The Best Hotels in Istanbul, From Bosphorus Palaces to Intimate Boutiques

Straddling Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a city that crosses over continents and cultures, with a skyline that’s equal parts modern highrises and historic mosques. Once the capital of three empires—the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman—Istanbul’s conflicting past is present today in landmarks like Hagia Sophia, a former church-turned-museum-turned-mosque, and the recently reopened Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, a 500-year-old bathhouse fresh off a 13-year renovation. Belle Époque beauties like Pera Palace Hotel have held court from the fall of the Ottoman Empire to the rise of the New Turkish Republic—and are where famous guests like Agatha Christie checked in after traveling by rail on the opulent Orient Express from Paris.

The city has no shortage of gilded grande dame hotels sprawled on the European half along the Bosphorus Strait—some within steps of landmarks like the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. But Istanbul is experiencing a resurgence thanks to a new generation of creatives who are demonstrating the strength of Turkey’s homegrown talent, from the dynamic ISTANBUL’74 team, who are curating large-scale public installations and the cutting-edge arts and culture IST.FESTIVAL, to artisanal tea company Melez, a local tea sommelier and her husband’s startup that’s now supplying some of the hottest hotels in town.

The past few years have ushered in big-name hotels by the likes of Peninsula, but now local brands and family-run properties are making their much-anticipated debut in more unexpected locales everywhere from the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara to the sleepy fishermen’s village of Çengelköy on the Asian side.

From large-scale renovations of heritage buildings to shiny, design-forward new structures, here are the top hotels to stay on your next trip to Istanbul—and what to add to your bucket list when you immediately want to go back.

The Peninsula Istanbul

Sitting on the lip of land right where the Bosphorus meets the Golden Horn estuary, The Peninsula boasts genuinely jaw-dropping views of the architectural marvels that dot the opposite shore—but it’s the scale of the property that will strike you first. Spread across four separate edifices—three of which date to the early 19th century, and serve as a history lesson in architectural styles ranging from Art Nouveau to Arts and Crafts; a fourth was constructed specifically for The Peninsula—and nestled among gardens bursting with magnolia and pomegranate trees designed by Swiss landscape architect Enzo Enea, it’s a peaceful enclave right in the beating heart of the city.

Even if it’s just some rest and relaxation you’re after, The Peninsula has you covered. Deep in the bowels of the building lies an almost obscenely large spa complex, with a centerpiece of a showstopping 82-foot indoor pool—lit by shimmering domes inspired by the scalloped niches found in local mosques, installed with speakers playing gentle underwater music for a more 21st-century touch. The hotel’s real coup, however, was scoring a collaboration with the country’s first (and indeed, only) two Michelin-starred chef Fatih Tutak, whose restaurant Turk Fatih Tutak, is informed by his previous stints at Noma and Nihonryori Ryugin in Tokyo—and his new outpost at the hotel, Gallada, has quickly become one of the city’s most hotly-in-demand reservations. Make your reservation now. —Liam Hess

• Amenities: Spa, 2 pools, multiple on-site restaurants, bar, fitness center
• Address: Karakoy, Kemankes Karamustafapasa Mah., Kemankes Caddesi N 34, Beyoglu, Istanbul

Ciragan Palace Kempinski

There are few buildings in Istanbul quite as storied as the Ciragan Palace, which was commissioned in the mid-19th century for an Ottoman sultan who never lived to see its completion. Thankfully, since it was converted to a hotel in the early ’90s (and later taken over by the Kempinski luxury hotel group), anyone who takes a room here can now enjoy its breathtaking opulence. (And plenty have: previous A-list guests include Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, and Bill Clinton.) Not a hotel to rest on its laurels, however, the ever-evolving offering at the Ciragan Palace ensures that repeat guests—and there are plenty of them—always have something new to discover. A recent refurbishment has added a fresh, contemporary touch to the Ottoman-inspired interiors of its 317 rooms and 31 suites, with elegant striped wallpaper in shades of burgundy and deep blue and lavishly marbled bathrooms. There are also two recently opened restaurants, including Akdeniz, the brainchild of visionary Turkish chef Esra Muslu, which offers a menu of pan-Mediterranean mezze where locally sourced vegetables play the starring role.

