The 12 Best Hotels in Istanbul

Çirağan Palace Kempinski

Also available to book at Expedia.com

The recently renovated Çirağan Palace Kempinski may be one of the “newer” hotels in Istanbul, but its history — and prime location on the Bosphorus — is what earned the former (and only) Ottoman imperial palace on the water its status as a World’s Best Awards winner for three years in a row (2021, 2022, and 2023).

Redesigned in 2023, the 17th-century hotel has maintained its Turkish heritage (think mother-of-pearl inlaid furniture, hammam-inspired marble bathrooms) and added contemporary touches to its 317 rooms and suites. While you’ll have access to amenities like private gardens with sunbeds and sleek standing tubs and balconies overlooking the water, this property feels more like an intimate boutique hotel than a sprawling resort.

Not only do some of the rooms overlook the Bosphorus, so does the outdoor infinity pool — which offers day passes for those staying elsewhere in the city. As for restaurant options, take your pick of al fresco fine dining, an Ottoman garden-inspired Gazebo, and a summertime bar with live DJs spinning at sunset on the Bosphorus.

The Details:

• Neighborhood: Beşiktaş
• Accessibility: Elevator and ramps throughout, plus accessible rooms on the ground floor
• Nearby Attractions: Dolmabahçe Palace, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Galata Tower, Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), Grand Bazaar
• Loyalty Programs: Leading Hotels of the World; American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts
• Rates: Starting at $551

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus

Also available to book at Expedia.com

A repeat World’s Best Awards recipient for the past four years, Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus — one of the brand’s two properties in Istanbul — checks all the boxes. Extending along the Bosphorus Strait on the European side, you can soak up views from the 170-room property’s cabana-clad pool or Michelin-recommended dining concept, AQUA, where executive chef Görkem Özkan serves up a seven-course Mediterranean, seafood-focused tasting menu.

The spa offers state-of-the-art treatments as well as more traditional Turkish hammam experiences, but if you want to maintain your workout routine while traveling, tack on a personal training session or do laps in the gorgeous indoor pool, which is like a modern-day (and super luxe) version of the Basilica Cistern.

As for the rooms, you’ll have plenty of space to sprawl out, since they start at a comfortable 484 square feet and range up to the high-ceilinged, three-bedroom Bosphorus Palace Suite — 2,368 square feet extending along two floors of the historic palace.

The Details:

• Neighborhood: Beşiktaş district
• Nearby Attractions: Beşiktaş Square, Dolmabahçe Palace, Dolmabahçe Clock Tower, Taksim Square, Galata Tower
• Loyalty Programs: American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts
• Rates: Starting at $881

Raffles Istanbul

Also available to book at Hotels.com

A sanctuary perched on one of Istanbul’s iconic hills, Raffles Istanbul pulls out all the stops when it comes to a luxurious city escape. Want to skip the traffic and arrive via helicopter? Done. Need to unwind after a long flight? The 32,300-square-foot spa, one of the largest in Istanbul, should do the trick. Prefer to shake off jet lag in the comfort of your suite? You’ll have floor-to-ceiling windows and private balconies overlooking the Bosphorus, Princes’ Islands, and Old Town.

This World’s Best Awards-winning hotel features 185 rooms and suites — all of which include butler service — plus more expansive apartments located on higher floors, if you’re planning a longer stay in the city. Keep your fitness regime going at the super-sleek studio (complete with personal trainers and Pilates machines) or indulge in the marble-clad couples spa suite, where you can soak in a candlelit bath.

In addition to Raffles’s legendary Long Bar, you can sip cocktails at the sixth-floor poolside bar, bubbly in the Champagne Room, or post up in the speakeasy-style Writers Bar. When you’re ready for a culinary experience that blends modern and traditional flavors, take a seat at the award-winning Isokyo for Asian dishes with a Turkish spin.

