Istanbul - Two Shores

Istanbul sits across two continents, with the Bosphorus running between them. The European shore has the Ottoman monuments, the old banking district of Karaköy, and the dense restaurant and bar neighbourhood of Beyoğlu. The Asian shore has the food markets, quieter residential streets, and Çengelköy, where the water sets the pace. The ferry crossing between them takes twenty minutes.

Where to stay

The Bank Hotel in Karaköy occupies a former financial institution on Bankalar Caddesi, the old banking street of the Ottoman capital, with the neo-classical facade preserved and the interiors remade into something quieter. Sumahan on the Water converted an 1870s Ottoman distillery in Çengelköy on the Asian shore into a hotel where the rooms face directly onto the strait. Pera Palace Hotel in Beyoğlu, opened in 1892 for passengers arriving from the Orient Express, is the oldest and most storied hotel address in the city.

What to eat

Istanbul's restaurant scene has drawn significant Michelin attention in recent years. In Bomonti, TURK Fatih Tutak holds two stars for a tasting menu built on Turkish flavour and fifteen years of technique developed in Asian kitchens. In Karaköy, Neolokal at the SALT Galata building earned one star and a Michelin Green Star in 2022, drawing from regional Anatolian larders that rarely appear on restaurant menus. Araf received its first Michelin star in the 2026 guide for cooking over open fire at a twenty-seat counter, chefs Kenan Çetinkaya and Pınar Korgan Çetinkaya running a focused and precise kitchen.

Where to drink

Geyik in Cihangir is a coffee roastery in the daytime and a cocktail bar in the evening, a neighbourhood fixture since 2014 that has not been smoothed into something generic. Mikla occupies the top floor of the Marmara Pera Hotel in Beyoğlu, with a rooftop bar and a view across the city that is hard to match, and a Michelin-starred kitchen downstairs for those staying through dinner. At Galataport, the regenerated waterfront in Karaköy, Frankie Istanbul has a terrace facing directly onto the Bosphorus, within walking distance of the ferry terminals.

How to move

The commuter ferries connect Karaköy, Beşiktaş, and Eminönü on the European shore to Kadıköy and Üsküdar on the Asian side throughout the day. Kadıköy is worth a morning on foot through its market, where grocers, cheese vendors, and fish stalls have been running the same way for generations, well before any restaurant guide arrived to describe it.