'''Asian Side''' (Turkish: ''Asya Yakas?'', or, more usually, ''Anadolu Yakas?'', i.e. _gAnatolian Side_h) is the eastern half of the city of Istanbul, located east of Bosphorus and geographically on the Asian mainland.

Understand

'''Kad?koy''' (ancient ''Khalkedon'') and '''Uskudar''' (ancient ''Chrysopolis''/''Scutari'') forms the historical cores of this part of the city. Both started as cities independent of Istanbul (in fact Khalkedon was founded about 30-40 years earlier than Istanbul itself), and only incorporated into the city of Istanbul in late 19th century. It_fs no coincidence that the regular steamer services across the Bosphorus was started a few years earlier.

Today Kad?koy and Uskudar are mainly commercial zones. The rest of this part of the city mainly consist of soulless suburbs full of quite high-rise apartment blocks, most of which date back no more than 30 years (which, again, is no coincidence that the first inter-continental Bosphorus bridge was constructed a few years before). Major exceptions are the Bosphorus bank, with its historical palaces, mansions, and neighborhoods with a character; and the coast of the Sea of Marmara, all along which lies a lovely (and, unsurprisingly, long) park.

Get in

From out of Istanbul

By air

'''Sabiha Gokcen Airport''' ('''SAW''') [http://www.sgairport.com/havaalani/eng/start.asp] is located on Asiatic Side, about 20 km east of Kad?koy. To get to the centre from there, you can take public bus E10 which brings you to Kad?koy in 70 minutes (3 YTL). You can also alternatively take Havas bus which connects this airport with Taksim in the European Side for 10 YTL.

By train

'''Haydarpa?a''' Station, which is the main station of Istanbul for Asian destinations is located about 5-10 min walk away from downtown Kad?koy. Drop by if you are nearby, even if you have no plan to take a train, since the station building, built by the German in 1908 in a distinctive Teutonic-castle style, is a sight in itself. It_fs rumoured that the architectural style of the building was deliberately chosen, because, in the age of railways, it was the point where passengers from deep inland Asia have their first sight of Europe, located across the Bosphorus. Likewise, Sirkeci station -main station of European Side- which has a similar duty for passengers from Europe, has a distinctive Oriental style.

By bus

'''Harem''' is the name of the major ''otogar'' of this side, and the first place of call in Istanbul of many buses from Asian Turkey. It_fs located at about the mid-way between Uskudar and Kad?koy and has frequent ferry links with Eminonu/Sirkeci.

By boat

Fast ferries from places on the southern coast of the Marmara Sea, such as Yalova or Bandirma are available to '''Bostanc?''' pier. Some are direct, while others transfer to a smaller ferry after arriving at Yenikap? pier of European Side.

From the rest of Istanbul

By boat

Taking a liner or a mid-sized boat is the most sensible way of getting to Asian Side from Europe, beating the usually congested traffic on Bosphorus bridges. Major liner piers are located in Kad?koy and Uskudar. Major liner lines are as follows: (other boats also ply more or less the same routes)
  • Kad?koy ? Eminonu
  • Kad?koy ? Karakoy (also calls at Haydarpa?a station_fs pier)
  • Kad?koy ? Be?ikta?
  • Uskudar - Eminonu
  • Uskudar - Be?ikta?
  • Uskudar - Eminonu and then on to Eyup in Golden Horn
  • '''Fast ferries''' from places further away like Bak?rkoy are available to Kad?koy (seperate from liner pier) or Bostanc? pier. But they are much more expensive than liners.

    In December 2008, a group of Turkish artists _grepeated_h the journey, under the name _gIn the Footsteps of Jules Verne._h Being forced to arch around Moldova to avoid conflict zone of Transnistria, and being unable to cross the Russian-Georgian border, as well as running into many other less significant problems at other border crossings, artists, upon completing their 14-day journey, declared that it was even harder to follow the same route after 125 years.}}

    By bus

    It_fs possible to take a public bus crossing one of Bosphorus bridges, though not advisable during rush hour (7-10AM towards Europe, 6-8PM towards Asia). Note that all public bus lines crossing the bridges (except a few lines with numbers prefixed with 129) require two tickets (or the equivalent cash) rather than one. Numbers of the most useful inter-continental lines are as follows:
  • 110 - Taksim and Be?ikta? to Kad?koy
  • 120 - Mecidiyekoy to Kad?koy
  • 112 - Taksim and Be?ikta? to Bostanc?
  • 128 - Mecidiyekoy to Bostanc?
  • 129T - Taksim and Be?ikta? to Kozyata??, via the foot of Caml?ca Hill, useful to getting there direct from European Side (''single ticket line'')
  • By ''dolmu?''