The Details:

• Neighborhood: Zorlu Center, Beşiktaş district
• Accessibility: The king-size, Deluxe City room is accessible for travelers with limited mobility
• Nearby Attractions: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, Galata Tower, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern
• Loyalty Programs: ALL - Accor Live Limitless; American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts
• Rates: Start at $619

Shangri-La Bosphorus

If you’re looking for classic, five-star luxury, three-time World’s Best Awards-winning Shangri-La Bosphorus has perfected it. Housed in a historic 1930s building, the 186-room property on the European side of the city is swathed in neutral tones, with chandelier-adorned rooms that take design elements from Ottoman palaces and Asian minimalism. Private terraces show off unobstructed views of the Bosphorus, and the Duplex Suites, which span two levels, feature double-height windows with panoramas over the water, Dolmabahçe Palace, and the Old City.

While the property caters to business travelers, it offers plenty of amenities for families, from a meal plan for Shangri-La Circle members traveling with children to a separate kid’s pool at the fully equipped Health Club. You’ll find Cantonese fare at the hotel’s upscale Shang Palace, plus global cuisine and Turkish delicacies at IST TOO, which extends onto a waterfront terrace. Dip in the indoor-outdoor pool or hot whirlpool baths after a private hammam or Asian-inspired massage at CHI, The Spa.

The Details:

• Neighborhood: Beşiktaş district
• Accessibility: Interconnecting rooms and facilities for travelers with mobility issues
• Nearby Attractions: Dolmabahçe Palace, Galata Tower, Cistern of Philoxenos, Kadıköy (via ferry), Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque
• Loyalty Programs: Shangri-La Circle
• Rates: Starting at $509

The St. Regis Istanbul

The St. Regis’s butler service is legendary, so if you’re a fan of the brand, you know exactly what’s in store when you arrive at The St. Regis Istanbul — butler service for all! Need a wakeup call and the curtains expertly opened, placing the city on prime display? That’s just one of the many perks your butler can provide.

Curated art lines the walls of this 2022 World’s Best Awards-winning hotel’s 118 rooms, as well as the Art Deco-style lobby and well-stocked library. Unlike some of the other five-star hotels in Istanbul, views here center around the neighboring Maçka Park, but you’ll still get a glimpse of the Bosphorus from some of the suites, like the Bentley Suite, a 1,345-square-foot room dripping in marble and memorabilia from the luxury car brand. Another major selling point: an outpost of Wolfgang Puck’s Michelin-starred restaurant, Spago, which overlooks the glittering Nişantaşı district from the hotel’s rooftop terrace.

The Details:

• Neighborhood: Nişantaşı
• Accessibility: Public spaces and swimming pools are wheelchair accessible
• Nearby Attractions: Maçka Park, Beyoğlu District, Taksim Square, the Bosphorus Strait
• Loyalty Programs: Marriott Bonvoy; American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts
• Rates: Starting at $451

The Peninsula Istanbul

A hotel in the heart of one of the oldest neighborhoods in Istanbul that’s also on the water isn’t easy to come by, but The Peninsula has a knack for choosing the right address. The 177-room Istanbul property made quite a splash when it opened in early 2023, quickly earning a place on our It List.

Rooms and suites are scattered across four adjacent buildings, all featuring floor-to-ceiling window views of the Bosphorus, while some offer direct access to the sculpture-filled garden, sleek outdoor pool, and the hotel’s private boat dock — one of the stylish ways to make an entrance (another is via the hotel’s signature green Rolls-Royce).

The marble-clad subterranean spa is not to be missed, even if you visit one of the luxe hammams nearby — it’s a true oasis of serenity with a roster of classic and age-defying treatments that’ll make you want to spend an entire day here. But what really made an impression with readers, earning the hotel a spot on our World’s Best Awards list for 2024, is the service.

