Where to Stay in Istanbul?
In this giant city of fifteen million and hundreds of neighborhood, you’ll find an overwhelming number of recommendations of where to stay. But for those spending just a week or two or less, since you will likely want easy access to other areas, the optimal areas will be located in just three districts—
Kadıköy - this is the Asian side of the Bosphorus and is, counterintuitively, less conservative and less touristy. Stay here for the best restaurants, cafes and nightlife, and to get a better sense of local life. Cost of living is also lower here. A ferry to the European side is only 20 minutes and a few dollars.
Fatih - this is the old town part of the European side, housing the main historical attractions like Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar. Stay here to be walking distance to most historical sites and the greatest density of mosques. It is therefore more touristy and expensive, but you don’t have to take a taxi or ferry anywhere.
Beyoğlu - the northern part of the European side, more known for shopping and glitz. This is where you will find the Marriotts, Taksim square, as well as Galata Tower. Overall, it is the most expensive and touristy of the three and the least “historic”.
They are summarized pretty well by this map, with the best neighborhoods circled
@hoodmaps.com, modified. The channel separating the two-part western side (Europe) from the eastern (Asia) is the Bosphorus, literally meaning “cow ford” in Greek, from the myth of Io.
Kadıköy
Kadıköy, located on the southwest shore of the Asian side, is a district rather than a neighborhood, meaning that it’s quite large (about 5km long) and comprises quite distinct areas.
The livelier west side has an abundance of cute cafes and many excellent coffee spots during the day, and vibrant, restaurant-filled streets at night. The food is more authentic and varied, and the prices budget friendly. For your daily dose of culture , many a building has a full-sized mural. This is where you can see locals really enjoying life.
Three neighborhoods are typically recommended here:
Moda — a small area in the very south, known for a lively nightlife scene and thus on the louder side.
Bahariye Street area — here you will find street after street lined with outdoor restaurants that fill up in the evenings. There are quite a few hostels here and it’s a great spot for twenty-somethings traveling light.
Karakolhane Street area — half a mile north of Bahariye Street, a little quieter and more residential, it nevertheless boasts an abundance of cafes, restaurants and grocery stores. This is great for families and those who want to take it easy without sacrificing the conveniences and joys of Istanbul.
Karakolhane and Bahariye are both less than a 10 minute walk to the main ferry terminal and to each other, so that the rest of Istanbul is near for easy exploration.
Since we stayed near Karakolhane for part of our trip, we got to know it best and were truly thankful for its laid back residential feel. It’s mainly populated by locals, so you get unique experiences (for a westerner) like early morning food mongers walking the streets, shouting aggressive praise of their wares — typically bread or simit (bagels). Check out our Kadıköy travelog for more details about the area.
If you’re a foodie like us, the #1 must try in Istanbul is a proper Turkish breakfast. And while there are great places to get one on the European side (such as Besiktas neighborhood), this is the place to get a quality authentic one for half the price. Look no further than Küff Yeldeğirmeni
Fatih
Like Kadıköy, Fatih is a large on the tip of the southern European side. Most of the attractions will be in one of two neighborhoods on the east side. Eminönü is on the north side, where you will find Galata Bridge, Süleymaniye Mosque, Grand Bazaar. It is on the busier side, and a little further from the historic sites, but it’s much closer to the ferries (and metro) that are crucial if you wish to go anywhere else.
Sultanahmed, on the other hand, is where you will find most of the historical sites of interest: Basilica Cistern, Topkapi (Sultan’s) palace, Hagia Sophia, and the Blue Mosque. In fact, everything in Sultanahmed is within fifteen-twenty minutes walk of each other, and the overly ambitious, can see all of them on one day (we visited all but the Palace in the span of seven hours, with kids).
Inside of Hagia Sophia
Basilica Cistern
In fact, there are many hotels and apartments within ten minutes walk of the Blue Mosque
Blue Mosque at night
The downside is that you will need a cab or twenty minute public transport ride away from the ferry ports (but the cab is only about $5 and 10 minutes — unless you get stuck in crippling traffic). The small streets are cute, but can get extra smoggy from the traffic jams created by large trucks struggling to make all the turns.
Beyoğlu
@Giovanni G
The Beyoğlu district is home to Galata Tower, Dolmabahçe Palace, Taksim Square, and lots and lots of shopping, restaurants and night life. Generally, the areas most recommended to stay are around Galata tower (more touristy) and Cihangir, a small, happening neighborhood in Karaköy (not to be confused with Kadıköy district!).
@Istanbul insider
Like the streets around the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet, Galata Tower area is swarming with tourists, with all the downsides that entails: expensive food, and inferior pomegranate juice for one. However, you do have the advantage of proximity to everything. The main trams go right by Galata, which can quickly take you all over Beyoğlu and to Eminönü, and the ferries to the other sides are a short walk away. English is also the most widely spoken here, and there is a higher presence of Western chains.
Cihangir on the other hand, is a cute area similar to the nice parts of Kadıköy.
@Shutterstock
It is brimming with restaurants, cafes and nightlife. The downside for families, and the main reason we didn’t stay there, is that because it’s so happening, it can be hard to get a quiet place without seeing it in person. But if you plan to mostly be going out at night and want to enjoy what the city has to offer to the fullest, this is the place to be. It is also quite close to the ferries and trams, and thus also recommended from the accessibility perspective.
In sum, you will likely enjoy staying in any of these areas with a good choice of accommodation.
Where to Stay
We ended up using Booking.com for both stays because Airbnb and Agoda had very limited choices. Do keep in mind that some areas of the city (i.e. Beyoğlu, but also central Fatih) are quite hilly, and if you don’t want climb a hill every time you come back to the house, do you research.
We also found that places in Fatih tend to be older and less maintained. Moreover, although both of our bookings were true to listing, there are endless stories of people discovering their accommodation to be rather misrepresented by the listing they booked. Read the reviews thoroughly.
One final caveat. Istanbul, and particularly Fatih, is filled with mosques, which issue daily calls to prayer. Thus, if you don’t want to be woken at 6 am, don’t stay too close to a mosque. Surprisingly, the sound doesn’t travel as far as you would think, so this is entirely feasible.
Have a great stay!
