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.
Courtesy of 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.
