Best Places To Stay in Istanbul Turkey 2025

Best Places To Stay in Istanbul Turkey 2025

Welcome back, island hoppers. Today we’re going 
to talk about the best places to stay in Istanbul, Turkey. We’re going to show you some around the 
European side in the Oldtown area and then go over to Anatolia, which is actually on the Asian 
side. We will give some practical tips at the end, so make sure you watch all the way through. First 
area to stay is going to be the old town here. This is the heart of Istanbul. This is where the 
Byzantine and Ottoman empires left their biggest marks. The whole area is a UNESCO World Heritage 
site and you’ll see ruins from the Romans, the Byzantines, the Ottomans, all within this 
area. And the great thing about being here is they have trams going all up and down the 
road. It’s very walkable. Most of the main attractions in Istanbul are going to be within 
5 to 15 minute walk, depending on what part of the old town you’re going to be in. They 
have rooftop cafes, restaurants, and bars. The hotel I stayed at was the Double Tree and that 
was right there in the heart of it all. There was restaurants nearby, shopping, and it was really 
walkable just to get around the old town. I like this hotel. But if anything, just aim for being 
in that area right there along the Oldtown. Now, I want to say there is an area even closer 
to all the attractions that you can say. It’s called Sultan Ahmed. And if you get a little bit 
closer to the Oldtown area here in Sultan Ahmed, you will see the Hagia Sophia. You also have 
the Blue Mosque nearby. And there’s several hotels right here. You’re going to pay a little bit more. 
They’re more boutique style autograph collection type hotels, but this here really puts you right 
in the middle of the heart of old Istanbul. It’s just not quite the old town like I was talking 
about in the previous segment. The Sultan Ahmed tram line connects you easily to Imanu Fairies and 
Galada, which is a more modern part of Istanbul. we’ll be talking about a little bit later. 
Around here, you will find SIM card booths, money exchange, tour agencies. So, it’s really 
just a convenient area. There is a little bit of hawking from people that goes around here. So, 
they will be coming up to you trying to get them to go into their store to buy rugs or trinkets 
or souvenirs. Just expect that more here in the Oldtown area than you’ll find in other parts of 
Istanbul. Overall, my advice would be if you’re a first timer or if you’re someone looking to 
stay a short period of time, one to two days, this area is the best. But if you’re looking 
to stay in Istanbul a longer period of time, you are definitely going to want to check out some 
of the other areas we’re about to show you next. Because you’re ultimately going to save more money 
and not have to deal with as much of the tourist trap activities going on in Salt and Att. The area 
here is known as Sirkeci and it’s actually right next to the Grand Bazaar. You also have several other 
bazaars, walking streets. This is really a hustle and bustle kind of area. Very vibrant. It’s 
away from the old town, but it’s close enough to the old town. People come here because 
they want to catch the vibe of Istanbul. So, it’s a nice area to stay. I found hotels to be 
reasonably priced considering the distance to the old town. It’s very close, but it’s just a whole 
different neighborhood in the Faith district. This is really right where the Egyptian bazaar 
is. This is where you get the spices. Also, the benefit of being here, you’re right along the 
Golden Horns waterfront where all the fairies are. So, you can easily get around the Bosphorus 
Straight through here. If you’re coming to Istanbul to do any form of shopping for clothing 
or souvenirs, this is it. This is the best place you’re going to find all of that stuff. Just be 
ready to do some negotiating. I would say this is for a little bit longer staying area because 
there’s just so much vibrance here. Again, you’re still in a very touristic area, but if 
you’re someone who’s a tourist and you know it and you want to stay for 3 to 5 days, I like this 
area a lot. They have a Hampton Inn, a Mercure over here, an Ibis, those would be some of the hotel 
chains that you could stay at. But then again, you might just want to save money and stay at a local 
hotel. I want to give you some information about the taxis all around this area. they will try to 
overcharge you. There’s no other way to put it. The best way to get around that is to use Uber. 
The taxi drivers don’t like when you use Uber because then they can’t charge you five times the 
