Hotel
Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul
A five-star Kempinski hotel built around a restored 19th-century Ottoman palace on the Bosphorus shore, with an infinity pool and 317 rooms.
A boutique hotel in two early 20th-century Ottoman houses on a quiet Sultanahmet street, with a guests' roof terrace overlooking the Blue Mosque.
Good to know
Hotel Ibrahim Pasha joins two Ottoman-era houses built around the turn of the 20th century into a four-floor boutique hotel with a lift, on a quiet side street in the heart of Sultanahmet. The lobby has two fireplaces and a small library, giving it the feel of a private house rather than a large hotel.
The highlight is the roof terrace, where a guests-only bar looks out over the Blue Mosque and the Sea of Marmara. A Turkish and continental breakfast is included and served from 07:30 to 11:00, and some deluxe rooms have balconies. The Hippodrome and the main sights are a short walk away, and reception is staffed around the clock.
Reviewed by Lifestylemetro · Details checked October 23, 2026
Yes — a Turkish and continental breakfast is included and served in the lobby from 07:30 to 11:00.
Yes — the rooftop terrace has a bar for hotel guests and views of the Blue Mosque and the Sea of Marmara.
Bar
A long-running bar, restaurant and late-night club on the top floor of the historic Mısır Apartment on İstiklal Avenue, with panoramic city views.
Tour operator
The neighbourhood food-tour company that began in Istanbul in 2009 as Istanbul Eats, known for its day-long Two Markets, Two Continents walk.
Thing to do
One of the world's oldest covered markets, begun in the 1450s, with 61 vaulted streets of carpet, jewellery, ceramics and textile shops.
Attraction
Justinian's sixth-century domed basilica, now the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, with a separate visitor route through its upper galleries above the prayer hall.