16 of the best hotels in Istanbul
If you're ready to spread your wings and try a new European city break, Istanbul, on the continent's eastern edge, will surprise and delight in equal measures. For sightseeing, the marquee attractions (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace) are a cinch to wander between, and while the city sprawls, ferry rides along and across the mighty Bosphorus Strait are the stuff of unforgettable holidays. Turkey's former capital has stormed ahead in the luxury hotel stakes — all the grand names, from Soho House to the celebrated Peninsula brand, are here. There are also more affordable, boutique options and the weak lira means that even some higher-end accommodation is far more affordable than in other European cities. Here are the best hotels in Istanbul.
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1. Ecole St Pierre Hotel, Galata
BOOKING.COM
£££ | Best for hard-to-beat Italian food
Opened in 2021, this boutique beauty is located in the shell of a former 19th-century Catholic school that closed its doors in 1935. The fantastic Italian restaurant, Il Cortile, is in a space where choirs practised many decades ago. Today guests sit at tables in the courtyard, devouring pizzas and tiramisu. Decor in the restaurant, the rooms and the suites is sharp and designer, along the lines of contemporary art deco with mirrored dressing tables and 1930s-style bar stools. The hotel has a second bar, I Guru, in separate premises up the road: it serves great cocktail classics on a terrace shadowed by the landmark Galata Tower.
Discover our full guide to Istanbul
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2. The Peninsula Istanbul, Karakoy
BOOKING.COM
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for a special occasion
If you've been to Hong Kong, you may well have taken afternoon tea at the original Peninsula, in Kowloon, opened in 1928. Almost a century on, there are siblings from Los Angeles to Beijing via London — but for many, Istanbul is the best of the bunch. Unveiled in spring 2023, it is a magnificent place to stay, spread over three historic buildings on the waterfront in Karakoy, where the Bosphorus meets the mouth of the Golden Horn. Views from its pool and gardens are unparalleled, over the Byzantine promontory, where the spires of the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque rise. Suites facing this way are pricier than those overlooking the neighbourhood, but book one — this is a special-occasion stay, with a sensational subterranean spa that references old Turkish architecture. Meanwhile, dinner at Gallada is rich in tastes of the Silk Road, which the Michelin-starred Turkish chef Fatih Tutak researched diligently on a personal trip.
Read our full review of the Peninsula Istanbul
3. Soho House Istanbul, Beyoglu
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for stays in a former palace
Soho House originated in London 30 years ago and now has hotels globally. The Istanbul property is a striking example, in an Italianate edifice, Palazzo Corpi — built in 1873, it has been revamped in a modern-Turkish style within, yet still retains many original features. In the 87 rooms and suites, trendy pared-down modernity sits happily with dashes of Turkish tradition (patterned cushions, classic headboards). Among the best corners are the rooftop pool with sweeping city views as you swim. A smart evening crowd inhabits its restaurants — Cecconi's is the biz for pizzas while Middle Eastern bites are served in the Allis. All in all, for real luxury in one of the most central spots in the city, this place is it.
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Read our full review of Soho House Istanbul
4. The Marmara Pera, Beyoglu
BOOKING.COM
££ | POOL | Best for incredible views
You might not think it that inspiring from outside, but once you step into the Marmara Pera its magic is instant. The rooms are very easy on the eye, in monochrome tones with snow-white beds. Try for one with views over the historic Golden Horn estuary, with the great mosques of Istanbul plumped on the skyline. The great draw is Mikla, the summit bar and restaurant, which is unique in the city, with its swooning altitude, widescreen views of mosques and minarets and ferries far below, plying the city's vast waters. Reserve for martinis, followed by fashionably minimalist Scandinavian-like dinners. For those with vertigo, there is also a bohemian-style jazz bar at ground level. Gorgeous views come with every room, but particularly in the suites where you get vistas of the Golden Horn — best viewed from the in-room hot tubs.