While it’s a short taxi ride to the electric energy of all of Istanbul’s centrally-located sites, the resort-like feel of its multiple outdoor pools—all fringed with sun loungers and offering views out over the sparkling blue of the Bosphorus; you can even enjoy a spa treatment in one of the cabanas located right by the shoreline—means the Ciragan Palace offers the best of both worlds. It’s a perfect launchpad for exploring the city, but also a tranquil haven to return to once the sightseeing is over and all you want to do is chill. (Just make sure you ask for a tour of the historic palace that houses some of its top suites and the Tuğra restaurant, and is filled to the brim with eye-popping architectural details of marble and mother of pearl: it’s just as breathtaking and historically significant as any of the Ottoman palaces most tourists would have to buy tickets to visit.) —L.H.

• Amenities: 2 pools, airport shuttle, spa, fitness center, bar, multiple on-site restaurants
• Address: Ciragan Caddesi 32, Istanbul, 34349

Soho House Istanbul

Located within the tangle of steep, buzzing streets that make up the city’s Beyoğlu district, the member’s club Soho House—which first set up shop in Istanbul in 2015—serves as full confirmation (if you really needed it) that the city is an up-and-coming creative capital. And in keeping with Istanbul’s broader spirit of paying reverence to the past while never being afraid to reinvent those traditions, the group’s signature cozy aesthetic has been applied to the historic surroundings of the former U.S. embassy in which Soho House sits with thoughtfulness and care. The rabbit warren of the atmospheric members’ club building features plenty of high ceilings, Art Nouveau woodwork and etched glass, and grand staircases, but there’s a casual, homely feel too, whether in the plaster walls that have been left to peel and flicker under the candlelight each evening, or the rooms set up with snooker tables and chess boards to bolster its convivial spirit.

Across a courtyard filled with a maze of trees and hedges—offering plenty of nooks to take your morning coffee in—lies the main hotel building, which, while being a more recent, glass-walled addition, artfully melds the contemporary feel of Soho House’s trademark decor with a handful of local flourishes. (Think traditional iznik tiles in the bathrooms, all stocked with copious amounts of Cowshed and Soho Skin products, or kilim cushions scattered across the plush linens of your enormous king-size bed.) The hotel is a culinary destination in its own right, too, with local Istanbulites packing out its four restaurants, including an outpost of the popular Italian restaurant group Cecconi’s and superb, summer-only Greek-Mykonian eatery Apheleia, which offers a gyros-taco hybrid topped with tomato confit and paprika yogurt, and beef souvlaki and giant prawns cooked in an outdoor Josper oven. Make sure you grab a seat on the terrace: both Apheleia and the rooftop bar offer stunning views over the rooftops that sweep down the hillside—never more beautiful when bathed in the orange glow of an Istanbul sunset. —L.H.

• Amenities: Spa, airport shuttle, fitness center, two on-site restaurants, bar
• Address: Evliya Çelebi Mahallesi Mesrutiyet, Caddesi No. 56, Beyoglu District, Istanbul, 34430

Aliée

Aliée sprawls across the former site of the Haliç Shipyard, where Ottoman sultans once launched their imperial fleets. Part of the ongoing redevelopment of the Tersane waterfront, the 99-key hotel incorporates the archaeological remains of 15th-century stone warehouses on the northern shore of the Golden Horn, with Dayna Lee and Ted Berner of LA’s Powerstrip Studio tapped to oversee the design—no small task, given the resort-like scale of the Beyoğlu property. The finished interiors are best described as Martin Brudnizki by way of the Grand Bazaar: a maximalist whorl of star-and-cross tiles, 200 hand-knotted silk rugs, and colored glassware sourced from Anatolian collectors throughout. The highlight, design-wise, might just be the hotel’s Pink Bar, where art students from Marmara University have painted floor-to-ceiling murals inspired by Ottoman miniatures, which seem to glow in the rose-gold light that floods the room at sunset each evening.

