HOTEL AREA TIPS IN ISTANBUL

All tourists get confused regarding where to stay when they come to Istanbul. Is it better to be near the sea or in the old city? Is it better to reside in a hotel or in a furnished apartment?

This article will give you the right and proper guidance regarding the best places you can reside when you come to Istanbul. Before you start reading, keep in mind that these tips come from real practical experiences that happened to thousands of tourists from all over the world. Also, you have to bear in mind that the location you will choose depends on the preference that you have whether you are visiting Istanbul for the sake of cultural exposure or you are someone who loves modern cities and wants to see more of their buildings and shopping malls. Of course, it could be both that you want to visit Istanbul for but at least you will know exactly where to stay based on what you really like

 

1. OLD ISTANBUL

Nothing is more satisfying than staying in the old city of Istanbul where you will feel the warmth and coziness that comes from the old buildings which are turned into small hotels, especially in areas like Sultanahmet. It is the place where you will be close enough to locations like Topkapi palace, the blue mosque, Ayasofya, and many other touristic areas. You will also have wonderful experiences in the Turkish Hamam ( Turkish bath ) in addition to visiting old markets and bazaars. For example, you can spend a whole day shopping in the Grand Bazaar and the Egyptian Bazaar which are two of the oldest in the world.

Here is the good news. If you are a tourist who loves old areas in the city but you don’t like to reside in an old hotel, then you can stay in a five-star hotel also in this location. Yes, that’s right you can stay in cheap hotels and you can stay in five-star luxury hotels as well.

 

2. The Sea View

Perhaps the most attractive locations tourists love to spend time in are the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. The amazing views of both the Asian and European sides of the city make the city so appealing, especially at night when the view becomes so charming and worth visiting and taking lots of pictures in. As an example of certain hotels that you can stay in with such a view, you can find a wonderful room with a sea view in one of the hotels in Karaköy, Beşiktaş, and Beyoğlu. All of those aforementioned locations are on the European side and there are other places like Üsküdar and Kadıköy on the Asian side which are worth staying in. Of course, there are also cheap hotels and rooms and five-star luxury hotels in those areas too. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t other locations that are also by the sea. However, they are far from the city center such as Sarıyer and Büyükçekmece.

 

3. The Business Location

There is a third kind of tourist who comes to Istanbul not only to enjoy the beauty of the tourist areas but also to do some business in the city which is considered the most active economical city in the Middle East. Tourists who come to Istanbul for such purposes need to stay in very good hotels which are close enough to the main markets. For example, some people prefer to stay near the wholesale markets and therefore pick locations of hotels that are close to them. Let’s suppose that you want to buy wholesale textile products, in this case, you have to stay in an area near Merter which is neither in the city center nor in the tourist area.

 

4. The Modern City

Although Istanbul is full of history, it is also full of modern buildings and advanced architecture. The city has developed a lot in the last three decades, therefore, there are lots of shopping malls and amazing buildings to visit such as the Sapphire building which is one of the tallest buildings in Turkey. the location of this tower and shopping mall is in Levent which is full of modern buildings and businesses, especially banks. Also, there are a lot of shopping malls that are visited by many tourists during the year because of their famous architectural design and amazing unique brands in them such as Istinye Park and Zorlu Center which is also called the mall of celebrities.

 

Perhaps you’re wondering if is it better to stay in a hotel or in a furnished apartment when you come to Istanbul and the answer is “it depends” on whether you want to stay for a couple of days or you want to stay for a couple of weeks. There are lots of furnished places that you can rent if you want if you’re planning to stay for longer than a week. In addition, it depends on the nature of your visit to Istanbul. For example, having a tourism program in the city to celebrate an anniversary or honeymoon then you have to stay in a very prestigious place such as a luxury five-star hotel.