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5. The Galata Istanbul, Galata
EXPEDIA
££ | SPA | Best for being in Istanbul's old European quarter
Many hotels in Istanbul claim to have a classic Turkish bath, but often they are modern simulacrums. Not at the Galata. The classic Ottoman Cesme Hamamı here dates back to 1720, and it's free for hotel guests to use while offering therapeutic treatments too. The hotel itself occupies a 19th-century bank built in the art deco style typical of Galata, one of the most charismatic historic areas of the city, with the iconic pencil-form tower on its doorstep. The neighbourhood thrums with bars, cafés and restaurants day and night — and the steep streets will lead you up to Istiklal Caddesi, where honeycomb side streets murmur with low-lit taverns where people sample the Turkish spirit raki, and late-night music clubs.
• Best affordable hotels in Istanbul under £200
6. Witt Istanbul Suites, Cihangir
MR & MRS SMITH
££ | Best for stylish bedrooms
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This eye-catching bolt hole was among the vanguard of boutique hotels in Istanbul when it opened in 2008. You'll find it on a sloping street in trendy Cihangir, a neighbourhood of writers, artists and international expats. It's close to Taksim Square as well as the trams (and bar-lined backstreets) of the main vein, Istiklal Caddesi. Rooms are impeccable, with grey-marble bathrooms, hardwood floors, leather upholstery and over-size beds. If you're here for a few nights, indulge in one with a panoramic terrace: perfect for a Turkish breakfast spread. There's no restaurant, but Cihangir is a hive of hot places to eat.
7. Raffles Istanbul, Zorlu Center
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for all-out luxury
Recognise the name? Yes, the Singapore original now has siblings around the world, including this grand affair embedded in the maze-like Zorlu Center shopping haven, which has every luxury brand you can think of, as well as top city bars and restaurants. Raffles is a showy affair, all look-at-me art and proud in-room decor: inlaid carved ceiling panels, sharp-profile ottomans and colourful outbreaks of teal and aubergine. Views over the Bosphorus Strait are transfixing — a moving canvas of tiny boats and gigantic container ships chugging north to the Black Sea. On the menu at its restaurants and bars is everything from sushi to stir-fries, Turkish to a top afternoon tea with finger sandwiches. Note that the location lends itself to shopping devotees. Those out to explore historic parts of Istanbul will need to hail a taxi.
• Read our full review of Raffles Istanbul
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8. St Regis Istanbul, Nisantasi
BOOKING.COM
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for walks along the Bosphorus
Istanbul's well-heeled Nisantasi neighbourhood could be an elegant corner of Madrid or Milan, with its chic shoppers, stamp-size cool coffee bars and fashion ateliers. And on its edges you'll find the St Regis, nudging a park with an old-fangled cable car, well-tended lawns and ponds. While you're some way from the postcard sights — reckon on a long, slow taxi ride in peak traffic — you can amble down to the shores of the Bosphorus in minutes. The hotel has the works for indolent guests: the Iridium spa has a menu of body scrubs, couples massages and facials. There are also three pools and a fitness room. Epicureans gravitate to the rooftop for Spago — an outpost of Wolfgang Puck's LA institution — for succulent pastas and rare beef dishes.
9. Hotel Saint Sophia, Sultanahmet
EXPEDIA
££ | Best for a spot close to the main sights
It's small. It's definitely boutique, with its Scandi-pale rooms. And it's practically in the shadow of its namesake landmark: the dwarfing Hagia Sophia mosque, with its spires and domes, is a sight to behold from the cosy balconies of some larger rooms. It is only a few minutes' walk from the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar, and with the most iconic and Instagrammable part of Istanbul on your doorstep, you may not feel the need to venture far. If you do, for an extra fee, you can join a guided tour — the hotel has many, including private yacht outings and helicopter trips.
10. Ottoman Hotel Imperial, Sultanahmet
EXPEDIA
£ | Best for spacious rooms
This supremely comfortable four-star hotel is conveniently close to the big sights of Sultanahmet. The premises date back some 200 years — formerly they housed a school and a hospital. There are touches of the past at every turn, from the old costumes framed on the walls to the library packed with books about Ottoman and Turkish history. If the rooms and suites are a little dated, they're spacious, and the location is superb. At the hotel's restaurant, the Michelin-starred Matbah, chef Kadir Yilmaz cooks historic dishes painstakingly researched in Ottoman palace libraries, among them the 18th-century stuat tal-fenek: rabbit stew with shallot, pepper paste and chickpeas.
