Fit Girl Hotspot: Istanbul

Are you searching for a place with numerous awesome fit spots to hang out? Then Istanbul is the place to be. It is the city that connects continents and cultures: Europe and Asia, East and West. The city that seperates two continents with its gorgeous Bosphorus. That has been the host of many civilizations since ancient times. Now it is my home and I’m lucky enough to enjoy it!

There are too many places for a Fit Girl to discover in Istanbul; when I started to think about this article, I wasn’t sure which one to pick (believe me, it’s a hard decision. When I’ll show you around one day, you’ll agree). So, I decided to choose 2 of them: one from the European side and one from the Anatolian side.

Home is where the sea is. I love the sea and feel the happiest when I'm there. So the first “fit stop” is where I grew up: Fenerbahçe. The start point of a long coastline of the Sea of Marmara, with a view of the amazing Prince Islands. My favorite part is the first 5k. I fall in love with the place over and over again. It’s the place where we Anatolian siders spend most of our free time, day and night, especially when it starts getting warmer.

It’s also parallel to and 5 minutes walk away from Bagdat Avenue, which is Europe’s longest shopping way. A Fit Girl would find here anything she needs, from a nice dinner – preferably with a glass of wine to reward herself after a hard training day – to new running shoes... Or high heels.

Need a protein-based lunch after your training? Check out the cute café Fit Kitchen in Suadiye. Have some homemade granola, omelet with goat cheese, mushrooms and yogurt or have a smoothie shake.

I personally prefer to run on the seaside, even when it’s cold outside. I love the smell of the fresh air when I'm running in the rain. Besides running, it is the best place to do the all kinds of sports: ride your bike, rollerskate, train on the gym stations, do yoga on the grass, surf, sail or paddle on the sea – yes there are clubs for that –, or just picnic to enjoy the silence, the crowd, your book, your friends, your pets, your smoothie, the green, the blue, the sun in the heart of the city. That to me is happiness.

If the Anatolian side of Istanbul is about comfort, the European side is about fanciness. Bebek district is in between – quite fancy, but it also has its own neighbourhood style. That’s why I picked it as the second fit stop of our journey. You can enjoy running from Bebek to Hisar along the breathtaking Bosphorus, across the Anatolian side, and back to Bebek followed by a yoga session in Bebek Park.

Don’t want to run alone? No worries, there are many running groups with different running schedules around here, day or night. Running groups in Istanbul is a whole other story. I’ll get back to it next time but my favorite one is called “Bu Kızlar Nereye Koşuyor”  which translates to Where Are Those Girls Running To. It is founded by 5 awesome girls who became close friends of mine, who aim to get women moving and organize sportive events mainly for women, but with men. Like I said, next time I’ll tell you all about them. 

Anyways, Bebek gets too crowded on weekends, so it’s better to enjoy the neighbourhood early in the morning or after work. Right after a 6k run you might wanna have a Turkish breakfast at Bebek Kahve, which is a traditional style, casual Turkish cafe on Bosphorus. Or a few buildings away, there’s Mangerie. Climb upstairs and you’ll arrive at a terrace with an excellent view, great food and decoration, which feels like home. Everything tastes good, you might wanna pick a salad, or better, eggs benedict with smoked salmon (mmm). Taste its famous cocktails later and enjoy the view, for sure.

I told you: when it comes to Istanbul, you have many varying options, like the sky is your limit. And we are just getting started!

About Pinar

I was born in 1985 and have always been an active girl. Graduating from Austrian High School and Sabancı University in Istanbul, in multicultural disciplines, affected directly how I perceive life and who I am. Right now I am working full-time in a global media agency as a community/social media executive. I am also enjoying my life full-time :) I love being a Fit Girl and am passionate about sports. I’m into reading, writing, nature, the sea, arts, I'm a a wine & dine lover, traveller, experiencer and daydreamer!

I believe that a healthy mind comes from a healthy body. I was a basketball player in one of the major sports clubs of Turkey, Fenerbahçe, between ages 10-15 and have always been into sports since then. Currently I am an amateur runner, sports and lifestyle blogger (morspor.tumblr.com, only in Turkish for now) and freelance writer, several articles about running of mine have been published in some magazines, newspapers, and even a French Istanbul guide. Besides running, I am interested in basketball, trekking, skiing, cycling, windsurf, sailing, training, yoga, Pilates... and always willing to try new sports. I love living a healthy life while keeping a healthy balance (follow me on Instagram if you'd like to!).  I have always followed my dreams and I'll keep doing that. It's what the heart wants!