Pierre Loti Hill: Eyüp Cable Car, Café, Getting There and Best Time

The easiest way up Pierre Loti Hill is the Eyüp cable car: a ride of about three minutes from the Eyüp station near the Golden Horn shore to the café at the top, running from 08:00 to 23:00 and paid with an Istanbulkart. The hill sits above Eyüp, at the far end of the Golden Horn, and its terrace has one of the widest views over the inlet and the old city. Most visitors combine it with Eyüp Sultan Mosque at the foot of the hill, one of the most important Muslim shrines in Istanbul, and with the Balat and Fener neighbourhoods on the way. This guide covers the cable car, the café, how to get to Eyüp, the walk down through the cemetery and the best time of day. If you would rather go with a guide, our Yedikule, Galata and Balat half-day tour covers this side of the city from $45 per person.

The Eyüp–Pierre Loti cable car

The cable car is line TF2 of Metro Istanbul, and it has been running since 2005. It is short and simple, but it saves a steep climb.

The cabins are small, so at weekends and on sunny evenings you may wait in line at the bottom station. The line is also suspended in strong wind and for planned maintenance, which happens more often than visitors expect. If the cable car is not running, you can walk up the steep path through the cemetery, or a taxi can drive to the top. Check the Metro Istanbul app or website on the day.

Pierre Loti Café and the view

At the top is the café that gives the hill its name, with terraces looking down the Golden Horn towards Galata, the Süleymaniye Mosque and the old city. People come for tea, Turkish coffee and, in winter, hot salep, and above all for the view, which is at its best late in the afternoon when the light turns gold over the water.

The name comes from Pierre Loti, the pen name of Julien Viaud, a French naval officer and novelist who first came to Istanbul in 1876 and wrote about the city in his novel Aziyadé. Tourist guides often say he wrote at this very café. Historians are less sure: the café existed long before him, he seems to have been an occasional visitor, and the hill took his name later, in the 1920s. The story is part of the charm, but treat it as a story.

On busy days the best tables go quickly. If the main terrace is full, there are other cafés and viewing points along the top of the hill, and the view is much the same.

How to get to Eyüp

Eyüp is on the European side at the inner end of the Golden Horn, a few kilometres up the shore from Balat. There are several ways to get there:

• Tram T5. The Golden Horn tram runs along the shore from Eminönü and stops at Eyüp Teleferik, by the bottom cable car station. It passes Fener and Balat on the way, so you can stop there first.
• Ferry. The Golden Horn (Haliç) ferry line runs up the inlet to Eyüp, calling at piers such as Kasımpaşa, Fener, Hasköy and Sütlüce. Sailings are few, so check the Şehir Hatları timetable before you plan around it.
• Bus. Several city buses run along the shore road from Eminönü to Eyüp.
• Taxi or private car. From Sultanahmet or Taksim, the drive follows the Golden Horn shore road, and the time depends heavily on traffic. With a driver, you can be dropped at the top of the hill, walk down, and be collected at the mosque.

The most pleasant route for a first visit is to go up the Golden Horn by tram, stop in Balat and Fener, and arrive at Eyüp in the afternoon.

Eyüp Sultan Mosque and the tomb

At the foot of the hill, Eyüp Sultan Mosque is the reason most Turkish visitors come to Eyüp. It stands beside the tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion and standard-bearer of the Prophet Muhammad, who is believed to have died during the Arab siege of Constantinople in the 670s. After the Ottoman conquest, the tomb was identified in 1458 and the first mosque was built next to it. The present mosque dates from a rebuilding ordered by Sultan Selim III, completed around 1800.

The tomb is a place of prayer and pilgrimage, not a museum. Inside, the cenotaph is enclosed by a silver grille. Visitors are welcome, but behave as you would in any mosque:

• Women cover their hair; everyone covers shoulders and knees
• Take your shoes off before entering the mosque
• Keep your voice down at the tomb, and do not photograph people praying
• Avoid visiting during the Friday midday prayer, when the courtyard is full

The square around the mosque is lively, with stalls selling prayer beads, books and sweets. Our page on Pierre Loti Hill and Eyüp Sultan Mosque has more about the complex, and our guide to the mosques of Istanbul puts it in context.

Walking down through the cemetery

Many people ride up and walk down. A path leads from the top of the hill down through the Eyüp cemetery, one of the oldest Muslim cemeteries in the city, with Ottoman gravestones carved with turbans and flowers under cypress trees. Going downhill is much easier than climbing, and the path ends close to the mosque.

The path is paved but steep in places and can be slippery after rain. Wear proper shoes, and if anyone in your group has trouble with slopes, take the cable car both ways. This is a working cemetery, so keep to the path and be respectful.

Best time to visit

• Time of day. Late afternoon is the classic choice, for the light and the sunset over the Golden Horn. Mornings are quieter, with fewer people in the cable car queue and easier tables at the café.
• Day of the week. Weekdays are calmer. Weekends and public holidays bring families from all over the city, and the queue for the cable car can be long.
• Friday. The mosque is very busy around midday prayers. Visit the hill first and the mosque later in the afternoon.
• Ramadan. The square around Eyüp Sultan Mosque is especially busy in the evenings, with iftar crowds. It is a good time to see the place at its liveliest, but plan extra time.
• Season. The view works all year. On a clear winter day, with salep on the terrace, it can be the best visit of all.

Combining Pierre Loti with the Golden Horn

Pierre Loti fits best at the end of a day along the Golden Horn. A practical half-day or full-day route:

1. Start at Balat and Fener, with the coloured houses, the Bulgarian St Stephen Church and the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. Our guide to things to do in Balat has the details.
2. Continue to the Chora Church near the city walls if you have time.
3. Go on to Eyüp for the mosque in the afternoon.
4. Take the cable car to Pierre Loti for sunset, then return by taxi, car or tram.

If you prefer someone else to handle the route, our Istanbul full-day tour with Balat, Galata and a Bosphorus cruise covers much of this side of the city, and a private guide can build the whole day around Eyüp. For more ideas, see the private city tours on our sister site Get Istanbul Tours.

Tours that cover this

• Yedikule Fortress, Galata & Balat Half-Day Tour in Istanbul: from $45 per person, the Golden Horn side of the city with a guide.
• Istanbul Full-Day Tour with Bosphorus Cruise: Balat, Galata & Lunch: from $57 per person.
• Private Istanbul Tour with a Licensed Guide: 1, 2 or 3 Days: from $199 per group per day, with Eyüp and Pierre Loti added on request.
• Istanbul Private Driver Tour: Mercedes Vito for 8 Hours, 1-6 Guests: from $299 per group, useful for a drop-off at the top of the hill and pickup at the mosque.

Our Istanbul destination guide and things to do in Istanbul cover the rest of the city.

Frequently Asked Questions