Pierre Loti Hill

The hill above Eyüp is named after Julien Viaud, the French naval officer and novelist who wrote as Pierre Loti, spent time in Istanbul in the 1870s and set his novel Aziyadé there; the café at the top claims him as a regular, which is likely embroidered but has stuck for a century. The view is not embroidered: the Golden Horn opens out below with the bridges across it, the old city on the far bank and the Bosphorus beyond. Getting up is either the short cable car from beside the Eyüp Sultan Mosque, or a walk of about twenty minutes on a path that climbs through the Eyüp cemetery - one of the largest and oldest in the city, thick with carved Ottoman headstones under cypresses, and the more interesting route by a wide margin. At the top are the old café serving tea in tulip glasses, a modern restaurant and a small terrace that fills at sunset.

What's there

• The Golden Horn view - the waterway, bridges and old city.
• The cemetery path - carved headstones under cypresses.
• The cable car - the short lift from Eyüp below.
• The old café - tea on the terrace at the top.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Late afternoon for the light down the Horn; weekends and holidays are crowded, and the cable car queues.

Before you go

The café is touristy and prices are above the neighbourhood norm. The walking route goes through an active cemetery - dress and behave accordingly. Sunset brings a crush on a small terrace.

Nearby

Eyüp Sultan Mosque and its tomb district are at the foot of the hill; the Golden Horn ferries run back to Eminönü.

Key facts