Open up a world of Turkish inspiration with a Cornucopia digital subscription

Buy or gift a stand-alone digital subscription and get unlimited access to dozens of back issues for just £18.99 / $18.99 a year.

Please register at www.exacteditions.com/digital/cornucopia with your subscriber account number or contact subscriptions@cornucopia.net

Buy a digital subscription Go to the Digital Edition

Cornucopia’s travel guide

Upper Bosphorus (Europe)


The European side of the Bosphorus from the Black sea to the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge is a refined balance between city and seaside. Tarabya and Büyükdere is where the diplomatic classes took themselves off to in the 19th century. Beyond Sarıyer is wilderness, except that the PM has personally decided to destroy what should always have remained a nature reserve and the lungs of Istanbul, by building a third bridge here to bring further congestion to the city. Military zones (forests) are being privatised to ease the faster development of new housing estates. But for now it is heaven, and in a poyraz (north wind), the sea is turquoise and gorgeous. Swim to your heart's content while you can. This August the Bosphorus is exceptionally warm. And for some reason there are droves of dolphins to swim alongside, 'in amazing different colours', says one captain.

What you will see

The Upper Bosphorus remains a haven of peaceful civilisation, at least until the dreaded third bridge is built. The villages become increasingly distinct from one another as you move North, from Emirgan and its superlative Sakıp Sabancı Museum, all the way to Sariyer and the equally impressive Sadberk Hanım Museum. Eventually the traffic thins out too, and the coast becomes an enjoyable place to walk, stop, sit, take tea and watch the boats go by.
Just inland is the last significant expanse of greenery remaining anywhere near the metropolis, the Belgrade Forest. It makes a lovely place for a day of strolling and picnicking, and must be visited in droves if it is to stand and chance of surviving destructive policies.

Getting there

Beat the waterside traffic by taking the metro to ITU Ayazaga, and grab a taxi down to Emirgan or Istiniye.

Cornucopia Digital Subscription

The Digital Edition

Cornucopia works in partnership with the digital publishing platform Exact Editions to offer individual and institutional subscribers unlimited access to a searchable archive of fascinating back issues and every newly published issue. The digital edition of Cornucopia is available cross-platform on web, iOS and Android and offers a comprehensive search function, allowing the title’s cultural content to be delved into at the touch of a button.

Digital Subscription: £18.99 / $18.99 (1 year)

Subscribe now