Istanbul's 4-star (first-class) hotels offer excellent comfort and convenience at moderate rates, whether in Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Beyoğlu (Taksim Square or Tepebaşı), or some other hotel district.
Here's how to choose the best hotel location for what you want to do.
Consider a 4-Star if you...
—Enjoy modern comforts in rooms of quite adequate size.
—Don't need luxury services such as large meeting rooms, swimming pools, shopping arcades, and a variety of in-hotel restaurants.
Most of Istanbul's 4-Stars are modern (built in the last 15 years or less) and many are conveniently located near tourist attractions and main squares. Some, though modern buildings with all modern services, have Ottoman-style decor to help you feel you're really in Istanbul.
For your convenience, I've included in this group some hotels classed as "Special" by the Turkish Ministry of Tourism, often Ottoman-style inns that have most—but not all—of the comforts and conveniences required to be officially classed as 4-Star.
Old Istanbul 4-Star Hotels
These are mostly on quiet streets within walking distance of most of Istanbul's major tourist sights. More...
Sirkeci 4-Star Hotels
The Sirkeci district, just down the hill from Sultanahmet, nearer to Sirkeci Station and the Eminönü ferry docks in Old Istanbul, has dozens of hotels and Hocapaşa restaurants. Convenient location! Great value! More...
Beyazıt 4-Star Hotels
Only steps from the Grand Bazaar and Istanbul University, a 10-minute walk from the great Süleymaniye Mosque and not even 15 minutes' walk from Sultanahmet(even quicker by tram), the Beyazit Square area offers comfort, convenience, and great value for money. More...
Beyoğlu 4-Star Hotels
These are mostly in a relatively quiet neighborhoodcalled Talimhane just northwest of Taksim Square, the heart of "modern" Istanbul, often called Beyoğlu. More...
Beyoğlu and Taksim have lots of restaurants, shops, cafes, airline offices, nightclubs, and the Atatürk Cultural Center (opera, ballet, concerts, drama, conventions) and the main pedestrian-only avenue of İstiklal Caddesi. The Taksim area also has most of Istanbul's 5-Star luxury hotels, so you'll be in nearly the same location as the Hilton and Hyatt, but at half or a third of the price.
—by Tom Brosnahan
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