Taksim or Sultanahmet: choosing your base in Istanbul

First-time visitors to Istanbul usually end up choosing between these two areas, and for good reason. Both are on the European side, both are well connected and both have hotels at every level. What separates them is character, not convenience.

• Sultanahmet is on the historic peninsula, the Old City, between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara.
• Taksim is north of the Golden Horn, at the top of the Beyoğlu district, around Taksim Square.
• Between them lie Karaköy and Galata, on the slope down from Beyoğlu to the water, which some travellers choose as a compromise.

We do not rank hotels or recommend particular properties. This guide compares the areas, so you can choose the one that suits your trip and then pick a hotel in it. Our district pages for both areas list the hotels we can take you to by name.

Staying in Sultanahmet means the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace are a short walk away, and the Grand Bazaar is reachable on foot as well. For a short trip built around sightseeing, that saves a lot of time.

• Streets are narrow, often cobbled and sometimes steep, with many small hotels in converted houses.
• Some lanes and the squares around the monuments are closed to cars, so the transfer may stop a short walk from the door.
• The area is centred on the historic sites, and evenings are generally calmer than across the Golden Horn.

Taksim Square is the centre of modern Istanbul's European side, and İstiklal Avenue runs from it down through Beyoğlu towards Galata. Around it are restaurants, bars, shops and cultural venues that stay lively well into the night.

• Taksim is a transport hub: the M2 metro serves it, and from Istanbul Airport the M11 connects at Gayrettepe with the M2 to Taksim.
• Hotels range from large modern buildings on the main roads to smaller ones on the side streets of Beyoğlu.
• The monuments of the Old City are a ride away by metro, tram or taxi, or a long walk downhill and across the Galata Bridge.

Taksim suits travellers who want evenings out, shopping and a sense of the everyday city as much as the historic sights.

For the transfer, the two areas behave almost identically. Both are on the European side, the same side as Istanbul Airport and the opposite side from Sabiha Gökçen.

• From IST: €50 in the Eco Van to either area, €60 in the Vito, €65 in the V-Class and €80 in the Sprinter.
• From SAW: €70 to either area, because the ride crosses the Bosphorus; €80, €85 and €100 in the larger vehicles.
• Return: twice the one-way fare, the same in both areas.

The drive times from each airport are similar too. The route pages for Taksim and Sultanahmet show the measured distance and the free-flow drive for each leg, with a range for traffic. The practical difference is the last few hundred metres: wide roads around Taksim, narrow lanes in the Old City.

Once you have arrived, how you move about the city differs between the two areas more than the airport ride does.

• From Sultanahmet, the main sights are on foot. For Beyoğlu or the Asian side, the ferries from Eminönü and the Marmaray line are close by.
• From Taksim, the M2 metro runs north to the business districts and south across the Golden Horn. İstiklal Avenue leads on foot down to Galata and Karaköy, where ferries cross to the Asian side.
• From either, one Istanbulkart covers the metro, ferries, Marmaray and buses.

If you plan day trips by public transport, a base near a metro or ferry stop saves time every morning. If you will mostly walk, staying near the sights you care about matters more than the transport links.

Think about how you will spend your days and evenings, then let that choose the area.

1. 01Short stay, many monumentsSultanahmet keeps the major sights on your doorstep and saves daily travel time.
2. 02Evenings out and city lifeTaksim and Beyoğlu keep restaurants, bars and shops within walking distance.
3. 03Lots of luggage or mobility needsA hotel on a street the car can reach makes arrival and departure easier. Check the street on a map and ask the hotel about vehicle access.
4. 04A bit of bothKaraköy and Galata sit between the two, with the Galata Bridge to the Old City and İstiklal Avenue up the hill.

Once you have chosen, type the hotel name or the area into the Fare Pass. The fare appears straight away; to book, add the date, the landing time and the street address.

The driver meets you at the exit door you come out of at the airport, holding your name on a printed sign, and takes you to the hotel entrance or the nearest point a car may reach. You pay at the end of the ride, in cash or by card, and child seats are free.

Changing hotels during the stay, from Sultanahmet to Taksim or the other way round, is a ride within the city rather than an airport leg. Ask dispatch on WhatsApp and it is priced at booking.