Cafeography
Istanbul · Galata & Şişhane

Cafés in Galata & Şişhane

The lanes around Galata Tower and Galip Dede Caddesi, with roasters on Tatar Bey Sokak.

Photo: Merve Erten, Pexels License

Galata grew up around its tower. The Genoese, who held the colony from 1273, completed the Galata Tower in 1348; it rises 62.59 m to the tip of its roof.12 A restoration began on 30 June 2020, and the tower reopened on 6 October 2020 as the Galata Tower Museum, with an observation terrace on the eighth floor.1

Şişhane is the slope above, around the metro station and the top of Galip Dede Caddesi, which leads from Tünel Square down to the tower. Cafés fill the lanes on every side of it: Büyük Hendek Caddesi, Serdar-ı Ekrem Caddesi, Tatar Bey Sokak and the short Kule Çıkmazı ("tower cul-de-sac").

Local tip: Gallant Galata on Büyük Hendek Caddesi opens at 08:00 and Old Java Coffee Roasters on Tatar Bey Sokak at 09:00, both a short walk from the tower.

At a glance

72Cafés listed
11With opening hours
08:00Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: d'Orient Beyoğlu, from 08:00 (Daily 08:00–22:00).
  • Closes latest: Art Smyrna Cafe & Galeri, until 01:00 (Daily 09:00–01:00).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (11%), open late (10%), wi-fi (10%).

Velvet Cafe

  • Kule Çıkmazı No:7a
  • Tue–Thu 10:00–20:30 · Fri–Sat 10:00–21:00 · Sun 10:00–20:30
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Coffee chains in Galata & Şişhane

Getting to Galata and Şişhane

Şişhane station on the M2 metro opened on 31 January 2009 under Meşrutiyet Caddesi, with exits to İstiklal Caddesi and Kasımpaşa.3 The other way in is the Tünel, whose upper station at Tünel Square is about a minute and a half from Karaköy by funicular.4

The tower, the Mevlevi lodge and Neve Shalom

In the Genoese period it was known as the Tower of the Holy Cross, after the cross on its summit.1 Inside, the second floor shows an animation of Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi gliding from it, and the seventh floor has a scale model of part of the city, with telescopes at the windows.1

On Galip Dede Caddesi, the Galata Mevlevihanesi, a lodge of the Mevlevi order, was restored between 2005 and 2009 and turned into a museum by the General Directorate for Foundations.5 Neve Shalom Synagogue, at 61 Büyük Hendek Caddesi, was inaugurated on 25 March 1951.6

Roasters and cafés around the tower

Tatar Bey Sokak has Old Java Coffee Roasters at No. 8, open Monday to Saturday 09:00–21:00 and until 18:00 on Sundays, with Wi-Fi, and Dukkan Galata at No. 15/B, from 08:30 on weekdays. Federal Coffee Galata is on Küçük Hendek Caddesi, and Drip Coffee Istanbul, on General Yazgan Sokağı, opens at 08:30 from Monday to Saturday and 09:30 on Sundays.

Büyük Hendek Caddesi, the street of Neve Shalom, has Gallant Galata at No. 15, open daily 08:00–01:00, and Nata Lisboa Galata at No. 20/A, open until 23:00 from Monday to Saturday. On Galip Dede Caddesi, d'Orient Beyoğlu at No. 22 opens daily 08:00–22:00 with outdoor tables.

Quieter lanes and closing times

Papadopoulos Coffee & Cake on Lüleci Hendek Sokak keeps 09:00–18:00 daily, is smoke-free and has vegan options. Velvet Cafe, in Kule Çıkmazı, opens from 10:00 Tuesday to Sunday. Muhayyel Cafe on Şah Kulu Bostan Sokağı stays open until 22:00 daily with Wi-Fi and outdoor seats.

Serdar-ı Ekrem Caddesi has Mavra Café at No. 31 and Lattas Coffee. Otantik is at 1 Galata Kulesi Sokak, Payidar on Lakerdacı Sokağı, and Vacilando, with vegan options, on Hoca Ali Sokağı. Galata Kitchen, also vegan-friendly, opens 11:30–22:00 from Monday to Saturday. Of the cafés around the tower, Gallant Galata closes last, at 01:00.

Sources

  1. Galata Tower, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Galata, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Şişhane (Istanbul Metro), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Tünel, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Galata Mevlevihanesi Museum, Atatürk Kültür Merkezi (AKM), accessed October 2026
  6. Neve Shalom Synagogue, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Galata & Şişhane, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Wi-Fi Open late Breakfast & brunch Bakery cafés

FAQ

Galata & Şişhane cafés: questions

When was Galata Tower in Istanbul built?

The Genoese, who held Galata as a colony from 1273, completed the Galata Tower in 1348. It stands 62.59 m to the tip of its roof. After a restoration that began on 30 June 2020, it reopened on 6 October 2020 as the Galata Tower Museum, with an observation terrace on the eighth floor.

How do you get to Galata and Şişhane in Istanbul by metro?

Take the M2 metro to Şişhane, a station opened on 31 January 2009 under Meşrutiyet Caddesi, with exits to İstiklal Caddesi and Kasımpaşa. From Karaköy, the Tünel funicular climbs to its upper station at Tünel Square in about a minute and a half, at the top of Galip Dede Caddesi.

Where can you get coffee near Galata Tower in Istanbul?

Tatar Bey Sokak has Old Java Coffee Roasters at No. 8, open Monday to Saturday 09:00–21:00 and Sundays until 18:00, and Dukkan Galata at No. 15/B. Gallant Galata on Büyük Hendek Caddesi is open daily 08:00–01:00, and Federal Coffee Galata is on Küçük Hendek Caddesi.

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