“New Gate”
Not so long ago Yenikapı was a relatively sleepy little place on the European shore of the Sea of Marmara just west of Kumkapı. It was best known as the departure point for the fast ferries to Bandırma and Yalova until suddenly it found itself a major transport interchange, connected to the Metro and the Marmaray as well as to the suburban train toute to Sirkeci. All of this means that it is likely to become a much more desirable place to live and gentrification is likely to proceed at a phenomenal pace.
The opening of the Marmaray was actually delayed for several years as the result of excavation work that uncovered the remains of the Byzantine and medieval Eleutherios harbour as well as 35 wooden ships still with their cargoes intact in Yenikapı. It was one of the most important archaeological discoveries in decades and it’s to be hoped that eventually the ships will go on display in a purpose-built museum. In the meantime, though, there’s little in the way of historic monuments for visitors to see here.
Long gone now are memories of the days when Langa was known as an area of lush market gardens. However, a large area of ground was reclaimed from the sea in the 2010s to create an arena for large-scale rallies and public events that are not longer permitted in Taksim Square.
Transport info
The port serving the İDO trans-Marmara ferries (http://www.ido.com.tr/en) is currently severed from the station by the busy coast road although this may eventually change.
The M2 Metro line connects Yenikapı with Hacıosman, passing through Vezneciler, Haliç, Şişhane, Taksim, Şişli and Gayrettepe where you can connect to the Metro to the airport.
The Marmaray connects Yenikapı to Halkali in the west for trains to Bulgaria and Romania, and to Gebze in the east for onward travel to Anatolia.
The suburban U-bahn connects Yenikapı to Kumkapı, Cankurtaran and Sirkeci, and to Cerrahpaşa, Kocamustafapaşa and Yedikule.
Nearby areas
