Walk from the pier to spice market in istanbul

Was wondering if anyone has walked from the Salipazari Pier in Istanbul to the Spice Bazaar, or as it is sometimes called, The Egyptian Bazaar. How long does it take? Is this a feasible walk?

Was wondering if anyone has walked from the Salipazari Pier in Istanbul to the Spice Bazaar, or as it is sometimes called, The Egyptian Bazaar. How long does it take? Is this a feasible walk?

If physically fit and without stopping for 'Photo Ops' one could walk to Spice Market area in 30/minutes. The street crowds near the Spice Market proper slowed our pace to a crawl. We spent an Hour, making it a more leisurely gawking stroll. Locomotiveman Tom

The Istanbul cruiseport is very long, so depending on where your ship is docked, it could add half a mile or more to your walk. And the walk along that street is not particularly interesting. Once you get to closer to the Galata Bridge, however, there is a lot to see, and crossing the bridge on foot is a nice Istanbul experience in itself.

If it turns out that you are really far from the bridge, and don't feel up to walking the whole way, you can take the tram a couple of stops to Karaköy (north end of the bridge) and continue on foot from there. Or take it all the way to Eminönü, where the Spice Market is.

The Istanbul cruiseport is very long, so depending on where your ship is docked, it could add half a mile or more to your walk. And the walk along that street is not particularly interesting. Once you get to closer to the Galata Bridge, however, there is a lot to see, and crossing the bridge on foot is a nice Istanbul experience in itself.

 

If it turns out that you are really far from the bridge, and don't feel up to walking the whole way, you can take the tram a couple of stops to Karaköy (north end of the bridge) and continue on foot from there. Or take it all the way to Eminönü, where the Spice Market is.

I get the impression that nowadays everyone has to exit the port via the new Cruise Terminal - which is at the far end of the cruise quays.

Tom's "30 minute walk" ties in with that - previously those on the ship nearest the Galata Bridge could walk from the ship, over the bridge & to the Spice Bazaar in 15 mins or less.

I agree the early part of a walk from the new cruise terminal is pretty boring, and I'd hop on a tram for two or three stops to Karakoy & walk over the bridge from there (halfway over the bridge go down steps to finish crossing on the lower level), or stay on for one more stop to Eminonou, at the other end of the bridge.

JB :)

Thanks for the responses. Lazy sod that I am, the tram definitely sounds like the way to go. Wondering, though, upon exiting the cruise terminal, is it obvious what the tram stop looks like. I know this sounds like a silly question, but I have never been to Istanbul, so don't really know what to look for.

Thanks for the responses. Lazy sod that I am, the tram definitely sounds like the way to go. Wondering, though, upon exiting the cruise terminal, is it obvious what the tram stop looks like. I know this sounds like a silly question, but I have never been to Istanbul, so don't really know what to look for.

Best bet is to follow the herd. ;)

Tram runs on rails & there's only one route in this part of town, so the only mistake you can make is to take the tram in the opposite direction. :rolleyes:

You'll want a tram heading to your left.

The tram stops are fenced-in platforms in the middle of the road, difficult to miss.

There's a jeton (token) machine beside the platform - needs Turkish lire but instructions are in English & it gives change. You use the jeton to access the platform thro a turnstile.

It's a flat fare (currently 3.5TL?) for any journey & you can buy the jetons for your return trip at the same time, to avoid fighting another machine (and possibly a line too) later in the day.

If you don't have Turkish lire, shops near a tram stop usually sell jetons too & probably accept euros but you'll get poor exchange value - if you don't have TL, better to use an ATM at the port.

JB :)

We made the trip in the other direction and walked from the Spice Market across the Galata Bridge (Take the lower level.) Then we took the tram back to the ship as we had been walking all day.

We have "walked the walk" several times and really enjoy strolling over the bridge. But as others have stated, it is a good 30 min walk (longer if you are a slow walker). When walking over the Galata Bridge there is a lower level (on the left side as you head towards town) which is full of restaurants and some shops. So if you do make the walk, look for the steps and enjoy that lower level as you move towards downtown.

Hank

I agree, take the tram into town & then you can walk back.

You might want to take a look at the Istanbul posts over at Axamara. The latest post is by a cruiser who was in Istanbul two weeks ago.