Is Şişli & Nişantaşı a good place to stay in Istanbul?

Şişli and Nişantaşı are a good base if you want modern Istanbul, good shopping and easy transport at a fair price. Osmanbey and Şişli-Mecidiyeköy stations on the M2 metro reach Taksim in minutes and the old city with one change, and Gayrettepe connects to the airport metro. It suits shoppers, business travellers, people attending the convention centre in Harbiye and return visitors.

The area has two sides. Nişantaşı is elegant and lively, with fashion boutiques and pavement cafés along Abdi İpekçi Caddesi and around Teşvikiye Mosque, and Maçka Park slopes down towards the Bosphorus. Şişli and Bomonti are busier and more everyday, with offices, the Cevahir mall and the Bomontiada venue in the old beer factory, and the Atatürk Museum sits on Halaskargazi Caddesi.

The downside is that you're a metro ride from the historic sights. Sultanahmet and the Grand Bazaar take a change of train, the main roads through Şişli are loud and congested, and there's little old-city character here. Nişantaşı's restaurants and boutiques are also some of the most expensive in the city.

What makes Şişli and Nişantaşı worth considering is how comfortable they make a city stay. You can browse Istanbul's best shops, sit in a stylish café, walk down to Taksim and be on the metro in minutes, and hotel rooms here are often cheaper and newer than in the tourist districts.