(Sort of) Quiet Spots in Istanbul

I love cities. The clamor; the noise; the busyness; the relentless excitement! But one of the things I enjoy the most is finding a park or a back street where you can slow down and listen to the distant chaos of the surrounding city. To me, there’s nowhere more peaceful than quiet spots surrounded by the city’s noise. When I decided to swap one metropolis for another I was aware that quiet spots in Istanbul are in short supply. Forget back streets; there’s not one corner of the city that doesn’t contain a car – usually three – hooting, reversing onto pavements and doing eleven-point turns round sharp corners. It’s entertaining to watch but not exactly peaceful. Parks are also hard to come by; as a result, on warm weekends the green space that does exist is busier than the Metrobus at rush hour.

But since arriving I’ve persevered in my quest to find some peace and quiet – or ‘milkport’ as I like to call it these days.  I’ve had to venture indoors or search out places that, even though busy, provide a change in pace in this usually frenetic city.  So here it is.  The impossible made possible.  Where to find a (kind of) quiet spot in Istanbul.

Museums

Despite the huge increase in the number of art galleries and museums in Istanbul, most of them still have relatively small visitor numbers and it’s usually possible to find a quiet corner even in the busier venues, except in Sultanahmet of course. The plus side is that as well as serenity you get to browse some of the remarkable collections that the city holds.  I’m a particular fan of the weights and measures gallery in the Pera Museum, both for the eclectic collection and the echoes from the city outside.  A good thing to note is that many museums are open until 7 or 8 pm on select evenings (for instance, the Istanbul Modern is open until 8 pm on Thursdays) but not many people seem to visit at this time.

Özgürlük Parkı

There are a number of sizeable parks in Istanbul as well as some smaller ones. Unfortunately, busy roads and low fences make some parks feel like you’re on a traffic island.  Despite this, parks are the hub of the city’s communities – kids play, friends chatter, dogs are walked and people sit on benches enjoying the fresh air.  My favourite is Özgürlük Parkı, a sizeable oasis of green on the Anatolian side of Istanbul. It’s not just any old patch of grass and trees; it’s a fully landscaped Alice-in-Wonderland-style enclave.  There are elephants in paddling pools, a mini Monet-bridge going over a fake stream and some frankly amazing topiary.  It has an outdoor theatre and a pretty decent fruit and veg market.  But aside from the facilities, what’s lovely about Özgürlük Parkı is the atmosphere.  You walk in from the roaring traffic and rushing pedestrians to a relaxing, friendly and peaceful place.

(Like much of the green space, it’s unfortunately in danger of development. I truly hope the authorities come to their senses and don’t risk losing this wonderful park.)

SALT Beyoğlu Walk-In Cinema

As mentioned above, museums and galleries are a great place to find quiet.  However, the Walk-In Cinema at SALT Beyoğlu provides a different experience.  It’s a cinema screen that’s open at all times, for everyone, for free.  They stage forums, presentations, screenings, events, and workshops but it’s also ‘open to impromptu dance, theatre and performance rehearsals.’ The best thing to do is just take a seat and enjoy whatever’s on offer.  If you find the whirlwind of shoppers/ revelers on Istiklal Caddesi gets a bit too much (and, let’s be honest, it’s always a bit too much), the Walk-In Cinema is the perfect escape.

Research Centres

If you need to get your head down to work, there are some great libraries with public access.  Along with silence, you can get access to a desk and excellent research material.  I’m a particular fan of the research area in SALT Galata; a marvelous space and collection.  University and municipal libraries aren’t necessarily open to all but many museums have research centers (e.g. Istanbul Modern, Pera), cultural institutes often have libraries (e.g. Goethe Institut, French Institute) and there are quite a few specialist libraries in the city that are open to the public (e.g. The Woman’s Library, Borusan Music Library).  The Goethe Institut has a comprehensive list of libraries, many of which are in Istanbul.

Sunday Morning

Full-time work in Turkey really lives up to its name.  Office workers are often found toiling away in the evenings and even on Saturdays.  As a result, Sunday has become the ultimate day of rest and by midday, the city is full of people strolling, idling, brunching and shopping.  However, if you venture out of your apartment before 11 am, there’s barely a soul to be seen and even the roads are relatively quiet. It’s a great time to enjoy Istanbul as you’ve never seen it before.

Escape!

If none of the above cut it and you have a day to spare you could always escape the city entirely.  The Islands (Adalar) are accessible by boat from Kabataş, Kadıköy, Bostancı, and Kartal.  Although people often complain about half of Istanbul flocking there on hot weekends, I still find it remarkably peaceful.  There are no cars, which results in a totally different pace of life and, if you’re not averse to steep hills, it’s still possible to find quiet corners for a walk or a bike ride.  Polonezkoy is also worth a visit for some green respite.  It’s only accessible by car or taxi but well worth a visit.  And finally, you could try Belgrade Forest (Belgrad Ormanı), which is a 5,000-acre forest fully decked out with pathways and picnic areas.  A particularly cool place to escape on a hot city day.

If you can bear to share the secret I’d love to hear where you go to get some peace and quiet in the city.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in February of 2014. It was updated for relevance on December of 2018.