The Details:

• Neighborhood: Karaköy
• Accessibility: In addition to two accessible rooms, the hotel has wheelchair access in public areas, the spa, and swimming pools
• Nearby Attractions: Galata Tower, Kılıç Ali Paşa Hamamı, SALT Galata, Camondo Stairs, Galataport, Ottoman Bank Museum, Istanbul Modern
• Loyalty Programs: Peninsula PenClub; American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts
• Rates: Starting at $1,166

Soho House Istanbul

Soho House often sets up hotels in up-and-coming neighborhoods, and the Istanbul location is no different. Taking over the Palazzo Corpi, which dates back to 1873, Soho House Istanbul left many of the building’s 19th-century frescoes intact, but gave the space a more contemporary spin with a plush screening room, spacious gym (there’s even a boxing ring), and juice bar, and the swanky Greek-Mykonian rooftop restaurant that's open in the spring and summer months.

Members can expect Soho House’s standard features — Italian eatery Cecconi’s, a Cowshed spa, and a curated, locally focused art collection — plus new additions specific for this locale, like Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant The Allis, an all-day eatery housed in the Glass Building that’s open to the public. As a member who has stayed and worked at a number of Soho House properties around the world, this stands out as one of the more impressive hotels since it feels equal parts ornate and lived-in — you’ll want to admire the centerpiece marble staircase and intricate moldings, but you’ll be comfortable enough not to worry that you might break something during your stay.

The Details:

• Neighborhood: Beyoğlu
• Accessibility: The hotel offers wheelchair-accessible rooms
• Nearby Attractions: Galata Tower, Hagia Sophia, Kılıç Ali Pasha Complex, Museum of Innocence, SALT Galata, Galata Tower
• Loyalty Programs: Soho House members and Soho Friends receive reduced room rates and invitations to special events and experiences
• Rates: Starting at $365

Pera Palace Hotel

Pera Palace Hotel has long been the city’s grande dame — it’s stuck it out through the reign of three Ottoman sultans and the rise of the New Turkish Republic. But, the hotel is perhaps best known for regular guest Agatha Christie, who is said to have written her famous novel “Murder on the Orient Express” in the room now named after her.

Located on the western side of Beyoğlu, you’ll be able to easily hop around to hip bars and restaurants or take the historic funicular down to the waterfront in Karaköy. Suites don the names of a few other famous residents, like Ernest Hemingway, Alfred Hitchcock, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, but each of the 115 rooms has its own distinct character, outfitted with silk rugs and bespoke furniture.

The spa (which veers on the traditional side with classic massages, hammam treatments, and facials) features a Technogym-equipped fitness studio, plus an indoor pool and jacuzzi. If you’re craving something sweet, you won’t be disappointed with the Parisian-inspired Patisserie de Pera, which serves homemade Turkish treats and French cakes.

The Details:

• Neighborhood: Beyoğlu
• Accessibility: King and Twin rooms available
• Nearby Attractions: Galata Tower, Istiklal Avenue, Pera Museum, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
• Loyalty Programs: None
• Rates: Starting at $293

The Bank Hotel, a Member of Design Hotels

One of the first hotels I stayed at in Istanbul, The Bank Hotel, a Member of Design Hotels, sits discreetly on one of Karaköy’s buzziest streets. The 19th-century Neoclassical facade — originally built as a bank — hasn’t changed, but the rooms and suites have added dashes of modernity to the historic building. The Terrace Penthouse Suite is a showstopper with its standing tub displaying floor-to-ceiling views of the Bosphorus Bridge, Old City, and Golden Horn, but even if you book the intimate, 215-square-foot Classic Room, you’ll feel the hotel’s heavy embrace of Old World luxury thanks to the jade Carrara marble-swathed bathroom and patterned ceilings.

The spa features a traditional white marble Turkish hammam, fitness center, sauna, steam room, and three treatment rooms (including one couple’s room), and the sultry lobby bar transforms from a morning buffet breakfast into a spot to see and be seen in the evening. But the real standout feature is the expansive rooftop bar, where you can sit for cocktails while soaking up sweeping vistas over the peninsula.

