Rumeli Fortress

We are staying in the old town of Istanbul and ventured to Rumeli since we saw it from our cruise ship. It's not easy to get to until you look into it a bit. Today we took the strassebahn from the old town to Kabatas which was 4 TL each. This is easy, use coins or small bills at the train stop to buy a token and use the token to get through the turnstile and take the train to the end of the line which is Kabatas. From there you can take the funicular to Taksim square and take the M2 (we didn't do this so all I know is that it is available) and take it till you are close to the station. We did not know where to find the funicular and walked up the hill to Taksim. Did not bring my hiking boots unfortunately, it's a steep climb. We ended up taking the 559C bus from Taksim which takes you to the top of the hill above Rumeli. This was not bad but we walked down a VERY steep hill to get to the fortress. Read the bottom about bus fares too, not simple.
After working our way through this today, here is how I would do it if I had to do it tomorrow. I'd take the strassebahn to Kabatas and then walk back about 100 meters to the train stops. There are several buses there (41/23 I think) that go to Rumeli. Get on one of those and go. Here's the sticking point, the fares on the bus. I actually have no I idea what they are as you are supposed to have a card ahead of time. I think the Istanbul Card covers you in this case but we didn't have one. For both of our bus rides, a local person scanned their card and one time I paid 4.50 TL and the other I paid 5.00 TL to the nice person who helped us. Not much money for a bus ride. After doing more research (originally our research said we could buy the tix on the bus) we found that you can purchase train fare cards at machines at select strassebahn stops. We found one and it appears that you can buy one for 10 TL and use that. We are done riding the bus on this trip but I believe this was the way to do it. The machines are located next to the strassebahn token machines at major stops.
Bottom line is go out and give the public transportation a chance. The local people were happy to help despite zero verbal communication between us. It was inexpensive and we saw a lot more of the city.
I almost forgot ....... the fortress. Beautiful zoll collecting fortress. Fortunately or unfortunately, it is under renovation and you cannot walk on any of the ramparts or go into any of the towers. While this was somewhat disappointing, we enjoyed walking around the interior. It is built into a hillside so there are a lot of stairs to go up and down but it was built in 4 months and when you see what was accomplished during that amount of time it's amazing. Several picture opportunities and lots more on the walk outside along the Bosphoros. We made a day out of it to take the transportation to the fortress come back, get off at the Galata Bridge and walked from there through the shopping district to our hotel. We ventured out at 1000 and after dinner were back in our hotel by 1730.

At the narrowest part of the Bosphorus, Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror ordered the great fortress of Rumeli Hisarıto be built on the European shore in order to control commercial and military traffic in preparation for the siege of Constantinople.
He pitted his pashas (generals) against one another, daring them all to be the first to complete his particular tower and crenellated walls. The competition was fierce, and the huge fortress was completed in only four months.
Once completed, Rumeli Hisarı, along with Anadolu Hisarı on the Asian shore just opposite, controlled all traffic on the Bosphorus, and cut the city of Constantinople off from resupply by sea from the north.
The mighty fortress's useful military life was less than one year. Mehmet's armines conquered the Byzantine capital several months later, and then there was no need for Rumeli Hisarı.
The fortress was used as a rather large and impressive Bosphorus toll booth for awhile, then as a barracks, later as a prison, and finally as an open-air theater, but never again as a fortress.
Within the fortress are a ruined minaret from the little mosque that served the garrison, and a more modern open-air theater where, in the 1960s, I saw a good production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream...in Turkish. (So far as I know the theater is seldom used for public theater these days.)
Located just north of the European Bosphorus town of Bebek, you can visit Rumeli Hisarı any day of the week except Wednesday, when it's closed, from 09:30 am to 16:30 (4:30 pm). There's a small admission fee of a few liras.
Note: don't bring a picnic or snack, as no food is allowed in the fortress (only water).
Also, none of the rough stone staircases up to the walls, or the ramparts atop the walls, has a guardrail, so be very careful. A fall means serious injury or death.
Above the towns of Rumeli Hisarı and Bebek you'll notice the New England 19th-century-style architecture of Bogaziçi Üniversitesi (Bosphorus University), formerly Robert College, founded by the American Board for Foreign Missions over a century ago.
You can take Bus 25E (Kabataş—Sarıyer) to reach the fortress. Get out at the Rumeli Hisarı stop.
Rumeli Hisarı
İstanbul Müzeler Hisarlar Müdürlüğü
Yahya Kemal Caddesi No. 42  , Rumelihisarı, Sarıyer, Istanbul,       Tel: +90 (212) 263 5305

The Fortress of Europe (Rumeli Hisarı in Turkish) sits on the European shore of the Bosphorus just before the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. During our time living in Istanbul we have passed this impressive structure many times, both on the water and on the road which runs alongside it, but, until a couple of weeks ago, we hadn’t actually visited it. Now that we have, I can report that it is well worth a visit, and that the 3TL (about £1.20) entrance fee is an absolute bargain!

The huge fortress was built by Mehmet the Conqueror in 1452 as his first step in the conquest of Constantinople. He chose the site as it is at the narrowest point of the Bosphorus and directly opposite the Fortress of Asia (Anadolu Hisarı) which had been built on the Asian shore by Sultan Beyazit I in 1391. By controlling this vital Byzantine supply route, Mehmet was able to lay siege to the city and prevent its re-supply by sea.
Mehmet planned the layout of the fortress himself, but wanted the construction to be completed quickly. To this end, he took charge of the walls and assigned responsibility for the building of each of the three main towers to his three viziers. He warned them that they would be executed if the work was not finished on time. Unsurprisingly, they succeeded in their task and, using 30,000 men, this major engineering feat was completed in just four months!
Following the completion of the fortress, the fall of Constantinople took less than a year, after which time the fortification was no longer needed for its original purpose. In subsequent years, it was used as a Bosphorus toll booth, a barracks, and a prison, before falling into disrepair. It was restored in the 1950s, and today the structure is a majestic reminder of its military past.
Once you’ve paid your entrance fee, you are free to wander at will. The grounds within the fortress are lush with trees, flowering shrubs, and scented ground-cover plants, offering a real oasis of calm away from the hustle and bustle of the city. There are plenty of benches provided to sit and read or just contemplate your surroundings. If you’re feeling energetic, you can clamber up steep, uneven stairs and access the ramparts and towers, from where you will get fantastic views of the Bosphorus. There are no barriers or hand-rails anywhere, so watch your step as you are climbing!
Being slightly off the beaten track, the Fortress of Europe never gets overrun with visitors, so take your time and marvel at this magnificent structure.