One of Aliée’s strongest points is its connection to the arts scene more broadly; Contemporary Istanbul is now held in Tersane each September, while private galleries loan works for a central 300-foot-long atrium known as The Courtyard (during my visit, there were corten-steel sculptures by Tony Cragg on display). Even the minibars are printed with designs by Turkish artist Arslan Sükan, though the rooms’ most striking feature by far is their spaciousness. I stay in 3025, a terrace suite, with floor-to-ceiling views of Fener’s Neo-Byzantine architecture across the water, a closet larger than most Manhattan apartments, and a flourish of five-star amenities: think Sleep Menus with 12 pillow options, and copper baths in which to soak with cedar-scented products by Oscar Quagliarini. You may well never use the latter, though, given the vast lagoon pool in Aliée’s Damask-rose-filled gardens and its Well+ spa—a three-story complex inspired by ancient Roman thermae, complete with a recreation of a 600-year-old Turkish hammam. —Hayley Maitland

• Amenities: Multiple on-site restaurants and bars, a rowing club and fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools, airport shuttles and boat tours
• Address: Camiikebir Mahallesi, Taşkızak Tersanesi Caddesi, No 11-19, 34437

The Bank Hotel

Among the earlier boutique hotels to lure international travelers beyond Sultanahmet, The Bank Hotel occupies a 19th-century, Neo-Renaissance building that originally served as Crédit Général Ottoman’s headquarters on Bankalar Caddesi, formerly the main artery of Istanbul’s financial district. Converted in the 2010s with input from designer Sinan Kafadar, there are still nods to its former life throughout: the cavernous vaults in the basement now serve as wine cellars for an impressive range of Turkish vintages, while Ottoman-era telephones and cash registers are displayed in the common areas. The 61 rooms, meanwhile, are cocoons of parquet flooring, marble bathrooms, and plush beds from which you can gaze up at ceilings hand-painted with geometric patterns discovered during the renovations. Special mention to the turndown service, with chocolates made by The Bank Hotel’s pastry chef left on your bedside table.

Location-wise, you’re in the heart of Karaköy here, with the spires of Topkapı Palace rising above the Oriental planes just across the Bosphorus. The most enjoyable way to get your bearings is to head to The Bank Roof Bar for a rakı-based cocktail, where you can watch fishermen cast their lines from the Galata Bridge in a cloud of Tekel-2000 smoke below, before going for dinner at in-house restaurant Serica, where chef Yiğit Alicioğlu’s menu takes guests on a journey across Turkey, from the Aegean coast to eastern Anatolia. Admittedly, this neighborhood of Istanbul can get a little chaotic due to its proximity to Galataport, but if you ever feel the need to escape to calmer shores, you’re just feet away from Karaköy pier, where ferries regularly depart for both the Princes’ Islands and Kadıköy. The latter’s design-centric Moda neighborhood is among the most vibrant areas in Istanbul right now. —H.M.

• Amenities: Two on-site restaurants, fitness center, underground spa, bar and rooftop bar
• Address: Azapkapı, Bankalar Caddesi No 5, 34421

Ecole St. Pierre

Cross the threshold of the 17-room Ecole St. Pierre, and you find yourself in a shaded, orange-tree-lined courtyard, collared doves trilling on the wrought-iron balconies above you. Within minutes of arriving, I’ve been handed a cold glass of mint-garnished lemonade, introduced to the resident cat Fıstık (meaning Pistachio in Turkish), and led up to a second-floor room that feels almost surreally peaceful considering Galata Tower is just outside its stone walls. The interiors throughout Ecole St. Pierre’s upper stories are defined by pale linens, Bosphorus-blue accents, and blonde wicker, while each light-filled bedroom overlooks the jasmine-scented atrium below, where fellow guests linger over frosty bottles of Efes beer after a day exploring the nearby sites.

