Where to stay in Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, a megacity, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical center. With a population of over 15 million, it is home to 18% of the population of Turkey.

While relics of prehistoric human settlement were found in the Yarımburgaz Cave near the Küçükçekmece Lake and during the construction of a subway station in Yenikapı, Greek colonists from Megara, directed by their legendary leader Byzas, have been traditionally accepted as the founders of Istanbul. Expanding the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium by the order of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, the imperial city of Constantinople was for nearly a thousand years the heavily-fortified capital of the Eastern Roman (later termed Byzantine) Empire.

In general, it is possible to find some kind of accommodation in any part of Istanbul.

Getting in

See Turkey for visa requirements. From 2020, most EU, UK, CIS and South American visitors do not need a visa. Those from many other countries including Australia, Canada and US can get an e-visa online, valid for 90 days.

Getting around

İETT (or just toplu taşıma) is the municipality's public transportation company. Istanbul's public transit system can be difficult to figure out. However, if you put some effort into it, you can avoid taxis and not walk too much. Unless you use the Istanbulkart, each time you use a tram, metro, bus, or boat on the public transport system, you will need to use a ticket or pass. They can be bought at various vending machines at bus, railway and metro stations or authorized ticket/Istanbulkart sellers (usually newspaper kiosks). Ticket fares across buses, trams and metros differ.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.