Very busy bridge. We were staying in a hotel nearby and crossed it many times a day as a result…read more Hundreds of men fishing from both sides of the bridge all day and deep into the night, which we know because we were up with jet lag and walk the bridge at night too. If you visit Istanbul this bridge is certainly one to walk over. There are two levels you can walk, the lower level has tons of resistant. You'll get nice views of the Bosphorus river and tons of boats. It's a very active area, both on land and water. 1 1

Much of our adventure in Istanbul involved Ottoman era mosques and museums, but the getting to and…read morefrom them involved walking through living Istanbul. In the category of life in Istanbul, this bridge tops the list. It's a long wide bridge where people are fishing, lovers hold hands, tourists local and international admire the Bosphorus and it's a very pleasant walk even in inclement off season weather. Good shopping on either end, some interesting places to eat right under (yes under the bridge) and awesome views of both the Occidental and Oriental sides.

We went in here after a few drinks, so the factors leading up to that decision are a bit hazy. I…read moreappreciated the menu outside informing us that a standard 50ml beer would be 9TL, so we knew what to expect. The waiters were a bit frightened by a group of foreigners, asking us if we spoke Turkish several times (most of us did). I only ordered fries, the service was quick and friendly. The waiters were also very sensitive to a friend's somewhat "special" order, which was a Gin & Tonic (not on the menu) with lime (a hard-to-find fruit in this neck of the woods). I explained her order in Turkish and the waiter was receptive & got it right. I like that kind of dude. Overall a positive experience and a good atmosphere. I might go back despite the prices that were even higher than Zeplin, in some cases.