We’d have been overwhelmed during our recent visit if not for Context Travel’s thoughtful walking tours, which brought us to peaceful places in Istanbul.

Having secured impossibly inexpensive seats on a long haul flight out of Istanbul, we’d decided to give the city another chance after a not so positive layover last year. Surely we shouldn’t judge any place solely on its airport, right? When Context Travel offered to show us around during our Istanbul stay, we were very eager to join their immersion walking tours: An Istanbul Guide to the Asian Side and Cosmopolis: Istiklal Street, which focuses on the former European “diplomatic zone.” These two experiences, we hoped, would give us an in-depth, first-timers’ look. But there was an entirely unanticipated benefit! On each of these walking tours we were able to experience very peaceful places in Istanbul. These proved to be the perfect antidote we so desperately needed for a city and cultural energy that didn’t always sync up.

Reviewing our Instagram gallery, we were reminded just how many peaceful places in Istanbul we’d experienced and thought it would be fun to share them with you in this post.

Peaceful Places in Istanbul with Context Travel Immersion Walking Tours

In the late 19th century, you would have traveled by train to Istanbul from Paris via the fabled Orient Express. Upon arrival at Sirkeci Terminal while your things were portered, you would have stopped for at least a tea amid these exotic surroundings. Then you would have continued to the docks to cross the Bosphorus to the Asian side. Or perhaps you might have been delivered to the magnificent Pera Palace Hotel, where Agatha Christie would pen “Murder on the Orient Express.” Regardless, all that would have lain ahead of you as you sipped your tea during your first moments in Istanbul. #sirkecistation #istanbullife #orientexpress

A photo posted by PassingThru (@passingthrucom) on Aug 17, 2015 at 10:48pm PDT

Sirkeci Train Terminal is a very busy place today. Our docent, Alexandra Pruscha, met us here before we crossed the Bosphorus together by ferry to the Asian side. There was virtually no one in the historical section of the station, which made it easy to imagine the magnificent Orient Express train arriving in noisier days gone by: whistles and steam, discharging passengers, servants, and mounds of luggage, carriages and tahtirevan sedan chairs waiting to take them onward. Nowadays you can just about hear these echoes of the past in this beautiful space.

Beautiful 19th century details at Sirkeci Terminal in Istanbul. #istanbullife A photo posted by PassingThru (@passingthrucom) on Sep 19, 2015 at 10:00pm PDT

As it turned out, we were arriving at the ferry terminal in the magical hours between commuter traffic and tourist stampede. We love being on the water, and so we’re counting this as one of the peaceful places in Istanbul, too!

We crossed the Bosphorus from Europe to Asia and back again with @contexttravel today. Loved our tour of the Asian side of Istanbul and will have lots to share. #istanbullife #istanbul #bosphorusistanbul

A photo posted by PassingThru (@passingthrucom) on Aug 17, 2015 at 10:42am PDT

Arriving on the Asian side, we spent time on the waterfront in the conservative Uskudar and historical Kuzguncuk neighborhoods. Alexandra had lived in Kuzguncuk and she explained the concept of mahalle – the fabric of the neighborhood where everyone plays a role and is cared for. There is a surprising amount of greenery here, and residents are very proud of their collective activism which allowed for new community garden plots on Bostan street. We liked the 19th-century wooden houses and quiet streets. This was probably our favorite of the peaceful places in Istanbul.

Sometimes you see a little place and you think, “Oh, I just want to move in for a little while.” Any one of these bay or box windowed flats would do with such a charming place for coffee within a few footsteps. #uskudar #istanbullife

A photo posted by PassingThru (@passingthrucom) on Oct 2, 2015 at 12:11am PDT

Cat nap in an Üsküdar neighborhood window on the Asian side of Istanbul. #uskudar #istanbullife

A photo posted by PassingThru (@passingthrucom) on Aug 30, 2015 at 2:37pm PDT

Back on the “European side” in the Beyoglu (Pera) district our Cosmopolis tour with docent Nurcin Ileri focused on Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Street), which can be visited by over 3 million people a day on busy weekends. This was the center of politics and commerce during the 19th century. Today Istiklal is a popular pedestrian street with an amalgam of architectural styles in buildings which range from former diplomatic residences and embassies to early department stores and hotels. A warren of interior passageways between blocks provides intimate environments for shopping, worship, dining, and socializing. These were among the most fascinating and surprising of the peaceful places in Istanbul we were shown.

