Old City Sultanahmet
0.2 miles from city centre
Begin your adventure in Sultanahmet Square, gateway to the historic centre. In Topkapi Palace, Byzantine artefacts sparkle through the display cases as light beams in. Hagia Sophia’s mosaics are time worn, reflecting the history of a space that has been both mosque and church across 1.5 millennia. Zany bars and cosy cafes beckon you.
Places to stay from £4 per night
Taksim
2 miles from city centre
Street culture, energetic cafés and antique shops with quirky treasures await in this cosmopolitan district. Dandies and divas will have a field day at the boutiques on Istiklal Avenue. Concerts, cinemas and exhibition centres provide family-friendly entertainment, while trendy clubs and bars bring out the bold and the beautiful after dark.
Places to stay from £4 per night
Ortakoy
4 miles from city centre
Ortakoy’s residents are youthful and cosmopolitan. Among the swathes of modern art galleries, you'll find eateries tempting you with delicious local delicacies. One of the area's oldest buildings is the Turkish Bath, followed by the neo-Baroque Ortakoy Mosque. Take a cruise across the Bosphorus, or shop for trinkets at the emporiums.
Places to stay from £10 per night
Kadikoy
3.8 miles from city centre
To stay in Kadıköy means full-scale immersion in Turkish culture, and it’s a fast ferry ride from this residential district to the city’s prime attractions. Elaborate wooden houses that creak with the passing of time and remnants of the Roman Empire await as you wander the streets. Indulge in mouth-watering Turkish Delight from Akustik Market.
Places to stay from £5 per night
Besiktas
4 miles from city centre
Fragments of the Ottoman Empire lie in this coastal district. Picnic or play in the flower-filled groves of Yildiz Park, followed by a walk toward Ortakoy – inviting cafes by day and plush clubs by night. Salute the sea at the Turkish Naval Museum, see and be seen in trendy Bebek and Kurucesme or crown your day at Dolmabahce Palace.
Places to stay from £10 per night
Sisli
3.3 miles from city centre
Sisli is a large district on the European side of Istanbul, near the Bosphorus Bridge. A mix of mosques, churches and synagogues make the area eclectic, while Trump Towers and Cevahir Shopping Mall are reminders of the growing tide of commercialism sweeping the area. The narrow streets of Nisantasi are loaded with boutiques and galleries.
Places to stay from £5 per night
Topkapi
1.9 miles from city centre
Take a decent pair of walking shoes to navigate the 5.5 km stretch atop the 8th-century City Walls of Constantinople. Be sure to spend some time at Kara Ahmet Pasha Mosque, a medieval centre of learning that contains painstakingly detailed mosaics. The area maintains its learned nature, on account of the scholarly cafés and student haunts.
Places to stay from £8 per night
Beyazit
0.7 miles from city centre
There’s a haze around the palaces, towers and gardens around Beyazit Mosque that gives the feeling of being lost in time. The mosque has stood proudly since 1506 and weathered many storms over its cut-stone exterior. The Grand Bazaar is filled with the sights, smells and sounds of an authentic Turkish market.
Places to stay from £5 per night
Asian Side
6.6 miles from city centre
The Asian side of Istanbul lives on the razor’s edge of the past and present. Kadıköy is a feast of scents and sound – In Moda, buy tapas-style food from a zany street vendor, then wander past hip tattoo parlours and street art for a street-eye view of hip urban living. Buy branded clothing on Bagdat Avenue, then dine out in style.
Places to stay from £5 per night
Straddling the border between Europe and Western Asia, Istanbul acts as an ancient crossroads of cultures, religions and civilisations.
Greek, Persian, Byzantine and Ottoman influences can be seen across the city. The mesmerising Hagia Sophia, for instance, stood for over 1,000 years as an ornate church before being converted into an Imperial Mosque, which it remained as for over half a millennia. And there’s Topkapi Palace, a lavish complex of halls, courtyards and terraces with commanding views over the Bosphorus Strait. Today, both structures are religious museums attracting millions of visitors every year.
The Blue Mosque is another glinting example of Byzantine-Ottoman fused architecture, with its domes, towering minarets and blue İznik tiles that adorn the interior. For a full view of the mosque’s design, enter through the crumbling remains of a Roman-era hippodrome in Sultanahmet Square.