The tranquil—and distinctly European—atmosphere is fitting, given that Ecole St. Pierre started life in the 19th-century as a French-run Catholic school within the grounds of a Dominican monastery. Gaspare Fossati, the architect best known for restoring Hagia Sophia, renovated the building in the 1840s, while the remains of 13th-century Genoese ramparts still form part of the restaurant walls downstairs. (Note, too, the lithographic stones in the hotel lobby, relics of the building’s use as a printing house in the 1920s.) Although there’s neither a spa nor a pool here, you never feel the lack of them given the quality of the service; not only are handwritten lists of cultural suggestions laid out for each guest, the front desk will help with everything from recommending the best antiques shops in Çukurcuma to securing last-minute reservations at a local meyhane. —H.M.

• Amenities: Restaurant, bar, airport transfers
• Address: Bereketzade Mahallesi, Galata Kulesi Sokak No 20/A, 34421 

Four Seasons Hotel at Sultanahmet

While Four Seasons has two outposts in Istanbul, there’s nothing quite like its first hotel in the city, which opened in 1996 in the heart of the historic Sultanahmet district: mere steps away from the Hagia Sophia, the Ottoman-era Blue Mosque, and the dazzling splendor of the Topkapi Palace. (In 2008, it opened a second, more palatial property on the banks of the Bosphorus, with multiple restaurants, a spa complex, and a sweeping outdoor pool area.) Step inside its discrete entrance, however, and you couldn’t feel further from the throngs of tourists that pass through the nearby streets: housed in a former prison, the hotel recently reopened after an extensive refurbishment, and its soothing, earth-toned interiors are a balm after a long day walking around the city.

Bonus points for the former prison yard at the center of the building, which has been transformed into a leafy courtyard where you can take your breakfast en plein air: the dining options here, in general, are top-notch, whether the main restaurant Avlu that serves modern Anatolian dishes all day (think Mücver zucchini fritters or cheese and sucuk pide that has been perfectly charred in a wood-fired oven) or the in-house patisserie for delicate French-style pastries at breakfast or afternoon tea. Naturally, there’s a spa too, specializing in hammam rituals that include a foam massage and hair cleansing to wash out that Bosphorus brine. The ultimate perk? A shuttle service operates both by bus and boat between the two sister properties, meaning whichever one you stay at, you’ll be sure to get the best of both worlds. —L.H.

• Amenities: Spa, bar, four on-site restaurants, fitness center
• Address: Tevkifhane Sokak No. 1, Sultanahmet, Istanbul, 34110

Casa Foscolo

Infusing new life into the historic Pera district, home to Istanbul’s main pedestrian thoroughfare, İstiklal Caddesi, Casa Foscolo is housed in a renovated neoclassical facade. Original features (soaring ceilings, a central spiral marble staircase) are married with modern touches anchored by the Vargi family’s contemporary art collection, which spans an impressive 200 pieces. Artist and curator Yasemin Vargi Emirdag, whose family claims two decades in the hospitality business, brought elements of the gallery-filled neighborhood into her first hotel project, where she blends artwork collected from around the world with pieces from her own home.

Local muralist Hakan Ozdil’s storybook-like motifs framing the staircase on each floor are a playful juxtaposition with the beautifully restored, period-specific frescoes skirting the ceilings. Sculptures and paintings by local artists are sprinkled throughout the 18 rooms, which are swathed in pastel shades like apricot and mint, reminiscent of the artwork and architecture in Emirdag’s other home in the South of France. The brick-and-travertine stone boutique hotel celebrates cafe culture with a bar and coffee shop, a collaboration with local independent bookstore Minoa, encouraging guests and locals to mingle over lattes and literature before exploring the dynamic dining scene on the surrounding streets. —Lane Nieset

• Amenities: Bar, breakfast, coffee shop, library
• Address: General Yazgan Sokak No:12, Beyoglu, 34430

Princes’ Palace

The Princes’ Islands off Istanbul are often relegated to a day trip cruising around the nine isles, but that’s now changing with the recent addition of the family-owned Princes’ Palace. Perched along the Sea of Marmara, the boutique property sits on the largest of the islands, Büyükada, whose Ottoman-era mansions are where intellectuals and aristocrats held court in the 19th century. Known for its horse-drawn carriages, or phaetons, the trapped-in-time island is where locals today retreat from the city for weekend and summer escapes, when Büyükada becomes an easier (and much less crowded) seaside getaway than Bodrum.

