Sultanahmet District

Sure it's beautiful, and despite my three-star review, it's a must-see but be prepared to be constantly harassed by Turkish rug merchants, who present themselves as "guides" and want to show you "secrets of the city" then get extremely angry and aggressive when you don't step into their shop. And woe unto you if you do. Once you step in there, you're stuck for a good half hour while they unroll rug after rug, each looking exactly like the last, then literally yell at you when you try to leave.

So my advice? Stick to the park between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. If you learn from my mistake and do NOT venture outside of there on foot, you'll have a great time.

I met my childhood friend in Istanbul and stayed in Sultanahmet district. It was one of my best experiences in life! The place is really nice; people are very friendly; restaurants are open late. It’s a tourists attraction though, so you have to always negotiate the prices and check and compare the menus. There are two mosques you must visit. There are also little shops and nice street food. I think it’s a good place to stay in Istanbul. It’s near everything and the tram is easy to get. Enjoy your stay!

Fantastic area to stay in whilst visiting all the major attractions such as the Blue Mosque, Haig Sophia and the Topkapi Palace and Museum, all within walking distance. We stayed at the No.12 Hotel, a lovely boutique hotel with friendly staff who can’t do enough for you.

On a slightly sour note, I always expect to pay more for certain things on holidays and usually ignore a cheeky price rise etc, however I would give a warning to anyone using a local barbers called Haircuts HQ, Nuruosmaniye, Cad. No.7, Cagaloglu, ISTANBUL. This is within the Sultanahmet area, I attended on the last day of my holiday and was charged 3 times the price and only realised on returning to my hotel after the staff pointed out that I had been overcharged. The point being that people like this barber ruin it for what is a great city with some of the nicest most hospitable people I have ever encountered. To the barber .. Mr Fazli Koprubasi you are now famous for the wrong reasons and I hope my review saves some other genuine tourist from being ripped off. Shame on you !!

If you just want to see the main highlights, you can do it from here pretty easily. Lots of popular sites in the same area. It's all walkable. And, if you're touring around, you'll wind up here anyway so just make it a destination.

But, if you find yourself in Istanbul for a longer period of time, Sultanahmet may become a favorite place to have a walk, enjoy some tea, or just sit in a cafe and watch the world go by. During the summer it's not so great because of the large number of tourists, but in the off-season it's lovely. Wander on up the hill and enjoy the big trees and quieter restaurants.

We saw this district both at night and during the day time, visiting it a total of three times. After you walk up from your vehicle drop off, perhaps 200 meters over sloping cobblestone walkways, it is easy to walk the level surfaces to both the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, and the sites of the Hippodrome. We were there in January, when the crowds were small and it was easy to view the mosques. Remember your scarf for the mosques, and wear comfortable shoes that you can remove without much bother. Take a bag with you to carry your shoes, although there are shelves where you can leave your shoes if you like. Be careful to avoid going into the areas for the worshipers--remember that these are functioning mosques.

Sultanahmet district is the historical center of Istanbul. If you want to see the city, you should visit this place, surrounded by palaces, architectural monuments, mosques, palm trees and views of the Bosphorus Strait. In the center, you need to think about Parking in advance, but there are a lot of cafes there. I am sure you will like to be photographed in Sultanahmet.

This area or district is a must visit by tourists coming to the city of Istanbul as there are series of tourist sites for site seeing which include historical sites of the sultanate of Istanbul and many other attractions .These attractions include series of shops to but gift items and souvenirs for loved ones and fiends alike.There were so many people during my visit which makes it looks like a pilgrimage which the large number of people from different countries of the world.I was told that some of the attractions are not open on Sundays and therefore could not visit them.

Lovely part in the Old City, best place to have the hotel at.
Locals are helpful and respectful to tourists.
Most shops have fixed prices but averagely they are in more or less the same price range.
Restaurant on the main streets are expensive, as long as you come off the main streets places are cheap.

We were staying at a hotel near the Sultanahmet district in Istanbul, which meant we were able to spend time just walking through this area. It was a pleasure just wandering around and seeing all the beautiful buildings and visiting them as we felt inclined. The grounds in this area are well kept and "guarded" by a number of dogs, who are cared for by the local vets, and spend their time enjoying being there. I would recommend checking out the various vendors in the area and trying their food. The roasted corn is delicious, and together with the breads on sale make for a tasty snack as you sit on the many benches and people watch. It is a great place to enjoy the ambiance after exploring the many buildings in the area.

I absolotley loved this area and even after we had visited all the places here, we would go back just to roam the streets.

There are many fantastic coffee shops to stop at in this area, and also many places serving traditional Turkish tea. I found the food to be a little overpriced in this area so I tended to avoid lunches and dinners here,