The Golden Horn separates European Istanbul’s two major districts of Beyoglu, on the north bank, and Sultanahmet to the south.
This legendary body of water is crossed by the bustling Galata Bridge and forms a natural protective harbor.
Heading upstream from the Galata Bridge, the Golden Horn is crossed by Ataturk Bridge, Old Galata Bridge (moved here from its original position after a fire in1992) and the Halic Bridge.
In the days of Constantinople, a chain was stretched across the Horn from Seraglio Point to the old Galata Tower.
Other than sauntering across Galata Bridge, the best way to appreciate Istanbul’s legendary waterway is to hop on a ferry heading either up to Eyup or out to the picturesque Princes Islands in the Sea of Marmara.
The Golden Horn winds north-west from its meeting point with the Bosphorus and Sea of Marmara at Seraglio Point, on the tip of Old Istanbul. Ferries cluster beside Galata Bridge in Eminönü.
