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Rumeli Kavağı is a village on the European side of the Bosporus in Istanbul. It sits north of central Sarıyer in the Sarıyer district, directly across from Anadolu Kavağı.
History
Rumeli Kavağı was a strategic command post during Ottoman times. In fact, kavak translates to command post. Today, it’s a small fishing village with a few fish restaurants scattered around.
Our Day
There’s not much to see in the village. I visited with my friends Keith, Tyra, and Aisha one afternoon, hopping off a Bosporus cruise to spend time there.
First, we walked down Liman Avenue (Liman Caddesi) to the small harbor where fishing boats are moored. We found a boat that had been converted into a restaurant and had a nice lunch there.
Next, we walked through the village and realized there’s nothing to see. With a good amount of time to kill, we decided to walk up into the hills to see if we could get a nice view of the Bosporus.
After a long uphill walk to the end of Namazgah Street (Namazgah Sokak), we realized the views weren’t that great. The only upside was that we were able to see some green, which was a nice escape from the concrete jungle of Istanbul.
We walked back down to the ferry terminal, had some ice cream, and waited for our ferry back down the Bosporus to Eminönü.
Getting There
The easiest way to get to Rumeli Kavağı is to take the M2 metro line to the last stop at Hacıosman. From there, you can hop on the 25A bus, which runs roughly every 30 minutes. The last stop is at Rumeli Kavağı and the ride takes about 25 minutes. There’s a ferry service other than the Bosporus tours but it isn’t frequent or convenient.
Conclusion
If you’re taking a full Bosporus tour on the Istanbul City Lines (Şehir Hatları), it’s not worth stopping in Rumeli Kavağı. You’re better off getting off the ferry across the way in Anadolu Kavağı.
