Yesilkoy

Mediterranean, Turkey 1 tours visit here

Yeşilköy is a coastal neighbourhood on the European side of Istanbul, in the Bakırköy district, facing the Sea of Marmara. Known for centuries as Ayastefanos, or San Stefano, it began as a Greek fishing and farming settlement outside the city walls and later became a summer retreat for well-off Istanbul families. It gave its name to the Treaty of San Stefano, signed here at the end of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. That past is still legible in the street plan: low-rise stone and timber mansions behind walled gardens, a Greek Orthodox church dedicated to Saint Stephen, and an old lighthouse on the shore. Daily life centres on the seaside promenade, where residents walk, fish and sit in tea gardens while cargo ships wait offshore, and on Istanbul Caddesi, the main street, lined with bakeries, fish restaurants and cafes. The neighbourhood borders the grounds of the former Atatürk Airport, which originally carried its name, and is home to the Istanbul Aviation Museum. Commuter trains link it to the historic centre, and half a day or an evening is enough to see it; late afternoon, when the light softens over the water, suits the shore walk best.