Pierre Loti Cafe, named after the famous French novelist and marine attaché of the same name, is the best place from which to view the Golden Horn.  

Leaving from the neighborhood of Eyüp, you can reach the cafe either by car or by walking uphill on a footpath through a cemetery. However, we recommend that you use the cable car—you will certainly enjoy the two-minute journey.

If you want to enjoy a lovely view while drinking a frothy cup of Turkish coffee, a small, clear glass of tea, or smoking a traditional nargile (water pipe or hookah), you won’t find a more suitable spot than Pierre Loti. The cafe consists of a stone terrace decorated in traditional Turkish motifs, and sits facing the Golden Horn on the hills of Eyüp.

Postcards, gifts, and books are sold in another section of the cafe. Furthermore, behind the cafe, there is a separate complex of other cafes, restaurants, and hotels designed in the style of old Istanbul houses. 

Who was Pierre Loti?
Pierre Loti was a French writer who lived from 1850 to 1923, whose actual name was Louis Marie Julien Viaud.  When he resided in Istanbul, one of his most frequent haunts was this cafe, which was then known as “Rabia Kadın Coffeehouse”. 

He is said to have been particularly fond of smoking nargile. In honor of the fact that he frequented the cafe, it was rechristened as “Pierre Loti”, and continues to carry this name today.