13 Istanbul Hotels Within Five Minutes of a Ferry Landing

Istanbul is the only city built on two continents, and the thing that makes it work is not the bridges. It is the ferries. Public boats cross the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn continuously from early morning until late at night, they cost the same as a bus, and they are frequently the fastest way to get anywhere.

The roads are the alternative and they are among the worst in Europe. A crossing that takes fifteen minutes by boat can take an hour on the bridge at the wrong time. And the traffic is not seasonal or occasional; it is the permanent condition of a city of sixteen million people on hills, with a strait through the middle.

Why a ferry landing decides your week

The main sights are split across the water. Sultanahmet, on the historic peninsula, has Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı and the Grand Bazaar. Karaköy and Beyoğlu, across the Golden Horn, have the restaurants, the bars, Istiklal and the galleries. The Bosphorus villages north of Beşiktaş have the waterfront fish restaurants and the Ottoman mansions. And the Asian side, at Kadıköy and Üsküdar, has the best food market in the city and almost no visitors.

A hotel within a few minutes of a landing at Eminönü, Karaköy, Kabataş, Beşiktaş or Üsküdar puts all of that within a boat ride. A hotel deep in the middle of the peninsula or up the hill in Beyoğlu puts a taxi in front of every one of them.

The thirteen below are grouped by which landing they sit nearest.

Karaköy and the Golden Horn

The old port quarter at the mouth of the Golden Horn, five minutes across the water from Sultanahmet and walking distance up to Beyoğlu.

The Peninsula Istanbul occupies a converted terminal on the waterfront with its own pier, a spa cut into the site and rooms facing the strait. It is the newest luxury hotel in the city and the only one you can arrive at by boat.

Karaköy in Karaköy Hotel sits in a converted building a street back with a rooftop, contemporary rooms and the best value in the quarter. Karaköy's coffee and meyhane streets are at the door.

Georges Hotel Galata occupies a nineteenth-century building on the hill in Galata with a rooftop restaurant looking across the Horn to the old city. It is the most atmospheric small hotel on this side.

Beşiktaş and the Bosphorus shore

North along the European shore, on the water, with the palaces and the villages.

Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul occupies a restored Ottoman palace on the shore with a heated pool at the water's edge and the finest position in the city. It is the grandest hotel in Turkey.

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus sits beside it in a converted nineteenth-century building on the water with a garden terrace and the most polished service in Istanbul.

Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul occupies a former tobacco warehouse on the shore with large rooms, an indoor pool and a strong restaurant, minutes from the Beşiktaş ferry landing.

Kocatas Mansions Istanbul Operated by Minor Hotels sits further north in a pair of restored waterfront mansions with a spa built into the rock behind and boats to the centre. It is the quietest luxury address on the strait.

Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul occupies a tower above Kabataş with the widest Bosphorus views of any hotel in the city and a large pool.

Sultanahmet and Sirkeci

The historic peninsula, minutes from the mosques and the Eminönü landing.

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet occupies a nineteenth-century prison behind Hagia Sophia, converted around a courtyard garden, and the location is the best in the old city by a distance.

AJWA Sultanahmet sits near the Blue Mosque with an interior of considerable craftsmanship, a hammam and a rooftop restaurant looking at both mosques.

Sirkeci Mansion occupies a restored Ottoman house near Sirkeci station with a courtyard, a hammam and the best value in Sultanahmet.

The Asian side

Across the water, where most of the city actually lives.

Vakko Hotel Sumahan Bosphorus occupies a converted distillery on the Asian shore with its own jetty and a boat service to the European side. Every room faces the water and the strait is a few metres away.

Soho House Istanbul sits in Beyoğlu with a members' club, a pool and a restored Italianate palazzo interior. It is the most sociable stay in the city and a walk down to the Karaköy landing.

What we have left off

The Taksim and Şişli hotels are excluded, and they are the most convenient for the metro and the airport bus. They sit at the top of a long hill, away from every ferry landing, and they put the water at the end of a taxi ride rather than a walk.

What to do on the water

Take the public ferry up the Bosphorus rather than a tour boat. It costs a fraction, stops at the villages, and you can get off at Anadolu Kavağı or at Bebek for lunch and come back.

Do Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque early, dress correctly, and go to the Basilica Cistern, which is underground and cool. Topkapı needs half a day and the Harem is a separate ticket worth buying.

Cross to Kadıköy for the food market and the meyhane streets, which is where Istanbul eats. Then walk along the shore to Moda.

Eat balık ekmek at Eminönü, drink tea constantly, and book a proper meyhane evening with rakı and a long sequence of mezze.

Practical notes

Istanbul Airport is 45 minutes to 90 from the centre depending on traffic; Sabiha Gökçen on the Asian side is further from the European sights. The metro now reaches the new airport and is more reliable than the road.

April, May, September and October are ideal. Summer is hot and very crowded. Winter is grey, cold and atmospheric, with far fewer people at the mosques.

Get an Istanbulkart; it covers ferries, trams, metro and buses. Mosques close to visitors during prayers.

Questions people actually ask

Sultanahmet or the other side?

Sultanahmet for a short first trip, because the major sights are a walk. Karaköy or Beşiktaş for a longer one, because that is where the city lives and the ferries make the old town five minutes away.

Are the public ferries easy to use?

Yes. Frequent, cheap, signposted in English, and covered by the same card as the trams.

Is the Asian side worth staying on?

For a second visit, absolutely. Kadıköy's food is the best in the city and the crossing is fifteen minutes.

How many nights?

Four. Three is enough for the peninsula and leaves nothing for the Bosphorus or the Asian side.

If you only book one

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