Photos: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Giorgio Galeotti, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Jwslubbock, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo credits
Photos: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Giorgio Galeotti, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Jwslubbock, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Karaköy's design studios and galleries
Your local guide
Kerem Toprak
View profile
Highlights
- Karaköy's shared design studios
- A working harbour turned design hub
- Current gallery work, explained
- Businesses that predate the changes
- Contemporary Istanbul, up close
About this tour
This session moves through Karaköy's design studios and a small gallery space, tracing how the neighbourhood shifted from a working harbour district to a design hub. You see a shared studio courtyard and current gallery work in the same short walk. Kerem, who runs his own studio nearby, explains which businesses predate the neighbourhood's recent popularity.
The call opens with a sound check at the studio courtyard, then moves to the gallery space. Kerem answers questions about specific studios and sends a short note afterwards on the neighbourhood's design scene.
This suits anyone interested in contemporary design and art rather than only historical monuments. It also pairs well with an evening session in the same neighbourhood.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Istanbul before heading out.
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Studio courtyard 21 min
The camera moves into a shared courtyard of design studios in Karaköy, and Kerem points out which businesses have been there since before the neighbourhood's recent changes.
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Gallery space 21 min
You see a small gallery showing current work, and Kerem explains how Karaköy's design scene connects to the wider art world in the city.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Istanbul: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Turkish tea (çay) and Sultanahmet, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Istanbul time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 8 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Istanbul, showing you Studio courtyard and Gallery space live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need any background in art?
No. The guide explains what matters as you go, whatever you already know or do not.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We connect on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk Karaköy live with my phone.
Times shown in Istanbul time (GMT+3)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Only travellers who booked and paid through Locals Guide and whose tour took place can leave a review, within 60 days of the tour. Every review is marked "Verified booking". We check reviews before they appear and publish positive and negative ones alike; we remove only reviews that break our rules (insults, personal data, unrelated content). Guides cannot pay for, edit or hide reviews, and ratings are the plain average of all published reviews.
Next: Sat 7 Nov · 8 seats left From 23,00 €
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