Cruise the glorious Golden Horn as a prelude to meandering through Balat, a historical yet trendy neighborhood known for its colorful architecture. A large natural harbor on the European side of Istanbul, the Golden Horn is named for its shape and the shimmering golden color it takes on at sunset. It is magnificent to cruise any time of the day as you will discover on the way to Balat, one of Istanbul’s oldest districts. As you walk its lively cobbled streets, the guide will describe the many Jewish, Greek, Turkish and Latin influences that reflect the wonderful diversity within Balat. Architectural treasures include a Bulgarian Orthodox church made with prefabricated cast-iron elements and the oldest surviving Greek Orthodox school, known as the Red Castle for its castellated red-brick façade. In the late 1400s, the sultan welcomed Jews to Balat that were persecuted under the Spanish Inquisition, but many of them left after the devastating 1894 earthquake.