karentoft

I am trying to decide between two apartments. One is in Taksim which seems to be a fun place for nightlife, cafes, and restaurants and one in Sultanahmet which is close to many of the tourist sights. The Taksim one is about $200 USD more for the duration of our 8 day stay, otherwise the accommodations are fairly similar.

Suggestions on which area to stay in? Why choose one over the other or doesn't it really matter and I'm over thinking it?

Does anyone know how long it takes or how expensive it is to get around between the two locations?

I don't know why I'm having such a hard time trying to pick a location this time!

Mariaj93

I think that it is best sultanhammet, you can walk to the main sites and is an amazing area, there are good hotels, goods restaurant
I prefer it without doubt

Seamus

For my Istanbul visit I originally wanted to stay in Sultanahmet but could not find a place for my dates (football finals were going on) and wound up in Taksim. It was fine. Public transport makes it pretty easy to get around from wherever you are. Sultanahmet is pretty quiet in the evenings, whereas Taksim is more lively. If the apartments are both acceptable, flip a coin.

worldinabag

Hi Karen

I think you've pretty much answered your own question! If you're after the nightlife Taksim is it. From there you can easily do the tourist sites in Sultanahmet. I stayed in Sultanahmet for the sites and also I loved the "feel" of the Old City. However it is quiet at night and the area is very touristy.

cw

Would you mind sharing your apartment choices?

We are planning a trip with two other couples next year, and I "think" we've decide to stay in Sultanahmet, probably in a hotel. It seems more convenient for daytime sightseeing and we don't have a problem with traveling for dinner if we have to do so.

karentoft

The one in Taksim can be found at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationR...ul.html#photos

And the one in Sultanahmet is: http://www.vrbo.com/268770#page-top-most

ellen75005

Both apartments look good. It really does depend on whether you want to be near shopping and night life or the sights. We chose to stay in the middle of Sultanahmet, just steps from the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia and we loved it. I don't know where the light rail would be in relation to the Taksim apartment, but we used it quite a bit. It's modern and inexpensive. You could also take a taxi between the two areas. I guess if it were me, I'd stay in Sultanahmet and go up to Taksim for the nightlife. I think you'd be fine either place, though.

You'll love Istanbul!

Ellen

worldinabag

Hi again

We stayed just off Akbiyik Street where the Sultanahmet apartment listed is located. I liked it because after a day of the hustle and bustle of the big city it was nice to eat out along the street. There is a mix of hostels and hotels so you get a nice mix of travellers. It's a pretty street, its only downside is the pesky carpet salesmen during the day.

at12am

If you are planning to have nightlife most of the nights in Taksim area, <b>I would suggest staying in Taksim</b>. Personally I like to get to bed ASAP after a long night out. There is a premium charge for night time taxi too.

karentoft

Thanks for everyone's advice! Turns out we did book an apartment in Taksim after a bit of a frustrating week. We ended up at a completely different apartment than either listed above. To make a long story short, the one we picked was listed by a new owner who didn't really know how to accept our reservation so it expired twice...we tried to book the other one then in Sultanahmet only to discover it was no longer available for the first three days of our trip. Sooooo back to the searching for an apartment began. We luckily found another one, not as nice sadly, but for a good price in what appears to be a good location in Taksim.

Lesson learned, book as soon as possible! Even if that means staying up until 3AM to secure the reservation before it's gone.

On a positive note, hello Istanbul in about 46 days!!