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Taksim & Cihangir

Istanbul

Beyoğlu's busy core around Taksim Square and İstiklal Caddesi, with the leafy, bohemian streets of Cihangir just downhill.

Best for Nightlife · Budget · Business

Transport
5/5
Sights
3/5
Value
4/5
Quiet
2/5
Food
4/5

Typical mid-range hotel ~$110/night · 20 min to Eminönü

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Taksim & Cihangir on the map

Why stay here

  • The centre of Istanbul's nightlife
  • Most hotel choice in the city at every price
  • M2 metro and the funicular down to the tram

Who should stay here

  • Nightlife and bar lovers
  • Travellers on a budget
  • Business trips with meetings in Levent or Maslak

Not ideal if…

  • You want quiet streets
  • You're travelling with small children
  • You want to walk to the old-city sights

What it's like

İstiklal Caddesi runs for more than a kilometre from Taksim Square to Tünel, lined with shops, churches, cinemas and side streets of bars and meyhanes. The red nostalgic tram rattles down the middle. Most of the city's nightlife is in the lanes off it.

Cihangir, below Taksim towards the Bosphorus, is calmer: cafés, antique shops, street cats and apartments with sea views. Taksim has the most hotel choice and the best metro links in the city, including to the airport, but İstiklal is crowded day and night and some streets around the square feel rough late at night.

Best streets and sub-areas

  • İstiklal Caddesi

    Pedestrian avenue from Taksim to Tünel, busy at all hours.

  • Asmalımescit

    Lanes of meyhanes and bars near the Tünel end.

  • Cihangir

    Cafés and quiet residential streets above the Bosphorus.

Getting around

Nearest stations
Taksim on the M2 metro, the F1 funicular down to Kabataş for the tram and ferries, and the nostalgic tram along İstiklal.
To Eminönü
About 20 minutes
From Istanbul Airport
About 65 minutes: M11 metro to Gayrettepe, then the M2 to Taksim, or the Havaist bus.

Nearby attractions

  • İstiklal Caddesi

    Walk the length of it, with detours into the old arcades.

  • Pera Museum

    Orientalist paintings, including Osman Hamdi Bey's 'The Tortoise Trainer'.

  • Çiçek Pasajı

    19th-century arcade of restaurants just off İstiklal.

  • Museum of Innocence

    Orhan Pamuk's museum built around his novel, in Çukurcuma.

Where to eat and drink

  • Meyhanes in Asmalımescit

    Meze and rakı late into the night.

  • Cihangir cafés

    Slow breakfasts and coffee in the quieter streets.

  • Nevizade Sokak

    Busy alley of meyhanes near the fish market.

Where to stay in Taksim & Cihangir

A few hotels we'd book in this area, at different budgets.

Luxury pick

Pera Palace Hotel

Why we like it: Historic 1890s hotel built for Orient Express passengers.

Typical luxury rate in Taksim & Cihangir: ~$350/night

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Luxury pick

The Marmara Taksim

Why we like it: Tower hotel on Taksim Square with wide views.

Typical luxury rate in Taksim & Cihangir: ~$350/night

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Boutique pick

Witt Istanbul Suites

Why we like it: Design suites with kitchenettes in Cihangir.

Typical mid-range rate in Taksim & Cihangir: ~$110/night

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Hotels in Taksim & CihangirMid-range from ~$110/night

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