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The Galata Bridge seen from Galata Tower, with ferries at the piers on the far shore and a domed mosque with minarets behind

Where to stay in Istanbul

Photo: Julian Lupyan, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Istanbul

Add your dates above to compare prices for your stay.

About Istanbul

Istanbul spreads over both shores of the Bosphorus. With a car, pick the district first: every bridge and tunnel between the European and Asian sides charges a toll, and İSPARK, the city car park company, charges by the hour. Each area below lists a car park and its published price.

Turkey. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Istanbul Airport (IST), about 50 km from the city centre by the state airports authority Source
Second airport
Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side, 40 km from Kadıköy and 50 km from Taksim Source
Accommodation tax
Konaklama vergisi, a national tax: 1% of the room price before VAT from 1 May to 31 December 2026, 2% before; shown as a separate line on the invoice Source
Short-term rentals
A home let for up to 100 days needs a Ministry of Culture and Tourism permit, a plaque at the entrance and the permit number in the listing; every flat owner in the building must agree Source
Guest registration
Hotels and permitted flats record each guest and report to the police at once, and may not house a guest without an identity document Source
Parking with a rental car
İSPARK, the city car park company, publishes each car park's tariff: 140 to 220 TL for the first hour and 450 to 600 TL a day at the car parks near the areas below (September 2026) Source
Crossing the Bosphorus
59 TL for a car on the 15 July Martyrs and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges in 2026, charged in both directions Source
Monthly stays
Up to 100 days in one contract, a flat is a tourism rental that needs the permit; a longer contract is an ordinary lease under the Code of Obligations Source
Visas
Ordinary US, UK and Canadian passports: up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa; longer stays need a residence permit Source
Emergency number
112 Source

Areas of Istanbul

The dome and minarets of Hagia Sophia behind the trees and flower beds of the Sultanahmet park, with visitors along the railings
Photo: Ninara, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sultanahmet

The old city of Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome. It suits a first visit spent at the monuments on foot. For a month, the districts across the Galata Bridge or on the Asian side fit better.

Istanbul Airport (IST)
about 48 km
Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW)
about 41 km
Sultanahmet Square
under 1 km

Car and parking

İSPARK's Deniz Feneri car park on Kennedy Caddesi is open 24 hours with 175 spaces: 140 TL for the first hour and 450 TL a day. Street spaces on Kutlugün Sokak and İshakpaşa Caddesi charge 220 TL for the first hour and 600 TL a day, from 08:00 to 18:00.

City ferries at the Karaköy pier, with the old buildings of Galata climbing the hill to Galata Tower
Photo: Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Galata and Karaköy

Karaköy has a ferry pier, with the lanes of Galata climbing from it to Galata Tower, and the Galata Bridge leads across to Eminönü and the old city. It suits a short stay between the old city and Beyoğlu.

Istanbul Airport (IST)
about 39 km
Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW)
about 43 km
Sultanahmet Square
about 3.5 km

Car and parking

The İSPARK car park at Azapkapı, by Perşembe Pazarı in Karaköy, is open 24 hours: 200 TL for the first hour, 550 TL a day and 7,400 TL a month. The Arap Camii car park nearby opens only from 09:00 to 17:00.

The Taksim Mosque above Taksim Square, with flower and souvenir stalls along the paved square
Photo: Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Taksim and Cihangir

Taksim Square, with the Taksim Mosque, is in Beyoğlu. Cihangir is the residential slope below it towards the Bosphorus, with grocers and cafés on its streets. Cihangir suits a week or a month on foot; Taksim suits a short stay.

Istanbul Airport (IST)
about 40 km
Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW)
about 50 km
Sultanahmet Square
about 5 km

Car and parking

İSPARK's covered car park at Cihangir Caddesi 19 has 350 spaces and is open 24 hours: 200 TL for the first hour, 550 TL a day and 9,800 TL a month. The street spaces on Cihangir Caddesi charge 220 TL for the first hour and 600 TL a day, from 09:00 to 19:00.

The Ortaköy Mosque on the shore of the Bosphorus with a moored boat in front and high-rise towers on the skyline behind
Photographed in 2014. Photo: Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Beşiktaş and Ortaköy

The European shore of the Bosphorus from the Beşiktaş ferry pier to Ortaköy, where the mosque stands on the water. It suits a stay by the Bosphorus, and Beşiktaş also suits a month.

Istanbul Airport (IST)
about 40 km
Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW)
about 48 km
Sultanahmet Square
about 7 km

Car and parking

İSPARK's open car park by the Beşiktaş market on Nüzhetiye Caddesi is open 24 hours: 140 TL for the first hour and 450 TL a day. Street spaces on Çırağan Caddesi, opposite the Çırağan Palace, charge 170 TL for the first hour and 500 TL a day, from 08:00 to 23:00.

The white house of the architect Vedat Tek on Valikonağı Caddesi in Nişantaşı, with a café on the ground floor and road signs for Maçka and Dolmabahçe
Photo: Metuboy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nişantaşı

A residential part of Şişli, with shops on Abdi İpekçi Avenue and, on Valikonağı Caddesi, the house of the architect Vedat Tek. It suits a month in a residential district, or a short stay built around the shops.

Istanbul Airport (IST)
about 40 km
Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW)
about 49 km
Sultanahmet Square
about 8 km

Car and parking

İSPARK's Maçka multi-storey car park on Taşkışla Caddesi has 508 spaces and is open 24 hours: 200 TL for the first hour, 550 TL a day and 9,800 TL a month. Street spaces on Şakayık Sokak charge from 08:00 to 16:00, 170 TL for the first hour.

The old ferry pier building of Kadıköy, with arched windows and a tiled roof, on the water with small boats moored beside it
Photographed in 2014. Photo: CeeGee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kadıköy and Moda

Kadıköy faces the old city from the Asian side, with its old ferry pier building on the water, and Moda is the neighbourhood of Kadıköy with its own pier. Both suit a month, and a trip that flies into Sabiha Gökçen.

Istanbul Airport (IST)
about 50 km
Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW)
about 32 km
Sultanahmet Square
about 12 km

Car and parking

İSPARK's Eski Salı Pazarı car park on Mahmutbaba Sokak has 760 spaces and is open 24 hours: 140 TL for the first hour, 450 TL a day and 5,500 TL a month. Driving to the European side costs a toll each way, 59 TL on the 15 July Martyrs Bridge or 330 TL by day in the Eurasia Tunnel.

Guides

Questions

Is there a tourist tax in Istanbul?

Turkey charges a national accommodation tax rather than a city tax: 1% of the room price before VAT from 1 May to 31 December 2026, and 2% before that. It appears as a separate line on the invoice, and if a booking site left it out of the price, the property invoices it after the stay.

Where can a rental car park in central Istanbul?

In İSPARK car parks, run by the city. Near the areas in this guide the first hour costs 140 to 220 TL and a full day 450 to 600 TL. The covered car parks in Cihangir and Maçka are open 24 hours and list 9,800 TL a month.

Which airport is closer to Kadıköy?

Sabiha Gökçen, on the Asian side: its operator puts it 40 km from Kadıköy, while Istanbul Airport is about 50 km away by road. Istanbul Airport is the nearer one for Karaköy, Taksim, Beşiktaş and Nişantaşı, at about 39 to 42 km; for Sultanahmet, Sabiha Gökçen is about 41 km and Istanbul Airport about 48 km.

Does a holiday flat in Istanbul need a licence?

Yes. A flat let for up to 100 days needs a Ministry of Culture and Tourism permit, a plaque at the entrance and the permit number in every listing, and every flat owner in the building must have agreed. The host also registers each guest with the police.