Hotel recommendations in Istanbul

Patty, cool that you're going to Istanbul! For 2 nights, I wouldn't want to change hotels. Especially since you can easily get to other areas by tram or ferry.

I'm assuming you are taking the Best of Istanbul tour? Since you don't mention continuing your tour from there....

My recommendation, instead, would be to visit some areas that the Best of Istanbul tour doesn't go, such as Ortaköy, Üsküdar, Besiktas, or Cihangir, which is an easy walk from your hotel.

Regardless of whether you're looking for a new area to stay or just a new neighborhood to visit, I enjoyed reading this article about different neighborhoods:
https://www.moganddogtravels.com/blogs/best-areas-to-stay-in-istanbul

CW.
We arrive 3 days before the Best of Turkey tour and will stay in the tour hotel We have Saturday afternoon until Monday (2 nights) at the end of the tour. Any recommendations for those 2 nights? In your stays did you have a particular hotel/location you loved. Interestingly, Sunday is Easter Sunday for Western as well as Orthodox Christians.

I stayed in the Haze Hotel for my Best of Istanbul tour and again for my August, 2024 visit. It is very near your Galata Hotel, so wouldn't offer you anything new, though I can't say enough good things about it.

For the Best of Turkey, we stayed in Sultanahmet, at the Acra Hotel; I don't think they're using that one for tours anymore.

My cousins stayed in an apartment at the top of a hill (up a steep staircase) in Besiktas, with a shared rooftop terrace that had a lovely view across the Bosphorus. If I were to go again for a week, I would at least look there, as there were LOTS of restaurants and cafes, including ones that advertised their Turkish breakfasts. I would look for something with the view, but that will likely entail a walk from the ferry and a hike up a hill or stairs to come and go.

I’ve stayed in these 3 hotels

Nippon Hotel (least expensive)
Taksim Point hotel
These two are next door to each other and very convenient to Furnicular/tram and a short walk to Military Museum for Mehter Band Concert. Bus 16 to/from airport stops outside these hotels.

Legacy Ottoman Hotel - located near Spice Market, tram, ferry buildings and Galata Bridge.

I enjoyed all 3.

CW, I just posted a question about tours in Turkey and asked for recommendations as I will be traveling solo. I was wondering whether you could comment on the RS tour (pros, cons) since I am strongly considering doing the Best of Turkey tour for 13 days.

pjmun, I will look for your thread and see if I can provide any insights.