Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
city.
Enjoying the ferry trip from Europe to Asia.
Explore: Üsküdar
Üsküdar is a predominantly residential suburb that is best visited midweek, when it is
alive with locals shopping in its busy retail strips, gossiping with neighbours on street
corners, fishing off the Bosphorus shore and worshipping in its architecturally magnificent
mosques. On weekends (especially Sundays) it can be as quiet as the grave.
Located on the Anatolian (Asian) side of the city, it is a short but atmospheric ferry ride
from Eminönü and offers a very different - and authentically local - experience to those
travellers who choose to spend a morning here and then move on to the nearby suburb of
Kadıköy for lunch.
Local Life
»
The call to prayer
Üsküdar is a deeply religious suburb, so when the
ezan
(call to pray-
er) sounds you should expect to see plenty of worshippers rushing to the mosque. The
sounds of the
müezzins
calling from the many mosques around the ferry dock is quite ma-
gical.
»
Waterside promenades
On weekend afternoons, locals love to saunter from the Şemsi
Ahmed Paşa Mosque to Salacak or beyond, stopping at
çay bahçesis
(tea gardens) and re-
freshment kiosks along the way.
Getting There & Away
»
Ferry
Frequent passenger ferries travel between Üsküdar, Eminönü and Beşiktaş. Priv-
ately operated Dentur and Turyol ferries go to/from Kabataş, Eminönü and Karaköy.
»
Bus
Lines 12 and 12A link Üsküdar and Kadıköy. Catch them from the bus station in
front of the
iskele
(ferry dock).