11. Riva's Moda, Kadikoy
£ | Best for great-value stays
A ferry across the Bosphorus from one of the jetties by the Galata Bridge is the best way to get to the Asian side of Istanbul. And if you like authentic, boho and youthful, you'll love the Kadikoy neighbourhood, home to a smattering of boutique hotels. Among the best is Riva's, set discreetly in a genteel residential area beside a popular corniche that hugs the Sea of Marmara. Here you can see the area's beautiful people (perhaps also the occasional player from the nearby Fenerbahce football club) doing early morning exercises. Riva's is classed as a business hotel so the rooms are simple, but they're also bright, some with marine views, and the big draw is the restaurant, with tables in the lovely, lively outside space.
12. Pera Palace, Beyoglu
BOOKING.COM
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for nods to history
Time-honoured comfort and atmosphere are served with a twist of intrigue at this neoclassical leftover from the era when the Orient Express brought intrepid western travellers to Istanbul. In the early decades of the 20th century it was a haunt of spies who thronged the city (the hotel has a Mata Hari suite), and you still get a sense of the stories these gilded walls must surely hold. Room 101 — where Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish republic, stayed — is now Istanbul's smallest museum, with original furniture, his personal effects and the guestbook that he signed. Rooms and suites are named to celebrate other luminaries including Agatha Christie, Greta Garbo and Ernest Hemingway. Call by if only for a drink at the low-lit Orient Bar, or cakes at the Patisserie de Pera.
• Read our full review of Pera Palace
13. DoubleTree by Hilton Istanbul — Moda, Kadikoy
EXPEDIA
£ | SPA | POOL | Best for dips in a rooftop pool
Istanbul's Asian side, and particularly its central Kadikoy district, is becoming increasingly popular with locals and tourists thanks to its artistic communities, laid-back vibe and scores of bars and restaurants. But there are still very few hotels here, with most aimed at the backpacker market. The Hilton is a worthy exception. It's a five-minute stroll from the ferry port, with corporate-cool rooms and suites as well as a rooftop pool with a bar overlooking the Sea of Marmara, as far as the Princes Islands.
14. Ajwa Sultanahmet, Sultanahmet
EXPEDIA
££ | SPA | POOL | Best for halal dinner options
The decor hits you between the eyes as you walk through the door of this luxury hotel on the historic peninsula. Each room is a riot of sumptuous colours, Ottoman-inspired patterns, silk carpets and mother-of-pearl inlaid furniture, with bathrooms fitted out in hammam style. The hotel has a halal policy that means no alcohol is served. But if you can get past that, its restaurant, Zeferan, has tasty traditional Azerbaijani food (try the sac kebab of chicken, lamb and beef), which is hard to find elsewhere in the city.
15. Ciragan Palace Kempinski, Bosphorus
BOOKING.COM
£££ | SPA | POOL | Best for impressive architecture
This celebration of excess overlooking the Bosphorus has a world of devotees who return year after year for its classic comfort and sensational location on the European shores of the river: the hotel pool overlooking it from the florid grounds is a wonderful spot. The photogenic original building dates from the mid-19th century, when it began life as an Ottoman palace. Today its historic suites host international luminaries and dignitaries. Most other guests stay in the adjacent 1990s structure, with its shopping arcade of designer brands. Dine in Tugra, the Ottoman-flavoured restaurant in the palace proper (where Bellini, the Italian spot, draws the pasta faithful too). There's also the all-day dining spot, Gazebo, with alfresco tables in the grounds; and Akdeniz, for seafood fish and meats.
• Read our full review of Ciragan Palace Kempinski
16. Istanbul Life Hotel, Kadikoy
BOOKING.COM
£ | Best for a characterful neighbourhood
Here's a welcoming little arty hotel across the Bosphorus from Istanbul's postcard historic quarters. Find it in Kadikoy, off the main boulevard that runs along the port's edge. The environs are at best unremarkable, but all that is forgotten when you glimpse its gleaming white exterior. Inside, it is tasteful and extremely comfortable, with high-ceilinged rooms, bright furnishings and plenty of modern art. The surrounding streets are enjoying a renaissance as artists, ateliers and students from the nearby Marmara University move in.
• What to do in Istanbul
• Best beaches near Istanbul
Additional reporting by Nick Redman
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