keisari

I have a woman friend who is traveling with two young adult children to Istanbul in May; she is nervous about going to a new place and asked me to find out what is the safest area but at the same time the best area to be close to "all those tourist places".
I have never been in Istanbul.
If you have a hotel you can recommend I will appreciate it.
My intuitive answer was to find out where the Four Seasons hotel or Ritz Carlton or Hilton/Sheraton/Park Hyatt hotels are located and just go there but in many cities those big name hotels may not be in the center of things but may be far away close to the boring business or conference centers.
Thank you in advance.

mherdeg

A good default recommendation here is the "Sultanahmet district", the part of Istanbul which is an old, historic neighorhood packed full of hotels & restaurants. It is within walking distance of many of the big tourist attractions in the city and it is well-connected via public transit to the ones that are a little further away.

No real specific hotel recommendations in the area — check fellow travelers' reviews to see what they liked. We trusted Internet reviews & had a great time at what looked like a small family-run property, the Hotel Saba Sultan (http://sabasultanhotel.com/index.php/en-2/ // http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_R...-Istanbul.html ). That property seemed pretty typical for the area.

I've always felt perfectly safe in that part of town at all times of day & night and have enjoyed visiting the neighborhood. Wikitravel users write: "The focal point of the peninsula for travellers, Sultanahmet Square, is safe and policed during day and night, so by staying within the realms of common sense, you shouldn't encounter problems there." (http://wikitravel.org/en/Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old_City)

And there is indeed a Four Seasons in the neighborhood. (It's in a former prison.)

Britsok1

I just got back with my two older boys . we stayed in Faros Hotel Sultanhamet. we could walk to everything , We stayed in a Family room which was great and a one way airport to hotel was included in the price . The hotel certainly wasn't the Ritz or four seasons but it was certainly clean and friendly !

Christopher

Yes, it is; they say that the standard of accommodation has been somewhat improved since the days when it was an Ottoman prison...

donnaecrum

Been to Istanbul many times and Sultanahmet is certainly the answer for you, even though other areas of the city offer different delights. The Ambassador, the Daphne and the Lady Diana are three we have used and enjoyed. Mid-range places very close to the sights.
Enjoy! Heading back on Weds myself!

rankourabu

Sultanahmet - plenty of excellent small locally run boutique hotels right in the middle of everything. Just do your research.

asadliv

The Four Seasons is very close to the Topkapi Palace, very good location.

I stayed at Hotel Ibrahim Pasha. I highly recommend it to anyone. Just across the Blue Mosque, great rooms, brilliant views from the terrace.

keisari

Thank you all

farbster

Also stayed at Hotel Ibrahim Pasha. I found it by googling "boutique hotels Sultanahmet" or something like that.

The smaller rooms are really small, but the larger rooms are quite nice. There seemed to be a lot of independent hotels in that area.

http://www.ibrahimpasha.com/

flamingpanties

I looooved Istanbul, and people telling you that Sultanahmet is the place to stay are correct. I spent six nights in an area a bit higher up the hill in the Sultanahmet area called Canturkaran, which is very ancient and in the vicinity of the Topkapi Palace. The hotel was Yusuf Pasa Konagi, a traditional Ottoman house converted to an inn. It wasn't particularly fancy, but it was very clean, comfortable and the staff was helpful and friendly. They also provided an excellent Turkish buffet breakfast as a part of the room fee.

http://www.yusufpasakonagi.com/

84fiero

Another vote for Sultanahmet area. We (wife, teenager and myself) stayed at the Hanedan Hotel, which was a nice clean budget hotel (not far from the above mentioned Four Seasons). Had a family room for a reasonable rate, no frills but clean and comfy, I'd stay again. There are many other options, too. The area, and in fact most areas we went to in the city, felt as safe as any other city in the world, no worries.

zoe67

I suggest Sirkeci - between Sultanahmet and the ferry port. Very lively area, very central, safe. I would also consider - maybe on another trip - the Taksim area which has great nightlife.

travelsavant

Another vote for Sultanahmet area. Have been to Istanbul several times & that is my favorite & certainly best & safe area for 1st time visitors. Last time there stayed at a wonderful hotel, Hotel Amira, which is also one of the top hotels on TripAdvisor (my review posted there under same handle as on FT.)

flamingpanties

I stayed in the same area, Cankurtaran. Loved it! So ancient, authentic and interesting, not to mention close to the main attractions.

Word from the wise: this area is up on a large hill, so be you'd best have good walking shoes and a decent level of fitness to get up there. May not be best if you're going with granny. Scaling the hill is nothing to the Turks, but many westerners are... couch potatoes and outta shape. If this is an issue it's easier staying at somewhere close to Sultanahmet Square and/or close to the main drag along the subway line.

Christopher

As a general principle, I wouldn't classify Istanbul as a particularly unsafe city.

Sultanahmet area would be my suggestion for a first-time visitor too: many of the "must-see" sights are in that area or within easy walking distance, and there are many, many hotels around there to suit just about all tastes and pockets.

Some people like to stay near Taksim Square, but that, to my mind, is not nearly such an interesting area (although İstiklal Caddesi is good for shopping, western-style, and eating). Others enjoy staying in the Beşiktaş/Bebek area or other localities along the shore of the Bosphorus, but really I think you can't go past the Sultanahmet area.