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Seek out the standout hotels of each charismatic neighbourhood in this historic seafront city set at the point Europe and Asia meet
Straddling both Europe and Asia and heir to some 2,700 years of history, the sprawling, sea-girt megalopolis of Istanbul is comprised of a bewildering patchwork of distinctive neighbourhoods. Yet its historic heart, clustered around the confluence of the curving Golden Horn inlet, coruscating Sea of Marmara and continent-dividing Bosphorus strait, is relatively compact.
Most visitors choose to spend their time here, whether it be in hip, Europeanised Galata or hill-top Sultanahmet, the holy core of the old city. No less buzzing than Galata is Beyoğlu, still the city’s premier shopping and entertainment quarter. Then there’s lively Sirkeci and adjoining Eminönü, where the hustle of commerce and bustle of tourism meet head-on and the Golden Horn waterfront beckons. Or opt for vibrant Beşiktaş with its Bosphorus-front hotels. Read on to find out where to stay in Istanbul.
Every hotel in this curated list has been visited by one of our expert reviewers, who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis. They stay for a minimum of one night, test at least one meal and trial other experiences that the hotel might have to offer.
Tumbling steeply down from the feet of the landmark Galata Tower to the bustling confluence of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus, this was once a cosmopolitan area inhabited by Greeks, Armenians and Jews as well as Turks. Today it’s a hip district crammed with cool cafes, eateries and bars, as well as a slew of hotels converted from imposing nineteenth century commercial buildings. From the stylish gallery of Istanbul Modern and the posh shops of the sleek new cruise terminal Galataport, to the rickety fish stalls lining the shipping-filled waterfront west of the famous Galata Bridge, this once run-down neighbourhood has been electrified by change.
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Despite premium hotel rates, staid nightlife and tourist-thronged streets, it’s easy to see why historic Sultanahmet remains the district of choice for many first-time visitors. Istanbul’s most celebrated sights, the Blue Mosque and Church of the Holy Wisdom, (Hagia Sophia) face each other in domed splendour across a pretty park, and the pavilions of exotic Topkapi Palace sprawl amongst carefully planned gardens. Transport links are good too, with the T1 tram running right through Sultanahmet, and there are decent eating places on Divan Yolu. A bonus? Plenty of Sultanahmet’s hotels have roof-top terraces with views onto the surrounding historic marvels and Sea of Marmara.
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Like neighbouring Galata, Beyoğlu is very European in feel, as the near one-mile-long street at its heart, Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Street), is lined with grand nineteenth century Parisian-style apartment blocks. Known as the Grand Rue de Pera until the 1920s, Istiklal is all about shopping, eating, drinking, clubbing and taking in a gallery or film. Key sights include the splendid Pera Museum, Nobel-prize winning author Orhan Pamuk’s bizarre Museum of Innocence, a sprinkling of Greek, Armenian and Catholic churches and a few stylish Art Nouveau facades. Some of the hotels here date back to the ‘Golden Age’ of travel, time capsules of a more genteel era.
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Generally cheaper and more cheerful than hill-top Sultanahmet above them, these twin neighbourhoods fan-out down a slope to the great curving inlet of the Golden Horn. Sirkeci centres on its eponymous station, once the terminus of the famed Orient Express, today a place to dine nostalgically in the old waiting room, watch dervishes’ whirl or ride the escalator down to a shiny new metro station. Eminönü’s waterfront is a constant melee of ferry boats heading to and from Asia, the historic Spice Bazaar behind it a riot of odours and colours, and the people-thronged, restaurant and angler-lined double decker Galata Bridge a microcosm of the entire city.
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Paradoxes abound in Bosphorus-front Beşiktaş. The district’s premier sight is the gushingly ornate, Versailles-like Dolmabahçe Palace, home to the last Ottoman sultans, yet its famous football club has the most left-leaning support in the country, and in busy backstreets impoverished students mingle with guests staying at smart waterfront hotels. Dolmabahçe apart, other sights include leafy Yıldız Park, once home to the eccentric Sultan Abdülhamit II, and the beautifully laid out Naval Museum. The T1 tram, running to Sultanahmet, is nearby, and ferries depart from Beşiktaş to the Asian side of the Bosphorus and south to the idyllic Princes’ Islands.
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