    There are ''dolmu?'' lines operating almost 24 hours between Taksim-Kad?koy, and Taksim-Bostanc?. They depart from the street next to ''Ataturk Kultur Merkezi'' in Taksim Square (opposite edge of the square from Istiklal Street) and cost about YTL 4.00/person.

    Over land from European Side

    See infobox to the right.

    Get around

    '''Kad?koy''' and '''Uskudar''' are the main transport hubs of this part of the city. From both, it is possible to find a direct ''dolmu?'', bus or minibus line to almost anywhere in Asian Istanbul, and also to a lot of places in the European Side. '''Bostanc?''' on the coast of Marmara Sea is a secondary hub, but an important one nonetheless.

    By ''dolmu?''

    ''Dolmu?''es ply between Kad?koy-Uskudar, and Kad?koy-Bostanc? until late at night.

    By train

    Suburban trains with frequent departures from Haydarpa?a head to Gebze out of city borders (44 km to Kad?koy), following closely the Marmara sea-shore, calling at Bostanc? and a number (well, actually more than 20) of other stations on the way.

    By car

    Major roads of Asian Side mostly follow a west-east axis. These are the three major roads which connect '''Kad?koy''' with locations east (from south to north): The '''causeway''' (''Sahil Yolu''), which follows the coast of Marmara Sea, '''Ba?dat Avenue''' (one-way, and that is ''east to west'' which means you ''cannot'' enter from Kad?koy), and the road colloquially known as '''Minibus Yolu'''. From '''Uskudar''', the major road colloquially known with its former European road number '''E-5''' lies to east towards depths of Asia, while another road also named ''Sahil Yolu'' (Causeway) connects the neighborhoods on the bank of Bosphorus in the north to Uskudar.

    By bicycle

    There is a long (more than 20 km with some short interruptions) and marked bicycle lane along the park which lies along the coast of the Sea of Marmara, starting from a few km east of Kad?koy, passing by Bostanc? and eventually reaching furthest parts of the city in the east. The bikepath is well-maintained but be careful anyway: Although it_fs very unlikely that you_fll come across a motorized vehicle, pedestrians ?who aren_ft very used to seeing bikepaths in Turkish cities- have just begun to respect the rules of bicycle lanes.

    See

  • '''Beylerbeyi Palace'''. Lying under the legs of the Bosphorus Bridge, the palace was built between 1861-1865 by Sultan Abdulaziz. Guided tours in major spoken languages available.
  • '''Camlica Hill'''— One of the highest hills of Istanbul (268 metres high) and almost all major broadcasting antennas are located on this hill, since the hill dominates a great part of the city. On the top of the hill, a public park with cafes remind the visitors of an Ottoman atmosphere. Th?s public park is sponsored by the government so expect lower prices on food and drink than usual. The cafe located in a building at the top of the hill is moderately expensive, don't worry about it though because you'll get excellent food and service.
  • '''The Maiden's Tower''' (''K?z Kulesi'') [http://www.kizkulesi.com.tr/default_en.aspx] - A tower on a small islet off the Uskudar coast where you can drink tea during day or dine (mid-expensive) inside the tower itself. There is also a tour that tells the legend of the maiden where the tower's name comes from. There is also a viewing area on the coast directly opposite the Tower where you can buy tea and sit down to enjoy the beauty of Bosphorus while listening to traditional Turkish music. It is recommended to visit right at sunset, when the sun is reflecting off the water and the Tower's lights are turning on. Also at the viewing area, there are 2-person gondola rides.
  • '''Ba?dat Caddesi''' (Baghdad Avenue), lying parallel with (but a short dinstance away from) the Marmara coast between a few km east of Kad?koy and Bostanc? to the east, has nothing to do with Baghdad, Iraq except that, during the Ottoman period, it was the beginning part of the road which connected the capital city, Istanbul with Baghdad, another important city of the empire then. In fact, with its sidewalk cafes, Ba?dat Caddesi is usually considered as one of the most European-flavored street of Istanbul nowadays, ironically located on Asia. This street is not completely pedestrianized like the Istiklal Street of the European Side, but its broad sidewalks shaded with trees offer a pleasant walk. The restaurants and cafes on the avenue are mainly upscale, but there are also some quite affordable ones scattered around occasionally. Shopping opportunities also abound. From Kad?koy, take _eBostanc?_f ''dolmu?'' (they depart from near that big yellow balloon) or public bus #4 (its stop is also near the balloon, but seperate from ''dolmu?'' stop).
  • '''Anadolu Kava??''', with its impressive citadel on the hill, is the northernmost part of Asian Istanbul, but ironically, easier to get to from European Side. See Istanbul#Get out for more details.
  • Do

