Private house with 4 separate apartments - Fatih

Custom-renovated house in the historic area of Fener/Balat, within the walls of the Old City of Constantinople. Four separate flats, each with bedroom, bathroom, kitchen plus living room with sofa bed. Internet. 150 m2. Easy access to all Istanbul's most important sites. 15 minutes to Taksim and Sultanahmet by taxi. Tram, bus and ferry to all the other popular areas and it takes only 5-10 minutes walk to get to those stations from my house.

The space
A newly-renovated house in the historic area of Fener/Balat within the walls of the old city of Constantinople. The house is about a three-minute walk from the Golden Horn and the public transport network. Until the 1920s Fener/Balat was an entirely Greek and Jewish area, filled with distinctive Greek-style houses. Then, at the end of the Greco-Turkish war came the great population exchange between Greece and Turkey, during which most of the Greeks departed. The area is now being rediscovered. UNESCO has put a preservation order on hundreds of local houses. New cafes and eateries are opening all the time and the go-ahead has been given for a new port complex on the Golden Horn. At the same time the area retains the unique feel of old Istanbul: children playing football in the streets, lines of washing strung between coloured stone houses, small, chaotic neighbourhood stores and traditional bakeries. There is also the Patriarchate, the home of the Greek Orthodox Church, with its history and relics, various other sleepy Greek churches and nearby the Chora church, with its Byzantine mosaics, the finest in Istanbul. A little further is the northern end of the Great Land Walls of Constantinople, which can still be followed the 7kms between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara.

From Fener access to the centre of the Old City could not be easier. Istanbul's transport system is entirely integrated – bus, metro, tram and ferry. The same electronic Istanbulkarts are used on all forms of transport. From the bus stop or the new tram station at the end of the street; it's a ten-minute journey to Eminönü then a stroll, or two stops on the tram to Topkapı Palace, three to Aya Sophia, the Blue Mosque and so on. For those wanting to sample the bustle of the city centre and all its shopping, from the same bus stop a ten-minute ride goes across the Golden Horn to Taksim Square, the centre of the city. Alternatively, from Eminönü a ferry can be taken to Asia, the Princes' Islands, along the Bosphorus to bustling Beşiktaş and the other ports on the European side, or just a gentle tour.

There is far more to see in Istanbul than just the standard four or five main attractions, unmissable as they are. We would be very happy to give advice, help and so on with organising time spent in the city.

The building is an old, wooden-fronted Greek house. Everything inside is new. In the bedroom of each flat, which gives onto the back of the building, there is a new double bed plus a wardrobe and a desk. In the living room of each flat, which gives onto the front, there is a sofa bed, two occasional tables plus two chairs. Between the two there is a new kitchen area, with fridge and two-ring hob, plus plates, glasses, pots and pans and so on for all the people. Next to the bedroom is the bathroom, with wc, sink and a large shower. There is central heating throughout.

All sheets and towels are provided. There is also free wi-fi in the apartment.

Other things to note
It would be useful to bring your slippers with you.
It is forbidden to throw anything including toilet paper in the toilet.
It is STRICTLY forbidden to smoke.
It is STRICTLY forbidden to invite other people to the house.
Leaving the house tidy would be appreciated.

Registration details
34-129