A beautifully restored historical hamam where the management do their best to prevent any unseemly behaviour. But when your business is located at the bottom of a street of...

A neighbourhood hamam across from the Azapkapı Mosque at the base of the Atatürk Bridge. As good an introduction to the bathing scene as you'll get anywhere, with the added...

Walk away. Be prepared to walk away if you want to escape being harangued into a raw deal by whichever of the 5,500-odd vendors in the Grand Bazaar you happen to be dealing...

A makeover several years ago did little to improve the forbidding appearance of this hard-to-find hamam, hidden among the backstreet hardware stores. The staff are apathetic...

A supremely stylish affair, Poseidon serves superior seafood at vertiginous prices. Sampling the meze menu will hike up the bill, but specalities like stuffed calamari,...

Built by the Emperor Justinian at the same time as the Haghia Sophia, it was forgotten for centuries and only rediscovered by a Frenchman, Peter Gyllius, in 1545 when he...

In business since 1966, the Avrupa has a cheerful orange, green and yellow colour scheme. The unfussy rooms with small ensuite bathrooms are good value. There's a breakfast...

A modest, single-room venue just off Tünel Square, Badehane began as an eaterie, but quickly evolved into one of the most popular bars in town. Smarter after a recent...

Possibly the cleanest and most atmospheric hamam in town. Built in 1584 by Sinan, it was commissioned by Nurbanu, wife of Sultan Selim the Sot, as a charitable foundation for...

Directly behind Haghia Sophia are the walls shielding Topkapı Palace. Part command centre for a massive military empire, part archetypal Eastern pleasure dome, the palace was...

The first boutique hotel on the Asian Shore, Aija opened in 2004 to great acclaim. Aijia is Japanese for Asia, and the Zen influence is palpable in the 16 sleek, pared down...

Named after a racy Byzantine regent, the Zoe is one of the best and quirkiest of the city's small hotels. Its sunken reception area incorporates parts of a 15th-century hamam;...

Opened in spring 2006, this all-suite hotel is designed to lure celebrities, heads of state and millionaires bored of the Çiraĸan Palace. In an impeccably restored white wooden...

Sarniç, the Turkish word for cistern, takes its name from the fifth-century Byzantine cistern beneath the hotel, which guests can explore from 9am to 6pm. Owned and managed by...