  • Ride the '''balloon''' (''Turk Balloon'') in Kad?koy (easily recognizable by its yellow color on Kad?koy coast). Although it doesn_ft stray much away from its base ?since it is always tied to the ground by a rope- it offers a view of much of Istanbul ?both European and Asian Sides- from a height of 200 meters.
  • Istanbul leg of '''Formula One''' annually takes place in '''IstanbulPark''' [http://www.formula1-istanbul.com/f1/en/], located about 20 km east of Kad?koy. City_fs public transport authority ([http://www.iett.gov.tr/en/index.php ?ETT]) provides frequent buses from Kad?koy and Bostanc? (and a number of locations in European Side as well) during the race days.
  • Buy

    Eat

    Budget

  • Kanaat Lokantas?. elmanipak Cad. no: 25, Uskudar. n the street behind the sea dock. 90 216 341 54 44. 90 216 341 68 55. ttp://www.kanaatlokantasi.com.tr/. Kanaat Lokantas?, which dates back to 1933, is famous for its traditional Ottoman cuisine as well as a variety of fascinating desserts. The prices are reasonable but they accept nothing but cash.

  • ?elale Restaurant. uhurdar Cad. Gune?li Bahce Sok. No:60, Kad?koy. 90 216 330 44 20. elalerestaurant@kadikoyweb.com. ttp://www.kadikoyweb.com/selalerestaurant/index.htm. rom 10 TL. Kebabs and similar stuff. Kebab with yoghurt (''?skender'') there is tasty and slightly cheaper than elsewhere.

  • ''' ''Bal?k-ekmek'' ''' (literally _gfish-bread_h, a grilled fish sandwiched inside half a bread) is an increasingly popular low-budget meal in buffets in Kad?koy coast, which can be had for YTL 3-3.50.
  • Mid-range

    Splurge

    Drink

    Kad?koy has a nightlife scene of its own, smaller than Beyo?lu of European Side, but as lively. From the quay where liners from Eminonu arrives (signed as ''Eminonu Karakoy ?skelesi''), first cross the main street, then turn right, from the corner where Starbucks is located, turn left. You_fll come across two churches facing each other, turn right there. On that street and the upper one parallel to it, you_fll find lots of bars (some of which offer live music), pubs, and Turkish taverns. A few blocks uphill from there is the street colloquially known as ''Barlar Soka??'' (Turkish for _gStreet of Bars_h), where there are more places for a drink. If you can_ft manage to find that street, ask which direction ''Rexx Sinemas?'' (pronounced ''racks see-neh-mah-sa'') is to young people around. That cinema/movie theater is very near that street, and is widely known.

    Sleep

    Budget

    Mid range

  • Hotel Deniz. n. ?ahap Gurler Cad. No:2, Kad?koy. ight across the street from Haydarpa?a Station. 90 216 348 74 55. nfo@denizotel.com.tr. 90 216 347 68 67. ttp://www.denizotel.com.tr/index.htm. 30/150/165 YTL single/double/triple rooms. Rooms with air-conditioner, TV, en-suite bathrooms. 24-hr room service provided.

  • Hotel Zirve. ?ht?m Caddesi, Re?itefendi Sokak No:36, Kad?koy. 90 216 414 51 42, +90 216 414 51 43, +90 216 414 53 04. 5-120 YTL. All rooms have cable tv, wireless internet and are comfortable lodgings at a good price.

    Splurge

  • '''A'jia Hotel''', Cubuklu Caddesi No:27, Kanlica, +90 216 413 9300 (fax: +90 216 413 9355, info@ajiahotel.com), [http://www.ajiahotel.com]. A unique boutique hotel located on the Asian side of the city facing the beautiful Bosphorus. Rooms include air-con, TV, safe, wi fi. Rooms range from ?250-850.
  • Contact

    The area code of this half of the city is (+90) '''216''', which is different from the European Side.