Arnavutköy Waterfront Mansions

A village on the edge of the current

Just north of the village, the Akıntıburnu headland is where the Bosphorus current runs at its fiercest. Before steamships, sailing boats and rowing craft struggled to round the point and, so the story goes, were sometimes hauled along from the shore by rope. According to sources, the Byzantines named the area after this “great current”. There are several explanations for the modern name, which means “Albanian village”; the most common is that Albanian families were settled here after the Ottoman conquest.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries Arnavutköy was a mixed Bosphorus village with a large Greek Orthodox community. The historic Taxiarchis Church, holy springs and old school buildings still reflect that layered past. The village was also famous across Istanbul for the small, fragrant Arnavutköy strawberry once grown in gardens on the hillside.

Mansions and bay windows: what to look for

• The waterfront row: timber yalı mansions right on the water, most of two or three storeys, with carved eaves, fine window frames and pastel façades.
• Bay windows: in the back lanes, enclosed wooden oriels jut over the street on carved brackets; spotting the different patterns becomes a game.
• Stone below, timber above: the typical local solution of a masonry ground floor topped by wooden upper storeys.
• The view from Akıntıburnu: where the Bosphorus bends you can see the bridge to the south and Bebek Bay to the north, and the current lines are visible on the water.
• The pier square: the little ferry pier and its surroundings are a good place to start and get a feel for the village scale.

The shoreline walk to Bebek

The nicest way to see Arnavutköy is to start at the pier and walk north along the shore, rounding Akıntıburnu to reach Bebek. The path is flat and paved and easy with children, but the coast road is busy, so keep little ones on the inside of the pavement. Anglers casting lines and huge ships gliding through the strait keep you company. If you still have energy, continue on to Rumeli Fortress.

For a break, local bakeries sell simit and savoury pastries, and breakfast cafés serve generous Turkish breakfast spreads. Sitting on a waterfront bench with a glass of tea is the best way to slip into Arnavutköy's unhurried pace.

When to go and how to visit respectfully

Weekday mornings are the quietest; weekend afternoons get busy along the shore. In spring, usually from late April into May, Judas trees turn the Bosphorus hillsides pink and look lovely against the wooden façades. There is little shade on the waterfront in summer, so walk in the morning or late afternoon.

Almost all of the mansions and houses are private homes that people live in. Keep a respectful distance from doors and windows when taking photos and do not wander into gardens. For an overview of this stretch of shore and its other villages, see our Bosphorus villages page.

Getting there from Sareban Hotel

Take the T1 tram from near our hotel to Kabataş, then catch one of the buses heading north along the coast road towards Sarıyer and get off at Arnavutköy. The ride runs along the water past Beşiktaş, Ortaköy and Kuruçeşme, so it doubles as a scenic tour. Coastal traffic can be heavy at weekends, so set off early. On some days ferries also call at the Arnavutköy pier; check current timetables in our Istanbul ferry guide.