“Fashion”
Right next door to Kadiköy is the swish Moda neighbourhood with some very desirable places to live. It’s not so much a place to come to for sightseeing as to eat in some fine restaurants although there are a few minor attractions to seek out too.
Around Moda
Universally remembered as Moda 81300, the fine stone house that was home to the much-loved rock star Barış Manço (1943-99) is now the Barış Manço Museum (closed Mondays, small admission fee). Aside from some of his furniture and personal effects it also shows off memorabilia associated with the Turkish music industry of the 1970s and ‘80s. These days, it can seem strange enough looking at Western pop stars of that era in their skin-tight trousers and long hair. To see their Turkish equivalents similarly clad comes as quite a shock. The house was originally built for the British Whittall family.
Just down the road the old Moda ferry terminal was built in 1917 by the architect, Vedat Tek. A cute little building approached via a causeway like a British pier, it was badly damaged by a storm in 1937 and only restored in 2000. Today it serves as the Tarihi Moda İskelesi cafe and library with magnificent views but no alcohol.
Back on shore near the pier you’ll see the Koço restaurant, a great place to eat fish and soak up the view but with the added attraction of an ayazma (sacred spring) concealed downstairs in its garden. The spring was dedicated to St Catherine which means lots of icons of the saint accompanied by images of the wheel on which she was executed.
The back streets of Moda nurture a couple of churches including the twin-towered Catholic Church of the Assumption which is right on the route of the Moda tram. The much smaller Anglcan All Saints is opposite the Barış Manço Museum and was designed by the British architect G.E. Street in 1878.
Opposite the Dondurmacı Ali Usta ice-cream shop stands the huge Sarıca Arif Paşa Konaği which dates back to 1903 and was, unusually, designed by a Muslim architect for Ahmet İzzet Paşa, one of the last Ottoman grand viziers. Its last owner was his grand-daughter, the famous concert pianist, Ayşegül Sarıca, who died in 2023.
It’s possible to walk all the way from Moda to Fenerbahçe following the coastal promenade.
Eating and drinking
The sprawling Moda Aile Çay Bahçesi makes a great place to sit and soak up the afternoon sun over a glass of tea that won’t break the budget. Over summer weekends it gets so busy that you’ll be lucky to find a table.
In summer the queues outside the long-lived ice-cream shop Dondurmacı Ali Usta are a testimony to its enduring popularity with those who crave real Turkish ice-cream.
Transport info
Although the nostalgic tram from Kadıköy officially transits Moda, it only skirts the outskirts and doesn’t go anywhere near the most interesting part by the sea. To get to that you’re probably best off walking along the shore road from Kadıköy although even this doesn’t go all the way there directly – you will need to divert inland and feel your way down to the sea.
You can easily walk to Moda from Kadıköy following busy, shop-lined Moda Caddesi.
Ferries operate from Moda İskelesi to Kadıköy and Bostancı.
Nearby areas
