TRY: Camlica Hill

Kisikli Neighbourhood, Istanbul, Turkey
Daily: 8.00am - 12 midnight

With the help of my sister, my BFF and I finally made it to the Asian side of Istanbul. We'd wanted to go to the scenic Camlica Hill during our first visit to Turkey, but we didn't manage to. With the recent opening of the first half of the Uskudar-Cekmekoy metro line, it's now much easier to reach the hill by public transport.

In fact, we took the metro on the first day of its operation on 16 December 2018, dropping off at Kisikli metro station.

From the metro station, you need to walk through the upward sloping Kisikli Buyuk Camlica Road.

To the left is Kisikli Park.

At this particular fork where Mavera Restaurant is, follow the path to your right.

Again, follow the path to your right.

Once you see the playground and the radio towers, you're going to reach the peak soon.

At 268 m above sea level, Camlica Hill features a lovely park at its peak.

Sadly, you can't bring your pets for a walk to the hill. :(

I spotted a stray dog that kept looking at me.

Enjoy the breathtaking panorama of the Bosphorus and the mouth of the Golden Horn, which used to serve as an old trading harbour, as well as a residential area, during the Byzantine period.

Say cheese! :)

The Bosphorus Bridge has been renamed to 15 July Martrys Bridge following a coup attempt in 2016.

It costs ₺1.00 (~S$0.30), though I'm not sure about the duration for the cost.

Let's take a look at the upper section of the peak.

We had dinner at the one and only restaurant there.

Most people went off when it got darker and the temperature dropped further. :P

After dinner, we stayed for a while more to enjoy the night view.

What a stunning view! <3

Afterwards, we walked back to Kisikli metro station.

I can't remember why we took the stairs.

It's said that during the Ottoman era, Camlica Hill and some others in Istanbul were used as sites for training birds of prey, such as falcons and hawks.