it Rachel 🙂

      Reply
  6. Marisol@TavelingSolemates

    November 28, 2013 at 8:51 am

    Hi Jan,
    Missed that wall when I was Istanaul . I agree the view from there is spectacular indeed. Will certainly keep it in mind next time I visit.

    Reply
    • Jan

      November 28, 2013 at 10:06 am

      Yes go there before they put up barricades 🙂

      Reply
  7. lisa | renovating italy

    December 10, 2013 at 4:43 am

    Wow is right and I also have the opposite of tiny feet. Another place I’d love to visit one day xxw

    Reply
    • Jan

      December 10, 2013 at 9:36 pm

      Thanks for visiting Lisa. Istanbul is one of my favourite cities and Turkey is an amazing country 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A Turkish Seaside Holiday Town called Foca says:
    March 10, 2014 at 1:08 pm

    […] left ISTANBUL only a week before, it was admirably easy to navigate our car to the aptly named Siren Pansiyon.  […]

    Reply

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