The secluded Armenian Church of Three Altars in Istanbul is tucked away in a courtyard behind a huge heavy wooden doorway in the Fish Market off the Flower Passage (Çiçek Pasaji), Istiklal Caddesi. A church has been on this site since at least the 16th century.

A photo posted by PassingThru (@passingthrucom) on Oct 2, 2015 at 7:18pm PDT

Istanbul is full of surprises. In the courtyard beyond this fence is a statue of Pope John Paul, who visited the Church of St. Anthony of Padua in 1979, where he had previously preached for ten years as the Vatican ambassador to Istanbul. Mass is still celebrated in Polish on Sundays in his memory. Pope John Paul was also referred to as “the Turkish Pope” for his fluency in the Turkish language and love for the city. The church’s basilica, seen through the courtyard arch, was constructed in the early 20th century in Neo-Venetian style. #istanbullife

A photo posted by PassingThru (@passingthrucom) on Sep 7, 2015 at 11:26am PDT

In Istanbul, we began to regularly duck into hidden arcades and passageways like this one to get some breathing space from all the street chaos. Each of these 19th century merchant conduits is a world of its own, quiet, and easier to take in. The biggest thing we wondered about Istanbul was: who is ever going to buy all this merchandise everywhere? Rarely did we see an actual purchase occur. #istanbullife #istanbullovers

A photo posted by PassingThru (@passingthrucom) on Aug 30, 2015 at 9:22pm PDT

Fancy a fez? It can be yours in the European Arcade (also known as the Mirrored Arcade) in Istanbul. #istanbul #istanbullife

A photo posted by PassingThru (@passingthrucom) on Aug 18, 2015 at 9:01am PDT

Sumptuous lobby of the Pera Palace hotel, where everybody who was anybody stayed in Istanbul during the first part of the 20th century. #istanbullife #perapalace

A photo posted by PassingThru (@passingthrucom) on Sep 23, 2015 at 10:44pm PDT

The confectionary shop in Istanbul’s Pera Palace Hotel is an unexpected frothy 1940s fantasy. Gleaming Venetian mirrors, rose crystal chandeliers, silk damask and marble inlay create a jewel box from which you can order your favorite bonbons or a decorated layer cake. Sit and sip a chai or espresso with your sweet and imagine the intrigue that went on just outside this little pastel escape. #istanbullife #perapalacehotel #deeptravel #contexttravel

A photo posted by PassingThru (@passingthrucom) on Aug 22, 2015 at 3:53am PDT

One of the fascinating aspects of our tours with Context Travel is that the backgrounds of each of our docents were somewhat reversed in terms of the subject matter they shared with us. Alexandra is from Vienna and has lived in Istanbul for the last six years. Nurcin is a student from a smaller city who came to Istanbul for university. Both had an amazing amount of knowledge which was shared anecdotally and entirely by memory. If you’re visiting Istanbul, these two tours are a great way to introduce you to the city’s complex transcontinental facets. Or perhaps you’ll find, as we did, that the peaceful places in Istanbul become your favorite memories.

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Tips and Practicalities:

Context Travel brings “together local specialists with curious travelers to educate and impassion them; to allow them access to places and cultures that might otherwise remain out of sight to the casual visitor; to invite them off the tourist track and into the real life of the people, history and culture that makes these capitals, destinations.” Context provides specialty tours in more than 30 cities and four continents. We are delighted to be part of Context Travel’s network of Deep Travelers: bloggers and content creators who travel responsibly and thoughtfully. Context Travel’s Cosmopolis – Istiklal Street and Istanbul Immersion: The Asian Side walking tours are both 3 hours in length. Pricing is $71/pp for small group of no more than 6. Also available as a private tour for $305.

We were the guests of Context Travel for both tours.

Tips for Trip Success

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