The Details:

• Neighborhood: Karaköy
• Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible and features an elevator
• Nearby Attractions: Galata Bridge Fish Market, the Karaköy Gallery Building, SALT Galata, Galata Tower
• Loyalty Programs: Marriott Bonvoy; American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts
• Rates: Starting at $244

Ecole St. Pierre Hotel

A transformed former 19th-century French school, Ecole St. Pierre sits within walls dating back to the 13th century, to the time of the Genoese Empire. The same Italian architect who restored the Hagia Sophia is behind the building’s original design, which was converted into a 17-room boutique hotel when it reopened in 2021. Rooms play on the buzzy location near the Galata Tower with a mix of mid-century modern furniture and industrial-style exposed red brick walls, wood flooring, and Venetian-tile bathrooms.

Designed to feel like you’re staying at a (very chic) friend’s apartment, wrought-iron balconies and terraces overlook the courtyard or tower. You’ll find luxe amenities like goose-down duvets and pillows, Le Labo toiletries, and Nespresso machines, plus a mini-bar and 24-hour room service, if you don’t want to make the trip to the hotel’s signature pizzeria restaurant, Il Cortile, or i guru cafe lounge bar — although the romantic terrace is worth a visit at least once during your stay.

The Details:

• Neighborhood: Galata
• Accessibility: The property features a wheelchair-accessible path to the elevator
• Nearby Attractions: Galata Tower, Camondo Stairs, St. Antuan Church
• Loyalty Programs: None
• Rates: Starting at $598

Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus

In a city that knows how to capitalize on waterfront views, Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus feels like you’re in a yacht floating along the Bosphorus thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies or private roof terraces that invite the outdoors in. As contributor Paul Jebara wrote in his review for T+L, “This property nails the resort vibe, with everything oriented towards making the most of the waterfront setting, from the compact but showstopping pool to the multiple waterfront restaurants.”

The hotel’s 100 rooms and suites are swathed in warm chestnut wood and touches of royal blue for a look that’s elegant and modern. Guests have six dining and lounge options to choose from, including high-end Cantonese concept Hakkasan and Italian eatery Olea, which unfolds along the waterfront and boasts the largest Italian wine cellar in the city.

The destination spa measures nearly 38,000 square feet and features an indoor pool with a Turkish-inspired onyx ceiling, three marble hammams, and relaxation lounges surrounding an inner garden. The hotel also caters to families with interconnecting rooms with additional space for extra beds, babysitting services, and a Kids Club with an outdoor pool.

The Details:

• Neighborhood: Beşiktaş
• Accessibility: The property features elevators, accessible rooms, and restaurants and common spaces with wheelchair accessibility
• Nearby Attractions: Dolmabahçe Palace, Yıldız Palace, Istanbul Naval Museum, Istanbul Sapphire, Zorlu Center, Aşiyan Museum, Istanbul State Art and Sculpture Museum
• Loyalty Programs: Fans of M.O.; American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts
• Rates: Starting at $819

Six Senses Kocatas Mansions

Six Senses Kocatas Mansions is home to just 43 rooms and suites, which are spread across two, three-level historic mansions dating back to Ottoman times. The definition of quiet luxury, rooms are elegantly swathed in shades of sleek taupe and antique white with restored wooden flooring and elegant freestanding tubs.

To really make the most of the waterfront locale, book one of the suites with a balcony or terrace. You’ll want to carve out time in your itinerary for the intimate Chef’s Table or Anatolia Wine Tasting, a sommelier-curated experience showcasing some of the region’s highlights — which are hard to find outside of Turkey. Six Senses is known for its cutting-edge take on wellness, and the spa here — which extends across three levels of a 100-year-old stone house — is one of the city’s most spectacular. Book the traditional Turkish hammam — you won’t regret it.

The Details:

• Neighborhood: Sariyer
• Accessibility: The hotel isn’t entirely wheelchair accessible
• Nearby Attractions: Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Sadberk Hanım Museum, Emirgan Korusu Park, Belgrad Forest, Rumelihisari fortress, Sariyer Bazaar
• Loyalty Programs: None
• Rates: Starting at $430