The opera house may be accessed via boat and tram (or boat and foot) from Eminönü, Karaköy, Kabataş or Beşiktaş, on the European side of Istanbul.

The Süreyya Opera House in Bahariye Caddesi (now renamed ‘General Asım Gündüz Caddesi’), Kadıköy, was opened in 1927. It has some pleasing retro features such as painted murals showing ladies in flouncy dresses blowing hunting horns.

There are lots of ways to get there. The nearest metro stations are Söğütlüçeşme (on the Marmaray line) and Kadıköy (on the M4 metro line). Additionally, Söğütlüçeşme is a terminus of the metrobus route over the First Bosphorus Bridge (connecting with the Gayrettepe stop on the M2 metro line), and Kadıköy may also be reached by boat from Eminönü, Karaköy, Kabataş and Beşiktaş on the European side of Istanbul. Incidentally, Söğütlüçeşme is also the terminus of the Ankara Express.

From Söğütlüçeşme, walk up the hill (following Söğütlüçeşme Caddesi) towards Kadıköy, then turn left into Bahariye Caddesi – following the tram lines – at the crossroads where the statue of a bull is situated. The Süreyya Opera House will be on your left, at No 29.

From the Kadıköy quay, continue by tram or foot. Walk inland up the hill (Söğütlüçeşme Caddesi) and turn right at the bull statue into Bahariye Caddesi, following the tramlines. The Süreyya Opera House will be on your left, at No 29. If the trams of the T3 Kadıköy-Moda line are running, of course, you could travel all the way from the quayside to the Süreyya Opera House by tram. (Get off at the Bahariye stop – the one after the bull statue.)

Established by Süreyya İlmen Pasha in 1927, the Süreyya Opera House was the first musical theatre to be opened on the Asian side of Istanbul. It was then known as the ‘Süreyya Operetta’. During the ten-year closure of the Atatürk Cultural Centre in Taksim, this stylish venue in Kadıköy temporarily became the home of the Istanbul Opera and Ballet company, and what had become the Süreyya Cinema was given a thorough makeover, reopening in 2007. Tickets are phenomenally hard to get hold of, so always book asap.