Rooms frame garden and water views through floor-to-ceiling windows, with wraparound balconies in Sea Suites facing Istanbul’s impressive skyline. The design embraces an ethos of understated elegance with warm wood slat ceilings, modernized Ottoman-style octagon coffee tables, and Turkish artwork from the family’s collection. While the adjacent, 19th-century Victorian mansion-turned-members-only clubhouse—designed by locally based Zeynep Fadillioglu, also behind The Peninsula Istanbul—will help the island regain its status as a gathering place for Turkey’s society set, the real draw is the Turkish Riviera-inspired beach club and pool bar. Better yet, take a dip right in the sea itself, which you can wade into as you step outside the hotel’s front doors. —L.N.

• Amenities: Private beach, bar, breakfast included, fitness center, pool, spa, on-site restaurant
• Address: Cankaya Caddesi Nizam Mahallesi No 58, Adalar, Buyukada, 34970

Six Senses Kocatas Mansions Istanbul

The Bosphorus is lined with palatial beauties lovingly restored as boutique hotels, but Six Senses Kocatas Mansions Istanbul embraces a more exclusive private villa feel. The 43 rooms are spread across two neighboring heritage mansions in the old fisherman village of Sariyer and radiate Old World elegance in the most understated of ways, letting the intricate moldings and murals steal the show. Decor alternates between Ottoman-era furniture with inlaid pearl and more modern, coastal cottage-inspired looks. Think wooden-slatted ceilings and pale parquet flooring, the neutral shades allowing the carpet-clad trunks and Bosphorus views to shine.

Keeping with Six Senses’ wellness-integrated philosophy, the uphill spa is as much a destination as the hotel itself. Spanning three levels in a century-old stone home, you’ll find a handful of treatment rooms modeled after hammams—and a contemporary, earth-toned take on Turkish baths—plus an infinity pool draped over the Bosphorus, where you’ll want to linger on a lounger until sunset. The hotel isn’t lacking in scene-stealing views of the water, but two of the top are from the vine-covered terrace of chef Richard Sandoval’s Toro Latin Gastro Bar or under the thatched roof of open-air 1860 Lounge, where you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to the Turkish Riviera. —L.N.

• Amenities: 2 pools, airport shuttle, spa, fitness center, bar, on-site restaurant
• Address: Merkez Mahallesi, Meserburnu C, Sariyer, 34450

Vakko Hotel Sumahan Bosphorus

Hovering over the water like the many yachts cruising the Bosphorus, all 12 rooms at the intimate Vakko Hotel Sumahan Bosphorus capitalize on sweeping skyline views of the European side, plus sunsets over Istanbul’s centerpiece strait. The secluded locale feels like you’re on an island, and the hotel’s private boat can quickly whisk you across the water to buzzy Beşiktaş, bypassing Istanbul’s notoriously heavy traffic—meaning you’ll reach the city center in a mere 15 minutes.

Camouflaging with the seaside mansions and balikçi (fish restaurants) in the village-like Çengelköy neighborhood, in a calm bay on the Asian side, the 19th-century facade was originally an Ottoman distillery. Lauded Turkish fashion house and lifestyle brand Vakko embraced the heritage building’s historic bones while integrating 1940s-inspired design touches, with oversized arched windows framing views of the water, marble-swathed bathrooms doubling as mini hammams with steam baths and rain showers, and Art Deco-influenced fireplaces.

Butler service infuses a private villa feel, while at Caviar Kaspia, the Istanbul outpost of the 1920s Parisian institute, warm walnut walls and sumptuously swathed velvet chairs mimic the look of a private members’ club—one where everyone is there to see-and-be-seen (and indulge in the iconic, twice-baked caviar-topped potato). —L.N.

• Amenities: Bar, spa, breakfast included, 2 on-site restaurants, airport shuttle, fitness center,
• Address: Kuleli Cd. No:43, Istanbul, Istanbul, 34680