Where to Stay in Istanbul | 11 Best Areas | Oldcity vs NewCity

Hotel Chains in Central Istanbul

There is a wide range of well-known hotel chains in Istanbul with different kind of accommodation options. Most of the international chain hotels in Istanbul serve 24 hours and but's also possible to find a chain hotel with bed & breakfast only for low budget guests. Chain hotels are more popular and preferred because of that people already know what they kind of standards and services they should expect, judging from their previous experiences.

Holiday Inn Hotels, Ramada Hotels, Radisson Hotels, Ibis Hotels, Swiss Hotels, Kempinski Hotels, Shangri-La Hotels, Ritz Carlton Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels, Hilton Hotels, Crown Plaza Hotels, Wyndham Hotels, DoubleTree by Hilton, Marriot Hotels, Novotel, Best Western, W Hotels are only some of the chain hotels in Istanbul. We suggest you to check their location/price performance, if you can't decide where to stay in Istanbul.

Types of Accommodations in Istanbul

There are thousands of accommodation options in Istanbul to choose, as in every Metropolitan cities around the world. From affordable independent bed & breakfast hotels to mid-range and luxury hotels in Istanbul with full service. If you prefer self-catering, short term Fully-Furnished apart hotel type of accommodation, you can ready our Apartments in Istanbul section below.

There are also lots of hostels in Istanbul with dormitory options for young people and for those who still feel young.

You may also consider renting an Airbnb apartment in Istanbul, if you want to see more about how the locals live and if you need more privacy for your family / friends.

It's understandable that choosing one of the thousands of options might be confusing for the first time visitors.

To choose where to stay in Istanbul is important for your budget and comfort! We suggest you to consider:

There are 2 international airports in Istanbul. We’ll help you choose the right place to avoid expensive and inconvenient transfers. Which areas are easier to get to from your airport?
Choosing week days in pleasure districts have sometimes lower rates, while the business hotels have lower rates on weekends. Which to choose?
Which hotel areas are the best for the budget or closest to shops and historical sites?
Some areas are cheaper but still in walking distance to central areas, such as Kucuk Ayasofya and Kadirga district of Sultanahmet or Cihangir and Galata district of Taksim.

We explained the popular central hotel areas in Istanbul above. If it's your first visit to Istanbul and if you are a bit confused with the wide options of districts and hotels, our Istanbul hotel district guide will help you to shape your accommodation selection. We aim to assist you to make the most out of your first visit to Istanbul.

Make sure that you read all the hotel areas of Istanbul before you choose your hotel.

Major percentage of historical sights of Istanbul are located in the old city part of it, also know as Sultanahmet Blue Mosque area, so are the hotels. If you are active and want to spend your evening also active, you might want to consider choosing Taksim, Sisli or Karakoy hotel districts since most of the restaurants, bars, night clubs are located near to this side of the city.

And they are only a couple of metro stations away from the Sultanahmet / Hagia Sophia Square. Additionally, there is also big amount of people,mostly repeat guests who chose to enjoy the Bosphorus view from their hotel windows by staying in one of the Besiktas, Ortakoy hotels.

Whichever hotel neighbourhood you choose to stay in, you will be travelling around using public transport to visit those attraction points of Istanbul. And you will need to get an Istanbulkart in order to do that.

You can check our Istanbulkart page to get certain and updated information about how to get an Istanbulkart when you arrive at one of the Istanbul's airport.

After you choose where to stay in Istanbul, and if you already bought your tickets, it's time to think about how to get to the center from Istanbul airport. You might want to read about our Havaist Shuttle Bus guide, if you are on a budget and need to get to the Sultanahmet or Taksim Square.