Which Istanbul areas are better for staying for tourists?

As a rule, tourists visiting Istanbul prefer to stay in two Istanbul districts - Sultanahmet or Taksim.

Sultanahmet district is a historical part of the city where major Istanbul sightseeings are concentrated. There are lots of interesting historical places which are definitely worth seeing while you are in Istanbul, many various excursions and guided tours. Sultanahmet area is special because you can reach on foot any sights or historically significant places from any point of this district. If you like walking it will take you 15 minutes to get to Eminonu ferry dock and take a boat ride along the Bosphorus. Sultanahmet also has a lot of cafes, restaurants and hookah bars which are crowded in the evenings with tourists admiring dances of dervishes. If you haven’t been to Sultanahmet, you haven’t been to Istanbul!

Taksim area is another popular touristic district of Istanbul. Taksim is famous for its attractive for tourists pedestrian Istiklal street ("Istiklal" from Turkish - Independence Avenue) and the square with the same name - Taksim, situated just at the beginning of Istiklal. Taksim Square and Istiklal Avenue are the most crowded places of Istanbul. Taksim has a lot of cafes, cinemas, restaurants, hotels and stores. Also, Taksim is characterized as a business district of the city as a lot of business centers, foreign representations and exposition centers are situated there. Besides, this area is also famous for its heavy nightlife. The nightlife here is in full swing: all the clubs, disco bars with live music are open till morning.

First of all, we recommend you to define your purpose for going to Istanbul. If you like historical places and excursions you should choose Sultanahmet, but if you come to Istanbul to just take a walk and enjoy its nightlife then choose Taksim.

We advise you to choose for staying any of these districts, but you should visit both of them. It is better to make excursions in Sultanahmet during the day and go by taxi to Taksim in the evenings. By the way, taxis in Istanbul are not expensive.