Istanbul Must-Do! Free Seagull Terrace at Seven Hills Restaurant
You absolutely have to visit the seagull terrace restaurant when you're in Istanbul! It's fantastic!
Located right between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, this spot is a must-see. It's within the Seven Hills Hotel, making it super convenient if you're exploring these iconic landmarks.
The Venue
The restaurant has two levels. One is an outdoor rooftop dining area, and the other is an indoor dining space just below.
My personal recommendation: Dine inside first. Then, head up to the rooftop for feeding seagulls and snapping photos!
The rooftop is completely open, so keep an eye out for seagull droppings!
Opening Hours and Booking
They're open every day from 8:30 AM to 11 PM.
I messaged the restaurant on WhatsApp to ask about booking a table for breakfast. They said reservations weren't necessary.
Even so, we wanted to avoid potential waiting times. So, we arrived right when they opened for breakfast.
Breakfast Experience
Arriving at 8:30 AM, we saw some hotel guests already starting their breakfast. The indoor section was about a third full.
You can order a la carte or choose a set menu. We were really hungry! The set menu looked amazing and seemed like great value.
We went for the 2-person set breakfast. It was 1200 Lira per person (approximately HKD 240 at the exchange rate at the time).
It's on the pricier side for Turkey, but considering it's a hotel restaurant with the rooftop experience, it's worth it.
The breakfast didn't disappoint! It was incredibly generous with bread, fruit, cheese, scrambled eggs, salad, sausages, and fried items!
The food was also delicious.
The Main Event: Seagulls and Iconic Views
After breakfast, the highlight! Head up to the rooftop for feeding the seagulls and taking pictures with those legendary Istanbul sights.
We finished breakfast around 9 AM. The dining area on the roof was already packed.
The photo area has staff preparing forks and food scraps, like leftover cheese and fries, for guests to feed the seagulls.
It's free for everyone!
Lots of people from different countries were queuing up. But it was well-organized.
Everyone got some amazing photos and videos! It was a really great experience.
Seven Hills Hotel Information
📍 Cankurtaran, Tevkifhane Sk. No:8 Kat:3, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey
Open Daily: 8:30 AM - 11:00 PM
```