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This 27-room hotel in a restored Art Nouveau mansion is just a short walk from Beyoğlu’s shopping and nightlife.

Travellers rave about the superb service at this small hotel, well placed for Troy and Gallipoli. There are 27 rooms, a restaurant and rooftop bar (in summer).

In an alley behind Sultanahmet Square, this was once the owner’s home and is decorated with mementos. Most of the 27 rooms, including four suites, are spacious, with a sea view – and baths (unusual in many special hotels).

The first of the “special hotels” in Sultanahmet, this stretches along nine restored houses and has 63 rooms. The café or restaurant make a good rest point between Topkapı Palace and the Archaeological Museum.

A comfortable and stylish 96-room boutique hotel just a stone’s throw from the Grand Bazaar, this is an ideal place for avid shoppers or for those wanting a change of pace while still being in the heart of the action.

Long since one of the favourite drinking haunts of Istanbul high society, where they sipped their gin while admiring their floating palaces, this 21-room hotel has been updated. For a little chic luxury, this could well be ideal. The only drawback is heavy traffic heading back to the centre.

You can even get hypo-allergenic pillows at this four-star hotel. The 70 rooms and suites include some triples. The lounge bar has live piano music in the evenings.

The 296-room Crown Plaza overlooks a small marina on the Marmara coast, near the airport and the vast Galleria shopping centre. Facilities include four restaurants, a jogging track, large pool and sports courts. There is a free shuttle service to Sultanahmet and the airport.