Stay in Karakoy or Sultanahmet?

I've stayed in both in two trips recently. Personally I preferred Karaköy, mainly because I like a busy, bustling area. Sultanahmet felt much quieter. If I was to go back to Istanbul I'd probably stay somewhere like Cihangir.

It's worth noting that part of Karaköy (and Beyoğlu in general) are quite steep and cobblestones can we slippery if it's wet or cold.

I enjoyed being near the water and taking the ferry and the easy access to the metro system as well, not to mention being able to walk to İstiklal Caddesi for shopping.

I know you've read the pros and cons of each, but I don't think you can go too wrong - I also enjoyed Sultanahmet, particularly for a first visit - our hotel had a beautiful view of the water and the Blue Mosque. For the second visit we stayed almost two weeks, so I wanted to be closer to shops, metro etc.

I have also stayed in both and either is fine for general sightseeing, just make sure you have a tram stop relatively close by. As Simon noted some of Karakoy is quite steep. Some parts of Sultanahmet are actually quite noisy, so check the reviews before booking.

If I recall correctly you're coming on a cruise ship? Assuming it docks at Galataport, something just south of there in Karakoy would be convenient and probably walkable. There are plenty of hotel recommendations in this section of the forum, take a look at posts from the last year: https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=1y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=hotel+istanbul

We also stayed on both sides last October. 7 nights in Sultanahmet and 5 nights in Karakoy. Most of the sites are on the Sultanahmet side. It’s an easy train ride, ferry, or walk across the Galata bridge to the Karakoy area. If we returned, i would stay on the Sultanahmet side again..

Just an FYI, we took a tour of the Topkapi Palace in the afternoon. We wished we had taken the morning tour because there is so much to see there. You can easily spend the day there. They also have a nice cafe.

I've been numerous times to Istanbul and have stayed in both areas, but prefer the New Town to the Old Town as the New Town is much more lively at night and much less touristy. This last trip we stayed close to the Galata Tower and it was an easy, leisurely walk down the hill to the Karakoy tram stop for a fast and easy tram ride to the Old Town. On the way back, we'd take the Tunel funicular for a rapid ride up the hill and an easy walk downhill to our hotel near the tower. This area gives the benefit of being close to the Sishane Metro stop, Tunel, Karakoy, and Istiklal Street to Taksim Square. The area around the tower is very steep with cobblestone streets so if mobility is an issue, you might prefer to stay at sea level but if you are in decent shape, staying here is magical. In the New Town, you are much less likely to get hustled to buy carpets and more likely to rub elbows with locals. Also, you'll have more varied dining options but as you'll see, food options are everywhere in Istanbul and most are great from street food to glamorous rooftop restaurants. It's hard to go wrong no matter where you are. Shopping in the New Town is less stressful as most items have fixed prices and hard sells are non existent whereas in the Old Town, you may find you'll need to ask the prices and may have to bargain. In any case, I recommend you immediately purchase Istanbul Karts from any public transit vending machines in or near the Metro, Tram, and Funicular stations. Istanbul's public transit system ranks to me as among the best in the world. It's fast, clean, safe, and extensive. Wait times are short and will get you wherever you want or need to go for pennies a ride. The Istanbul Kart works for subways, trams, funiculars, public ferries, and buses and it's simple to use.

Agree about the steepness of Karakoy. We stayed in Pera in the newer town for our entire week and loved it. If I had only two nights, I’d stay in the older part. Agree also about CIHANGIR. That is where our Vilinary Backstreets tour began.

We were in Istanbul for five nights last October and had the same dilemma.

We chose to stay in Karakoy, at The Wings hotel right on the water. We had sensational views of both the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, were minutes from the tram over to Sultanahmet and also right by the ferries for Eminonu and Kadidoy.

Galataport was about a seven minute walk and we used the funicular up to Istiklal Street and the Galata Tower area.

We are so pleased that we stayed there, we really didn't enjoy Sultanahmet, apart from the sites themselves, we were constantly harassed by people wanting to sell us tours, rugs and everything in between.

Karakoy was wonderful in comparison and in that area there were no hills.