Guides · 13 November 2026

Istanbul’s neighbourhoods, explained for Londoners

Istanbul is huge, and its neighbourhood names mean little before you go. So here is the city in names you already know. Kadıköy is Istanbul’s Dalston. Nişantaşı is its Knightsbridge. Levent is its Canary Wharf.

All the pairs below come from Istanbul, translated into London on Twinhoods. Each place in Istanbul gets the name of the most similar place in London. The map compares how lively, old, posh and green they are, and how close to the water. The number says how alike the two are. Close to 100 means nearly the same; a typical match is about 80.

• The old city
• Beyoğlu and around
• Nişantaşı and the Bosphorus
• The Asian side
• Where people work

The old city: Westminster, Borough and Bloomsbury

Sultanahmet is where the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are. Like Westminster, it is old, grand and full of visitors, but with more shops and fewer offices. Eminönü, by the ferries and the Spice Bazaar, is Borough. Both are known for their markets, though Eminönü goes to bed earlier. Beyazıt has the Grand Bazaar and Istanbul University, so it is Bloomsbury with more shops.

Fatih, the wider district around them, matches Whitechapel at 99. People come for the food, old customs are kept, and the old buildings stand out. It is less artsy and quieter at night.

Beyoğlu and around: Soho, Shoreditch and Islington

Beyoğlu, around İstiklal Avenue, is Soho: late bars, crowds and food, less posh and with fewer offices. Taksim Square is Covent Garden. Cihangir, on the hill above the water, is Islington: cafés, creative people and steep rents.

Karaköy, down by the port, is Bermondsey: old warehouses turned into restaurants and galleries, closer to the water. Galata, under the tower, is the loosest match here. It shares Shoreditch’s bars and makers but has far more history and fewer offices. We wrote more about that in the Shoreditch of other cities.

Nişantaşı and the Bosphorus: Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Hampstead

Nişantaşı is the city’s smart shopping quarter, so Knightsbridge fits. Rents are steep and the shops pull a crowd, with fewer tourists. Beşiktaş is a student and football neighbourhood full of cheap bars, which makes it Camden Town.

Further up the water, the names get greener and richer. Bebek is Chelsea by the water. Emirgan, with its big park, is Hampstead. Beykoz on the Asian shore is Richmond: a park is never far and families settle down. Ortaköy, with its mosque on the water and weekend crowds, is Greenwich.

The Asian side: Dalston, Stoke Newington and Kensington

Kadıköy is Dalston at 99: bars, record shops, a big food market and a young crowd, but by the sea. Moda, its quieter corner on the shore, is Stoke Newington.

Kuzguncuk, a small old village of wooden houses, is Highgate. Bağdat Caddesi, a long shopping street lined with flats, is Kensington, only newer. Üsküdar is a weak match at 61. It is more traditional than Paddington and less of a mix, so even its best London name is a stretch.

Where people work: Canary Wharf and King’s Cross

Istanbul’s offices are mostly north of the old city, not in it. Levent, with its towers, is Canary Wharf at 99. Maslak, further out, is King’s Cross at 70. Mecidiyeköy, a busy hub of offices and malls, is Hammersmith. Ataşehir on the Asian side, a new district of towers and shopping centres, is Stratford.

Places with no London twin

Some places keep their own names on the map, because London has nothing like them. The Princes’ Islands (Büyükada, Heybeliada, Kınalıada) have no cars and are reached only by ferry. Kilyos, a beach on the Black Sea, has no twin either. That is normal. Most cities have a few places like that.

Before you use this

This is a feel for each place, not advice on where to live or stay. It says nothing about safety, transport or prices. The pairs are from the live map on 13 November 2026. We improve the data often, so a pair may change; the map always has the current one. Tap any place there to read why it got its name.

See Istanbul, translated into London

Know Istanbul and moving to London? Try London, translated into Istanbul.