One of the oldest and historical districts of Istanbul, Balat is known with its beautiful historical streets full of old-type structures. It is also known as one of the best places to take photos as many photographers go there to capture impressive photographs.

Balat is very close to Fener district of Fatih, so usually it is mentioned as Fener-Balat. It was once home to Greek-speaking Jews in Byzantine era. Today, there are many Jewish, Turkish, Greek and Armenian people living in here.

Fener-Balat is located along the Golden Horn (Haliç) offering to see beautiful churches, synagogues, small groceries, food from street sellers, colorful and historical buildings, and an influencing panorama to take photos. You can explore Chora Church (Chora Museum – also Kariye Müzesi in Turkish) with its gorgeous mosaics and frescos. We recommend you to wear comfortable shoes, because the roads are flat at first, but they get steeper and slippery if you continue to walk.

On a nice day, if you would like to go for a walk and discover a new place, Fener and Balat districts are good ones to get lost and explore all the way round!

Here are some near sites to see when you go to Fener-Balat:

• Chora Church (Chora Museum – also known as Kariye Müzesi in Turkish)
• The Patriarchate Church of St George
• Church of St Mary of the Mongols
• Pammakaristos Church (also known as Fethiye Camii in Turkish)
• Fener Greek Orthodox High School
• Ahrida Synagogue
• Bulgarian St Stephen Church

To reach Fener-Balat from Sultanahmet, you can take T1 tram to Aksaray station, then take 41Y bus from Yenikapı Transit station to Fener station. You can explore Fener and Balat districts as they are located in the same place.