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A photograph of Camondo stairs
Photograph · VikiPicture · CC BY-SA 3.0

Historic site · Beyoğlu, Istanbul

Camondo stairs

Kamondo Merdivenleri

Open today, 00:00 – 23:59
Today
Open today, 00:00 – 23:59
Visit duration
15 min Editorial visit time estimate
Accessibility
Not step-free
Price
Not recorded
Standing
Must see
Rank
Rank 188 of 8,221
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Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Plan your visit.

Opening hours

Monday 00:00 – 23:59
Tuesday 00:00 – 23:59
Wednesday 00:00 – 23:59
Thursday 00:00 – 23:59
Friday 00:00 – 23:59
Saturday 00:00 – 23:59
Sunday 00:00 – 23:59

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Admission

Not recorded

Access and facilities

  • Accessible toilets · Not available
  • Pushchair access · Not available
  • Step-free access · Not available
  • Toilets · Available

Source · Checked 2026-08-31

A photograph of Camondo stairs
Photograph · Nan Palmero from San Antonio, TX, USA · CC BY 2.0

About Camondo stairs

The Camondo Stairs are a short public stairway in Galata built by a banker so that he could get to work. Abraham Salomon Camondo, the Ottoman-Venetian Jewish financier at the head of the House of Camondo, had them constructed circa 1870 to 1880 to link Kart Çınar Sokak, where he lived, with Bankalar Caddesi, where he worked. His children, who attended the nearby St George's Austrian High School, used them daily.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

A photograph of Camondo stairs
Photograph · Yair Haklai · CC BY-SA 4.0

What's inside

Nothing, in the sense that word usually carries here. There is no door, no interior and no collection. What there is is the geometry: the stair leaves Bankalar Caddesi as one flight, divides, sweeps outward in two curving arms and closes again higher up, so that the whole run reads as a figure drawn on the hillside rather than a set of steps. The balustrades are the detail worth stopping for — the curling ironwork and stonework where the Baroque instinct for the curve meets an Art Nouveau line.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

How long to spend

Fifteen minutes, and that is generous. There is nothing to enter, nothing to queue for and nothing to read; the visit consists of climbing the stair, turning at the top and photographing the double curve from two or three positions on the way back down. Plan it as a link rather than a destination.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Season and crowds

The public outdoor staircase is accessible 24 hours daily; cleaning, filming or conservation may temporarily block it. Dated event, worship, restoration, weather or security notices from the responsible operator take priority over the ordinary schedule. Arrive with enough time to complete the public route before the final admission period.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Tickets

Access is free. The base admission does not include independently priced tours, events, transport or restricted sections unless the operator explicitly lists them. Carry the identity or concession document required by the published tariff.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

A photograph of Camondo stairs
Photograph · Edal Anton Lefterov · CC BY-SA 3.0

Getting there

T1 tram to Karaköy, then walk uphill on Bankalar Caddesi; Şişhane M2 approaches from above. Use the named stop and entrance because steep streets, controlled compounds and separate exits can change the practical route. Allow extra time for the final walk and security where applicable.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

What to watch out for

It is a steep ornamental staircase with no ramp; parallel streets provide longer sloped alternatives. Historic surfaces, crowds and security remain relevant.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Photography

There is one canonical frame and it is worth taking properly: from the pavement at the foot of the stair, centred on the axis, low enough that the two curving arms fill the width and lead the eye upward. Cartier-Bresson's 1964 photograph works because a figure is placed on the curve, and the same rule still holds — the stair reads as abstract pattern until a person gives it scale. The second frame is from the top looking down, where the arms close towards the street and the banking façades opposite become the backdrop.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Place details and sources

Surface
Sett OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Type of place
Attraction OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Access
Open access OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Wikipedia article
Camondo Stairs Wikipedia · Checked 2026-09-09

Common questions

Is it free?

Yes. Access is free.

Does it close?

No. The public outdoor staircase is accessible 24 hours daily; cleaning, filming or conservation may temporarily block it.

Is it wheelchair accessible?

No. It is a steep ornamental staircase with no ramp; parallel streets provide longer sloped alternatives.

Can filming block it?

Yes. Cleaning, filming or conservation may temporarily block the staircase.

Where does it connect?

It links Bankalar Caddesi with the higher Galata streets.

Which tram stop is closest?

The closest tram stop is Karaköy on the T1 line.

Where it is

Open directions in Google Maps

Nearby

Within 2 min on foot
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    • Notable
    • Place of worship
  • Bereketzade Ali Efendi Mosque 30 min
    2 min walk · Beyoğlu

    Bereketzade Ali Efendi Mosque

    • High
    • Place of worship
  • Church of SS Peter and Paul 30 min
    2 min walk · Beyoğlu

    Church of SS Peter and Paul

    • Must see
    • Place of worship

In Beyoğlu

Same category

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Last updated:

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·