price. But if you do have to get a yellow taxi, make sure they run the actual meter because if 
they do a flat rate charge, they can actually kind of bump that up. Always pre-negotiate the price 
no matter where you are in Istanbul. The area here along the waterfront is called Eminonu. If you 
wanted a little bit more peaceful area near Ciri, which is the Egyptian bazaar and the Grand Bazaar, 
but you want to be on the waterfront, Imanu is perfect. This is a little bit more This is a 
little bit more of a walk to the old town, but it is more laidback. They do have several transit 
stations here as well as a big bus station. So, that’s what’s a convenience about this. Also, you 
can easily walk across the bridge if you wanted at sunset or even in the morning. This is down 
by the waterfront, not up on the hill. There is plenty of shopping, restaurants, and cafes here. 
Get ready to eat some Turkish delight while you’re down here. I would recommend getting one of 
these Istanbul transit cards. I paid 200 LRA, which is around $5 for the card, and then I topped 
up another 200. This allowed me access to trams, fairies, buses, and other forms of mass transit. 
Now, here we are at Nisantasi. This here is the ritzy area of Istanbul. Here you’ll find hotels 
like the St. Regis, the Grand Hyatt, there’s a Hilton Hotel here. Lots of fine dining options. 
Also very expensive department stores. Mont Blanc, Prada, you name it, that’s what’s right here. 
It’s up on the hill nearby Galata. There’s also a very large stadium nearby here uh in case you’re 
wanting to attend any sort of event or game at the stadium. Nissan TSI is the best area, but again, 
this is the luxury high-end side of Istanbul. I know some of you might be looking for that. We do 
have a channel where we review the hotels that we stayed at. It’s called Island Hopper TV Hotels if 
you want to pop over there next and check out the Istanbul Hotel reviews that we did. I reviewed 
the Oldtown Double Tree as well as the top copy, the Hilton Double Tree. Both of which had 
saunas and one of them had a Turkish bath. Kind of interesting, right? Nisantasi hotels range 
anywhere between $150 to $300 a night, whereas the Oldtown area, maybe around $100 a night, we’re in 
an area called Galata. This is on the other side of the Golden Horn from the Hagia Sophia, the 
Blue Mosque, and Sultan Ahmed. And this area is known for the Galata Tower. It’s up on a hill on 
the other side. And here you have more of an area that’s more relaxing cafes and restaurants. It is 
a bit touristic, especially around the tower. So the further you get away from the tower, the more 
relaxing it is. The more I walked around here, I felt like there was so many hidden alleyways 
and roads to explore where you could find very nice cafes and bars that are not too crowded. The 
area around the tower though is non-alcoholic, so it’s just restaurants and cafes. I would say 
two to three nights here in the Galato area would be good. Anything more than that might be a little 
bit overdoing it, but but you could split up your time between Salt and Att and Galada and that 
would be great. There are some other areas around Galada that I really like, like the Istyall area. 
Now, this is going to be more of a walking street. I would say if there was any area that’s just 
really modern and walkable, Istyall is the avenue. They’ve got a big tram that goes right along the 
middle of it. And I would say coming over here, no matter when you’re in Istanbul, is worth it to 
check out. But this is an area you could probably stay for two to three nights as well. It would 
just be a tossup. Do you want to be near the Galata Tower or do you want to be near Isty Call? 
You can easily catch the metro buses or funicular cars from Taksim, which is another area. But here 
they have vibrant night life, bars, rooftop bars, nightclubs. They have street performers and a 
buzz that you’re really going to enjoy. Cultural venues, cinemas, theaters. This is really a nice 
area. Funny thing is, I got my haircut both times I came to Istanbul here in Isticaul area. And that 
big neighborhood that I told you about, Taxim, that’s right next to Istyall. They have a big 
mosque here. They have a square. That’s where the main station is. But this greater area along this 
side of Istanbul, the whole neighborhood is really called Taksim. And here you’re going to find more 
of the budget friendly type accommodations where you’re still within access to most of Istanbul. 
But Taksm is probably one of the more kind of in between local and touristic areas. That’s why 
