Istanbul Neighborhoods: How to Choose Where to Stay?

In a city of 13 million people covering 2000 square miles, how do you know where to begin? Istanbul is one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean and it is easily the largest city in Turkey. It’s been growing since the 1950s when migrants from Anatolia flocked to the city in search of economic prosperity and the city has been expanding to accommodate them. There are so many great Istanbul Neighborhoods to choose from, where do you start?



What does this mean for you – one of 7 million visitors to Istanbul every year? It means you have some tough decisions to make when you are trying to decide where in this vast metropolis you want to stay and what you want to do!



Istanbul Neighborhoods Are Diverse



During my four-week stay in Istanbul, I stayed in 3 completely different neighborhoods and visited about 4 more in-depth via some great walking tours. Like most cities, each neighborhood has its own feel so I’ve tried to provide you with my opinion on what each neighborhood can offer you – the visitor – as well as give you a peek into what the neighborhood culture there was like.



Hopefully, this Istanbul Neighborhood Guide will help you figure out where to stay during your time in this beautiful city!



Istanbul Neighborhoods Map




Neighborhood Guide



  1- Sultanahmet



2 & 3 – Eminoju and Grand Bazaar



4, 5, 6, 7 – Beyoglu District  (4 represents Galata)



8 – Fener and Balat



Northwest of 9 – Eyup



North of 5 – Tarlabasi



North of 6 – Sisli




This isn’t the best Istanbul neighborhood map – but it’s the best one I can find that includes all of them at once so you can get the big picture.  Some of the Istanbul neighborhoods I’m talking about aren’t really marked on this map – but I’ll try to do my best to describe their location



The Best Time to Walk Through Istanbul Neighborhoods



One of the best times to really see a city is in the wee morning hours as the sun wakes up the homes, hills, and waterways with its golden glow. Commuters in Istanbul slowly move through their familiar paces and make their way to offices, mosques, stores, and stalls.



I woke up early and wandered aimlessly around the ferry docks watching commuters pour off of boats and through the back streets of the Spice Market. In the early morning hours, it looks quite different – it’s softer. Men drink tea and have their morning breakfast reading the paper and socializing with their friends and workmates. People smile at me, but don’t say a word. Trucks clamor through the narrow streets delivering inventory before the groups of tourists show up to deplete the inventory once again.



Sultanahmet and Eminönü For the Main Tourists’ Sights



This is tourist central – Sultanahmet is the easiest place to stay to tick off all of the main sites. Not many ‘real’ Istanbul locals living in this area though. However, at certain times, such as during Ramadan (while I was there), the historic sites draw a local crowd that is impressive to see and experience.




Local commuters arriving in Eminonu and Sultanahmet for work in the tourist district




Things to do in the Sultanahmet Neighborhood



As I said – this is where the majority of the popular tourist sights are in Istanbul, so there are a ton of tours and places of interest in Sultanahmet. Here you’ll find a ton of hotels, Hagia Sophia , the Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar , Topaki Palace, Basilica Cistern , and a ton of tourist restaurants and souvenir shops. Good public transport…but not what I would call the ‘real Istanbul’.



Hagia Sophia



I vaguely remember coming to Hagia Sophia (meaning Holy Wisdom)  on my first visit to Istanbul 12 years ago . It was my first exposure to the Islamic religion and the first time I had been in a mosque (even though at that time it was no longer a functioning mosque). I remember being fascinated by the layout of the building – so different than the typical churches I had been in my whole life.



It made me think about and consider times and lives around the world I had never thought about before. It was the beginning of my travel curiosity that has led me on this path I’m on today – to see what else this world had to offer that I didn’t know about – to get out of the known and live in the unknown.



But most of all I remember how the Hagia Sophia had such a long history of change – nothing in the United States was this old – nothing had such a long history. That change continues today, it’s now back to being a ‘working’ mosque in 2022.



