Neighbourhood guide · Istanbul, Türkiye
Sultanahmet
The old city’s heart, where the Byzantine and Ottoman capitals overlap: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı, the Basilica Cistern and the Hippodrome.
About Sultanahmet
Most of the great monuments are within a ten-minute walk of each other, and the T1 tram links Sultanahmet with the bazaars, Eminönü and Karaköy.
Many small hotels make it a convenient base for a first visit; evenings are quieter than in Beyoğlu.
Where Sultanahmet is
Our 32 places in Sultanahmet
Restaurants in Sultanahmet
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Fish in an old wooden house
Balıkçı Sabahattin
A much-loved fish restaurant in a wooden house in Cankurtaran, below Sultanahmet, with tables spilling into the lane.
Şehit Hasan Kuyu Sokak No:1, Cankurtaran, FatihExplore View on map
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An Ottoman banquet
Deraliye
An Ottoman-cuisine restaurant on Ticarethane Sokak near Hagia Sophia, with recipes from the sultans’ kitchens.
Ticarethane Sokak, Alemdar, FatihExplore View on map
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MICHELIN-selected (2026)
Giritli
A set menu of Cretan-style meze and fish in a garden house in Cankurtaran, below the Blue Mosque; in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide.
Yenigüvey Sokak No:9, Cankurtaran, FatihExplore View on map
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MICHELIN-selected (2026)
Khorasani
Kebabs and south-eastern Turkish dishes cooked over charcoal in Sultanahmet; in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide.
Alemdar Mahallesi, Ticarethane Sokak No:9/B, FatihExplore View on map
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Recipes from the palace kitchens
Matbah
Ottoman palace recipes revived in Sultanahmet, a short walk from Hagia Sophia.
Caferiye Sokak, Sultanahmet, FatihExplore View on map
Bars & meyhanes in Sultanahmet
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Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque from above
Seven Hills Restaurant
A rooftop terrace in Sultanahmet with views of Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the sea.
Tevkifhane Sokak No:8, Sultanahmet, FatihExplore View on map
See the full list: The Best Bars, Meyhanes & Rooftops in Istanbul
Hotels in Sultanahmet
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Between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet
An intimate luxury hotel in a former prison building, steps from Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
Tevkifhane Sokak No:1, Sultanahmet, FatihExplore View on map
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Warm welcome in the old city
Hotel Amira
A small boutique hotel in Sultanahmet with Ottoman-style rooms and a terrace.
Aksakal Sokağı, Sultanahmet, FatihExplore View on map
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Beside the Hippodrome
Hotel Ibrahim Pasha
A small boutique hotel beside the Hippodrome, with a roof terrace facing the Blue Mosque.
Terzihane Sokak No:7, Sultanahmet, FatihExplore View on map
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Steps from Hagia Sophia
Sura Hagia Sophia Hotel
A comfortable hotel with a spa on Ticarethane Sokak, a few steps from Hagia Sophia.
Ticarethane Sokak No:10, Sultanahmet, FatihExplore View on map
See the full list: Where to Stay in Istanbul: The Best Luxury, Palace & Boutique Hotels
Sights in Sultanahmet
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A forest of columns underground
Basilica Cistern
Justinian’s 6th-century underground reservoir, with 336 columns, Medusa heads and soft lighting.
Alemdar, Yerebatan Caddesi No:1/3, FatihExplore View on map
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The back story
Byzantium: the back story
Before it was Constantinople or Istanbul, it was Byzantium: a Greek colony on a hilltop between two seas, guarding the busiest strait of the ancient world.
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The back story
Constantinople: the back story
For more than eleven centuries Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the greatest city of the Christian world and the guardian of Greek and Roman learning.
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A church never turned into a mosque
Hagia Irene
The 6th-century Church of Holy Peace in the first courtyard of Topkapı, one of the few Byzantine churches never converted into a mosque.
Cankurtaran, Topkapı Sarayı, FatihExplore View on map
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Fifteen centuries under one dome
Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s great church of 537, an Ottoman imperial mosque from 1453, a museum from 1934 and a mosque again since 2020: the building that defines Istanbul.
