Clean beaches in Istanbul are rare since 20 years at least – therefore you must accept the trip to the Black Sea village Şile in order to be able to enjoy the water at the beach Kumbaba Plaji. But caution is advisable here as almost everywhere else at the coast of the Black Sea: Almost weekly swimmers are drowning in Şile by venturing a little too far out, because the currents are pretty tricky here.

Hikes at the picturesque steep coast are comparable to that considerably less dangerous, and also other pleasures are attracting: What can be nicer than to buy fresh fish from incoming cutters , cleaning them yourself and quickly grill them at the beach – an enjoyment, even if you might get only the meek İstavrit instead of the popular kind Lüfer or Barbunya.

Although the history of Şile reaches back to the time when Christ was born, only a few Genoese constructions are preserved: In the Middle Ages the widely travelled Italians protected their sea route to the granary in the Ukraine by a little castle with chapel and cistern. Besides the popular Şile bezi, a light muslin fabric, the small town calls the largest light house of Turkey its’ own. Its form unveils the European origin: it was built in 1858 by the French.