Yet Istanbul’s oldest monuments could easily escape you. Deep beneath the ground are several hundred ancient cisterns, where water was once delivered via 20 kilometres of aqueducts from a local reservoir. The largest of these is the Basilica Cistern, which you can explore along raised wooden platforms.
Back on ground level, the Grand Bazaar will entice you with its maze-like network of craft stores and cosy teahouses. Go explore a little, before treating yourself to a Dürüm wrap on a street corner, or a mouthwatering meze in a bistro-style restaurant in Sultanahmet.
Tonight
From £8 per night
Next weekend
From £35 per night
| Most popular time to visit | October–December |
| Cheapest time to visit | January–March |
| Local currency | € 10 = £8.57 |
| Language | Turkish |
| Average weekend price | £70 per night |
| Average weekday price | £72 per night |
| Typical stay | 2 nights |
Taksim Square
2.1 miles from city centre
Blue Mosque
0.2 miles from city centre
Topkapi Palace
0.6 miles from city centre
Grand Bazaar
0.4 miles from city centre
Hagia Sophia
0.3 miles from city centre
Istiklal Street
2 miles from city centre
Bosphorus Bridge
4 miles from city centre
Galata Tower
1.2 miles from city centre
Pierre Loti
3.8 miles from city centre
Suleymaniye Mosque
0.8 miles from city centre
A beautiful city full of contrasts old blending with new.
27 April 2024
A beautiful city full of contrasts old blending with new. Loved the kahvlatis ( traditional Turkish breakfast cafes) a must experience Recommend Dogaciyiz Gourmet and Van kahvalti Evi in Beyoglu. area and Cesme Bazlama in Sisli./ Nisantasi area - the latter was worth the trek from our hotel in Beyoglu truly a sultans feast of an experience so memorable. One tip be on your guard against professional scammers at the Istanbulkart top up machines pretending to help you especially at airports but in reality attempt to distract your attention whilst scamming you of travel credit on your card The machines have clear English language options and are easy to fathom eventually so try not accept help.
A bustling city that never sleeps!
27 April 2024
A bustling city that never sleeps! Plenty of things to see and do for all age groups. Particularly enjoyed the breakfast cruise on the Bosphorus. Plenty of fast/street food outlets but traditional Turkish restaurants need searching for. Travelling around the city is easy on the tram but beware of taxis as they can overcharge tourists a lot.
We love Istanbul but it’s too expensive compared to 2 years...
25 April 2024
We love Istanbul but it’s too expensive compared to 2 years previous prices are more than 3 times eg dinner a 1 course a beer and Iran was almost 40 we did then go to the pudding shop and the cost was 24£ it was the only place we could find reasonable but basically it was chicken and potatoes a slice of green and red pepper and 1/4 tomato. To visit any attraction was at least £20 each luckily we have visited previous 3 times and saw them either free or very minimal cost £5. The Cakes you see were 400turkish lira - £10
A beautiful place to visit on a sunny, breezy day.
24 April 2024
A beautiful place to visit on a sunny, breezy day. Take a boat ride on Bosphorus or take a tram to go around town. By the way, trams are excellent in taking you around the city - and very, very cheap. The town is steeped in history. You will see the signs of its grand past all over. People are very friendly and smiling. It was our third trip and we will go back soon.
A perfect destination for Food lovers, combines history, art...
24 April 2024
A perfect destination for Food lovers, combines history, art, modern architecture and shopping. It offers both luxury and simple lifestyle option with great nature and many options for transportation. The only disadvantage is that its very crowded so choosing the right time to come is essential.
- Topkapi Palace : to be done but expensive for what it is.
24 April 2024
- Topkapi Palace : to be done but expensive for what it is. The Harem is the best place - Blue Mosquee : beautiful and free - Grand Bazar / Spice Bazar : just to feel the atmosphere, not to buy something - Hammam : the must of the trip, with scrub, foam & oil massage - Princess Islands (the last one) : beautiful, like if you are in a seaside resort + an icecream of course ! - Bosphorus cruise but only if you didn't take the boat for Princess Islands - Fatih, Balat & Fener with colored houses - Citerne Basilique : too expensive for what is it, in 15 minutes, you make the tour - Basilique Sainte Sophie : not done +++ : The restaurants and also a fish sandwich on Eminonu !
Old City Sultanahmet, Istanbul
From £148 per night
Old City Sultanahmet, Istanbul
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Old City Sultanahmet, Istanbul
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Old City Sultanahmet, Istanbul
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Old City Sultanahmet, Istanbul
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