Arnavutköy

About Arnavutköy

Mahalle (administrative quarter) in Beşiktaş, İstanbul–Europe, northwestern Turkey

Arnavutköy, literally "Albanian village" after the settlers who founded it in the 16th century, is a quiet waterside neighbourhood on the European shore of the Bosphorus in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, lying between Ortaköy and Bebek, with a population of 3,574 (2022). It is renowned for its wooden Ottoman mansions, the multi-storey yalıs that line the waterfront with elaborate artwork on their facades, as well as for its seafood restaurants and for the campus of Robert College with its historic buildings. The coast road in front of the houses is usually lined with anglers, and small fishing boats pass by, sometimes selling their catch to the local restaurants. At the eastern end of the neighbourhood the shore juts out to form Akıntıburnu, the Cape of the Current, where the Bosphorus once flowed so powerfully that small boats had to be towed round it, which gave the area its old Greek name, "Great Current". Infrequent Şehir Hatları city ferries call at the pier facing the main square, while regular buses serve the busy coast road. Together with Ortaköy and Bebek, Arnavutköy is one of the most pleasant stops on a stroll along the European Bosphorus.

Where:

Istanbul, Türkiye