Just looking for opinoins on whether to stay in Sultanahmet area or New District? We will have 4 or 5 days in Istanbul with the main goal being site-seeing but do hope to have some good meals, enjoy a bit of nightlife and do some shopping. I am researching both and seeing pros/cons to each. Just wondering if anyone has some first-hand suggestions of which area they think is better.
Posted by
Camarillo, California
3149 posts
The Sultanahmet district is a lot more interesting and there are plenty of shops and restaurants there.
Posted by
Tampa, FL, USA
417 posts
Personally, I prefer Sultanahmet. More action, in the middle of the sights, and good transportation connections. Plus tons of restaurant choices. If you want to go to the New District, just take the tram. When you get to the last stop, take the funicular to the top of Taksim Square. here is a link to a PDF of the Istanbul transport system:
http://www.istanbul-ulasim.com.tr/harita/IstanbulRayliSistem.pdf
Posted by
Atlanta
3262 posts
We also liked staying in Sultanahmet--our hotel, the Hotel Sultan Hill was just behind the Blue Mosque and a great location.
You will want to go the the New District but but I'd recommend staying in Sultanahmet as it's more convenient to the sites you'll want to see.
Enjoy Istanbul!
Posted by
Singapore
354 posts
Stayed at the Sultan Hill too, and would certainly recommend it! The Sultanahmet area is handy for the main tourist sites (Haghia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar), is lively and has many restaurants, but also street touts selling postcards, tours, etc. The New District has a different character. As someone mentioned, the tram + funicular connects you to Taksim Sq and Istiklal Caddesi, the main shopping street. Off Istiklal Caddesi, there are bars/ cafes which are open till late and some offer live music. We had no problems getting back to Sultanahmet even late at night.
Posted by
Izmir, izmir, Turkey
85 posts
hi
I am Gokhan from Turkey, istanbul and izmir.
night life is much more long and better in Taksim,,
I recommand you to stay in Taksim,, It is 10 Euro by taksi between Taksim and Sultanahmet, also metro is avaiable... And even night alot of connection is easy and central point for Taksim.. dont forgot to join boshour tour from Eminonu between 10:00 16:00 including lunch at anadolu hisari :) old village with fishermans...
Posted by
Berlin, Germany
6 posts
If you plan on going out much at night I would recommend staying near Taksim Square/somewhere within easy walking distance of Istiklal Caddessi. You can get to Sultanahmet easy enough in the daytime, and that's the time of day you want to be in that area anyway. Sultanahmet is very charming and nice, but it really is extremely touristy and doesn't have much going on after dark (most the tourist sites close very early--5pm or so), so unless you plan on just going to the sights during the day and settling into your room at night after a dinner at an (overpriced) restaurant where mostly tourists go, in my opinion it's better to go the other way around and base yourself near where the locals go out, making your way to the touristy areas during the daytime. At least that way you don't have to try to figure out public transportation at night, you have all the shops/restaurants/bars/clubs within walking distance. And the area around Hagia Sophia etc is a veritable SWARM of tourists (mostly big bus tours) that may get old once you've already "been there, done that."