Our tour will cover the fascinating Galata and Beyoğlu (Pera) districts of İstanbul. These districts have an entirely different history than the city of Constantinople. Along the way, we’ll learn about Italian Crusaders, a famous French architect, the first person to fly across the Bosphorus Canal to Asia and the rest of the history of Istanbul. The tour will start in the historic district of Karaköy, where we will navigate our way through Galata’s narrow streets to discover magnificent architecture. Our journey will explore hidden treasures of Neoclassical, Beaux-Arts, and Neo Baroque architecture that you might never see on your own. When we see the Romanesque Galata Tower, we’ll talk about why it was built by a bunch of Genoans. As we leave the tower, we’ll learn about the last remnants of the Galata walls. Then we'll head to Turkey’s most famous street, Istiklal and continue to discover the side streets and courtyards that are hidden to most tourists. You’ll get to see the second oldest subway in the world and some very interesting Italian and Greek churches. To close our tour, we'll walk to Turkey’s most famous gathering place, Taksim Square. Along the way, you’ll learn about how the square has played an enormous role in the rich political, military and cultural history of Turkey. My tours are designed to be interactive, so we’ll have plenty of time for questions.