Karaköy

Karaköy sits at the foot of the Galata hill where the Golden Horn meets the Bosphorus, the old maritime gateway of European Istanbul. Once the bustling port of medieval Galata and later the city's banking quarter, it has reinvented itself as one of the most creative and design-conscious neighbourhoods in town, all within sight of the old city across the water.

Its layers of history are still legible in the streets. Genoese and Byzantine walls, an underground mosque, ornate former bank headquarters and the wrought-iron Kamondo Stairs all survive within a few blocks, alongside working hardware and marine-supply shops that predate the district's fashionable revival by generations.

Today Karaköy pairs grit with polish. Specialty coffee roasters, contemporary galleries, boutique hotels and celebrated baklava houses share the lanes with fishermen selling their catch from boats along the quay. The revamped Galataport cruise terminal has drawn museums and restaurants to the waterfront, including the striking new home of Istanbul Modern, the city's leading contemporary art museum, whose galleries look straight out over the strait.

For travellers it is a natural crossing point, linked to the old city by the Galata Bridge and to Beyoğlu by the short, steep Tünel funicular, one of the oldest underground railways in the world. Come for a leisurely Turkish breakfast, browse the galleries, sample the famous börek and baklava, then walk the seafront promenade toward the ferry piers. It is compact and easily explored on foot, though the cobbled slopes up to Galata are demanding; the mood is relaxed by day and lively into the evening, with prices a notch above the old city. Ferries from the pier here also make an inexpensive and scenic way to cross to the Asian shore for lunch.