Is Levent a good place to stay in Istanbul?

Levent is a good base if you're in Istanbul for business or want a modern hotel with a quick run to the airport. The towers and offices of Büyükdere Caddesi are all here, the Levent stations on the M2 metro reach Taksim directly, and Gayrettepe connects to the M11 airport metro. It suits business travellers, shoppers and short stays between flights.

The area is a district of glass towers, wide roads and shopping malls. Kanyon is an open-air mall with curving walkways and restaurants, Metrocity sits across the road, and Zorlu Center at Zincirlikuyu has shops, restaurants and the Zorlu PSM performing arts centre. Behind the main road, the older streets of Levent are leafy and residential, and the Bosphorus villages are a short ride downhill.

The downside is that Levent has no historic atmosphere and little street life outside the malls. Sultanahmet and the Grand Bazaar are a long metro ride away, the main roads are noisy and heavy with traffic, and the area empties out in the evenings and at weekends. Hotels here are also pricier than in the old city.

What makes Levent worth considering is how smoothly it works. You can step out of a comfortable international hotel into a mall, a meeting or the metro, reach the airport without crossing the city and still get to Taksim or the Bosphorus quickly when work is done.