A worker-run cooperative cafe in creative Yeldegirmeni on the Asian side, owned and run collectively with no bosses, doubling as a community space for events, film nights and solidarity projects. Come for coffee and a glimpse of grassroots Istanbul.
A coworking and community hub for people building social and environmental projects, with events, incubators and a network of changemakers. A window into Istanbul’s growing social-enterprise and startup scene.
A members’ club and hotel spread across a restored 19th-century Italian palazzo and a modern annexe in Beyoglu, with a rooftop pool, hammam and see-and-be-seen crowd. Rooms are open to non-members; stylish and central.
A friendly, long-running hostel in the heart of Sultanahmet with dorms, private rooms and a cosy rooftop bar looking to the Blue Mosque. The affordable, sociable base a short walk from every major sight.
A sleek, design-led hotel right on the Bosphorus at Ortakoy, with a waterfront terrace and rooms looking across to Asia. A calmer, glamorous base away from the old-city crowds, with the strait at your feet.
A striking design hotel in a monumental former bank on Karakoy’s old banking street, its soaring lobby and vault details intact. Handsome rooms and a hip neighbourhood of galleries, cafes and nightlife on the doorstep.
A warm, well-run boutique on a quiet street in the old city, with a small pool, a hammam and famously friendly service (and free walking tours and tastings). Great value and superbly placed for Sultanahmet.
A chic little townhouse boutique on one of Galata’s prettiest streets, with elegant rooms and a rooftop restaurant looking to the tower and the Golden Horn. Stylish, personal and in the heart of the Galata-Karakoy buzz.
A characterful five-star in a converted neoclassical former prison, moments from Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, with a lovely courtyard and rooftop views over the old city. Impeccable and unbeatably located for the sights.
The legendary hotel built for Orient Express passengers in 1892, haunt of Agatha Christie and Ataturk, gloriously restored with a grand tearoom and old-world glamour in Beyoglu. History you can sleep in.