Book a Hagia Sophia guided tour



But this time I was here to do what I didn’t the first time – photograph it . I knew the challenge ahead of me – how do you photograph this popular site with thousands of visitors milling around every corner of the massive building? I knew one thing for certain – it would take a lot of creativity in composition and a great deal of patience.




Hagia Sophia photo by Staci Schwarz



Lights hang from the tall ceiling of Hagia Sophia



The haunting light of Hagia Sophia



A view of the Blue Mosque from the Hagia Sophia upper level







Inside Hagia Sophia



The view from the balcony give you the full picture of greatness




Basilica Cistern



The Basilica Cistern is a cool underground oasis that also goes by the Turkish name Yerebatan Sarnici.  It is a sunken water cistern dating back to 532 and built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian. Its entrance is very near the Hagia Sophia and can normally be noticed only by the line that wraps around outside the small building on the street. It opens at 9 AM in the summer and this is probably the only time when there isn’t a line.








Columns are lit show just how vast the space is underground



The inverted Medusa head is a strange site in the cistern



Tourists crowd around Medusa to snap a photo



Columns of the Basilica Cistern



Tourists line up to see the mysterious Medusa




Skip the lines with a Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, and Topkapi Palace combo ticket







Spend a Morning in the Spice Market



You’ll also find one of my favorite Istanbul marketing in the Sultanahmet neighborhood – the Spice Market. As I walked through the Spice Market before it was opened most merchants ignored me, something that would never happen a mere hour later in the day. Yet as I neared the end of one of the corridors, it started, “Lady, you want some spice? Come look, come look.” I felt like Cinderella listening to the 9th bell toll at midnight, my magic morning Istanbul was disappearing in 3 more rings. But until then, I would enjoy every last moment of this insider morning experience.




The spice bazaar archways



Peaks of spices at the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul



A man replenishes the turkish delight inventory in the spice market



Two young men read their paper at the entrance to the spice market



Two men unload a fruit truck



Soft early sunshine lights up the spices in the market




View the all photography of waking up in Istanbul







Hotels in the Sultanahmet – The Rast Hotel Sultanahmet



The Rast Hotel Sultanahmet is Located in the heart of Istanbul and close to the Grand Bazaar. It has a terrace restaurant and offers rooms with balconies and views of the Bosphorus.







Read reviews for the Rast Hotel Sultanahmet on Trip Advisor | Check prices and availability for the Rast Hotel Sultanahmet | Search for other Sultanahmet area hotels



Karakoy / Galata in Beyoglu District



Galata’s modern name is Karakoy, but I found the two interchangeable. The area is actually a part of a much larger district called Beyoglu which also includes Taksim Square.  This neighborhood is touristy but intertwined with cruise passengers, and souvenir shops are locals who have lived in the area their whole life. I stayed for 2 weeks in Galata and felt like it was just the right mix of tourism and local culture.



I really did love the mix of visitors/locals/ex-pats in Galata. It was an Istanbul neighborhood full of diversity, but most days I really felt like I was a part of the neighborhood as opposed to simply a visitor in a neighborhood. This is my pick for the best Istanbul Neighborhood to stay in because you can get a bit of everything around the streets of Galata, but you don’t necessarily feel like a tourist.



Beyoğlu neighborhood where kids play out on the streets at all hours



Things to do in the Beyoglu Neighborhoods



The area is great for shopping as little hipster boutiques are dotted among the old run-down abandoned buildings giving you a preview of what is to come for this popular neighborhood. You’ll also find Hamams (a traditional Turkish Bath) tucked away along with a myriad of old, traditional coffee shops among the new ones.



Plus – you’ll find the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art in this area too – a great stop to make if you are in the area. I love modern and contemporary art so I could be lost for hours inside this museum that is right on the waterfront with beautiful views. Plus, it’s a great place to go and escape the heat for a few hours!




Istaklal Street – the retail heart of Beyoglu




Make sure you stop at Karaköy Güllüoğlu for a traditional sweet treat! the famous baklava sweet shop in Karaköy. There you’ll find