you’re going to get a little bit better pricing in the taxim area and it connects right to Istyle 
main street so it’s convenient for that. We’ll explore around Ortakoy waterfront. Now Orticoy 
sits directly on the Bosphorus so you’re going to get beautiful views of the straits especially 
with sunrise. They have the Bosphorus Bridge. Also many different Bosphorus cruises originate here. 
You have a relaxing vibe. It’s not busy like the Oldtown or Isty call. It’s more laid-back, but 
you have seaside kind of living and it’s a bit touristic compared to other places that you may 
find waterfront, but it’s still good for tourists. You could easily stay here a few nights because 
the night life by the water, they have cafes, shisha lounges, bars that line the waterfront, and 
it makes it a perfect place for evening walks. The Dolmabahçe Palace is nearby here. They also have 
a naval museum. Now, you will take the tram just to get here or you can walk. It just depends on 
how hot or cold Istanbul is. That’s another thing you have to take into consideration. In the months 
of June, July, and August, Istanbul can be really hot. I was here in August, and even walking at 
1:00 in the afternoon, a short distance can really get you a little bit of heat exhaustion. But 
Dolbachi definitely recommend checking that out and it’s really close to Ortakoy. Now if you all 
want a waterfront that’s not as touristic consider Kadakoy. Now this area here is on the Anatolia 
side. It is waterfront. It faces towards the area going towards the Mediterranean not the Bosphorus. 
So this is a very unique area to stay. A lot of people who come to Istanbul and become locals 
after being tourists, they kind of move from the old town or Galata over here. This is where the 
cafes are. This is kind of the people who want to stay long-term, not be sucked into all the tourist 
traps that Istanbul has. This is where you want to end up. And as you can see by these aerial shots, 
this is where the beaches are. It’s not up towards the Black Sea. It’s this side of Anatolia. So, 
if you’re looking for beach, this is where you’re going to find it. Some would say we save the best 
for last. It just depends what you’re looking for. Are you looking for the tourist experience? 
You looking for something in between? Or are you looking for something more long-term? This is 
where you want to be. Now, for some practical tips about Istanbul. So, when you’re arriving in 
Turkey, depending on the country you’re coming from, you may or may not need an e visa. So, check 
online. If you’re coming from the US, you don’t need an e visa anymore. The local currency here is 
the Turkish lera. 1 US equals 41 Turkish LIRA. Just remember when it comes to ATMs and credit cards, 
avoid dynamic currency conversion. Always choose the LIRA. Credit cards are widely accepted, but 
carrying cash can be useful, especially in the bizaars. And like I said earlier with the taxis, I 
recommend buy taxi or Uber. That’s the best way to get around because I have been price gouged really 
heavily by taxis and the only way to and the only way to take a yellow taxi is by meter. Otherwise, 
trust me, it’s going to be more than you expect. I love Istanbul. It’s a true worldclass city. 
You’re going to love it, too. Enjoy the food and we’ll see you on the next one from Best Things 
to Do in Istanbul. Click the link right here.

Are you looking for the best places to stay in Istanbul Turkey but not sure where to start? Today we do an Istanbul travel guide where we give you some of the best areas to stay in Istanbul for short stay or even longer periods. We show you around the European side of Istanbul and the Asian side known as Anatolia. Istanbul is a mega city and the largest city in Turkey. We talk about the Old Town area known as Sultan Ahmed and then go across the Golden Horn to Galata and Istikal. We talk about areas like Taksim and man more. We also provide Istanbul travel tips in this Istanbul video as well as important travel advice.

We made several Istanbul vlogs already and will continue to show you the best things to do in Istanbul on your Turkey vacation. I would suggest atleast 3 days in Istanbul if this is your first time to Turkey.

Everything You Need To Know Visiting Turkey: https://youtu.be/R9Lze5TEyQ4
Best Things To Do in Istanbul: https://youtu.be/lgKJR4EmHSk

Best Places to Stay in Istanbul
(Timestamps)
0:00 Intro
0:18 Old Town
1:12 Sultan Ahmed
2:37 Sirkeci
4:30 Eminonu
5:24 Nisantasi
6:36 Galata
7:35 Istikal
8:29 Taksim
9:14 Ortakoy
10:36 Kadikoy

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