Karakoy

Karakoy is modern Istanbul - creative, safe, and international. Good for experiencing the city's artistic side without the chaos of traditional tourist areas. A solid choice for a safer base.

Karakoy feels like a different city compared to the tourist chaos elsewhere. The waterfront area has been completely renovated with the new Galataport, bringing in good restaurants and art galleries. Istanbul Modern is worth a visit, and the old bank buildings along Bankalar Caddesi house some interesting galleries. The coffee scene here is solid - places like Karabatak actually know what they're doing. It stays busy until late with decent street lighting, and because of the port security, police are around regularly. The Tünel funicular makes it easy to get up to Galata if you don't want to walk the steep streets. Overall, it's one of the safer areas to walk around, especially compared to the traditional tourist spots.