Istanbul is a city constantly on the cusp of evolution — it has witnessed three empires and undergone several name changes, beautifully preserving its past while propelling itself into the future. The airport is now the busiest in Europe, overthrowing London’s Heathrow and connecting more than 120 countries on six continents. With the $1.7-billion Galataport hub transforming the coastline with the world’s first underground cruise terminal (plus a pedestrian promenade, art museum, and shopping area), Istanbul is showing just how far it’ll go to modernize.
As an American travel journalist living in France, I’ve connected through the airport countless times en route to my hometown of Miami and more far-flung destinations like Cape Town and Entebbe, Uganda. I’ve toasted the New Year dancing around tables at La Petite Maison and with champagne at Cecconi’s at Soho House Istanbul; trudged through snow for a scrub at Kılıç Ali Paşa Hamamı; and haggled my way through the Grand Bazaar, hand-carrying lanterns and rugs on my plane ride back to France.
I’ve seen the city’s luxury hotel landscape grow and develop into what “now rivals London or Paris,” as Travel + Leisure’s editor-in-chief Jacqui Gifford explained when readers voted Istanbul one of the best places to go in 2024. Ready to experience the city for yourself? Here are 12 of the best hotels in Istanbul according to our editors and winners from our World’s Best Awards and It List.
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