Sultan Ahmet, Ayasofya Meydanı No:1, FatihExplore View on map
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History & heritage
Istanbul: history and heritage
Greek Byzantium, Roman and Byzantine Constantinople, the Ottoman capital and the modern metropolis on two continents: how Istanbul became the city of empires.
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Justinian’s jewel
Little Hagia Sophia
The 6th-century Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, now the Küçük Ayasofya Mosque, near the sea walls.
Küçük Ayasofya Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map
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Six minarets and 20,000 tiles
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)
The great mosque of Sultan Ahmed I, built 1609–1616, with six minarets and an interior of blue İznik tiles.
Sultan Ahmet, Atmeydanı Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map
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Where the chariots raced
The Hippodrome (Sultanahmet Square)
The long square in front of the Blue Mosque that was once the Byzantine Hippodrome, with an Egyptian obelisk and the Serpent Column.
Sultanahmet Meydanı, FatihExplore View on map
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The sultans’ palace
Topkapı Palace
The palace of the Ottoman sultans for nearly four centuries: courtyards, the Harem, the Treasury and views over the Bosphorus. Closed on Tuesdays.
Cankurtaran, Babıhümayun Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map
Arts & Culture in Sultanahmet
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Mosaics from the emperors’ palace
Great Palace Mosaic Museum
Floor mosaics from the Great Palace of the Byzantine emperors, displayed where they were found behind the Blue Mosque.
Torun Sokak, Sultanahmet, FatihExplore View on map
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Fifteen centuries under one dome
Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s great church of 537, an Ottoman imperial mosque from 1453, a museum from 1934 and a mosque again since 2020: the building that defines Istanbul.
Sultan Ahmet, Ayasofya Meydanı No:1, FatihExplore View on map
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Three museums below Topkapı
Istanbul Archaeology Museums
Three museums founded by Osman Hamdi Bey in 1891, with the Alexander Sarcophagus, ancient Istanbul and the Tiled Kiosk.
Cankurtaran, Osman Hamdi Bey Yokuşu, FatihExplore View on map
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Justinian’s jewel
Little Hagia Sophia
The 6th-century Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, now the Küçük Ayasofya Mosque, near the sea walls.
Küçük Ayasofya Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map
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Astrolabes in Gülhane Park
Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Islam
Models of astronomical, medical and mechanical inventions from the Islamic world, in Gülhane Park.
Gülhane Parkı, FatihExplore View on map
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Carpets in a vizier’s palace
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
Carpets, manuscripts and treasures from across the Islamic world, in the 16th-century palace of İbrahim Pasha on the Hippodrome.
Binbirdirek, Atmeydanı Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map
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Six minarets and 20,000 tiles
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)
The great mosque of Sultan Ahmed I, built 1609–1616, with six minarets and an interior of blue İznik tiles.
Sultan Ahmet, Atmeydanı Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map
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The sultans’ palace
Topkapı Palace
The palace of the Ottoman sultans for nearly four centuries: courtyards, the Harem, the Treasury and views over the Bosphorus. Closed on Tuesdays.
Cankurtaran, Babıhümayun Caddesi, FatihExplore View on map
Hammams & spas in Sultanahmet
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Sinan’s bath between the great mosques
Hürrem Sultan Hamamı
Sinan’s hammam of 1556 for Hürrem Sultan, standing between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, restored as a luxury bath.
Ayasofya Meydanı, Sultanahmet, FatihExplore View on map
Parks & nature in Sultanahmet
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The palace gardens
Gülhane Park
The former outer gardens of Topkapı Palace, sloping down to the tip of the old city; tulips in April.
Gülhane Parkı, Cankurtaran, FatihExplore View on map
Shopping in Sultanahmet
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A quiet bazaar behind the Blue Mosque
Arasta Bazaar
A row of shops in the old arcade of the Blue Mosque complex, with carpets, ceramics and textiles.
Arasta Çarşısı, Sultanahmet, FatihExplore View on map
Getting around in Sultanahmet
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The sightseeing tram
T1 tram
The tram from Kabataş through Karaköy, Eminönü and Sultanahmet to the west of the old city.
