A terrace is one of the most common reasons travellers pick one old-city hotel over another: somewhere to sit outside at breakfast or in the evening, away from the room. All eighteen hotels here list a terrace, and every one scores 9.1 or higher with guests, so this is a list of strong options rather than a mixed bag.
They are ordered by guest score, highest first. Beyond that, they split roughly into two areas. Half sit in Cankurtaran and along Akbıyık Caddesi, a few minutes from Hagia Sophia and close to the Kennedy Avenue shore path. Three are in Küçük Ayasofya, nearer the tram. The rest lie to the west and north, toward the Grand Bazaar, Mollafenari and Alemdar, where the walk to the bazaar shrinks to five to nine minutes.
The list does not say what each terrace looks out on, so if a particular view matters to you, ask the hotel. For terraces nearest the mosque itself, see terrace hotels closest to the Blue Mosque.
01Berk Guest House - Grandma's House
UnratedHotel8 roomsAccessible24-hour deskFamily roomsGarden
9.4 guest score · about 188 reviews
Berk Guest House, also listed as Grandma's House, leads on score: 9.4 out of 10 across nearly 190 reviews. It is an unrated property of just 8 rooms on Kutlugün Sokak, about 4 minutes from Hagia Sophia and 6 from the Kennedy Avenue shore path.
Alongside the terrace it has a garden, family rooms, accessible features and a 24-hour desk. Airport transfers are not listed, so plan your own way in from the tram, about 8 minutes away.
4minHagia Sophia
5minBlue Mosque
5minBasilica Cistern
6minKennedy Avenue shore path
Good to know With 8 rooms and the top score here, it books up early in spring and autumn.
02World Heritage Center Hotel
UnratedHotel25 roomsAccessibleAirport transfer24-hour deskFamily rooms
9.4 guest score · about 617 reviews
Matching Berk's 9.4 but on more than 600 reviews, World Heritage Center Hotel has 25 rooms just off Divanyolu Caddesi. That puts it 3 minutes from the Basilica Cistern, 4 from the tram and 6 from Hagia Sophia, one of the most convenient positions on this list.
It has a garden as well as a terrace, plus family rooms, accessible features, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk. Check-out is relaxed at 13:00.
3minBasilica Cistern
4minSultanahmet tram stop
5minBlue Mosque
6minHagia Sophia
Good to know Check-out is at 13:00, a useful extra hour on departure day.
03Maritime Boutique Hotel
3 starsHotel22 rooms24-hour deskFamily roomsTerrace
9.3 guest score · about 39 reviews
Over in Küçük Ayasofya, on Çayıroğlu Sokak, Maritime Boutique Hotel is a three-star of 22 rooms with a 9.3 score. That score rests on only about 40 reviews, though, fewer than most hotels here.
The Blue Mosque is 6 minutes away and the tram 6, but Hagia Sophia is 13, longer than the Cankurtaran options. Facilities are simple: the terrace, family rooms, non-smoking rooms and a 24-hour desk.
6minBlue Mosque
6minSultanahmet tram stop
11minBasilica Cistern
12minKennedy Avenue shore path
04Angel's Home Suites - Angel Group Hotels
3 starsHotel20 roomsAirport transferBar24-hour deskFamily rooms
9.3 guest score · about 46 reviews
Angel's Home Suites is on Amiral Tafdil Sokak off Mimar Mehmetağa Caddesi, 5 minutes from the shore path and the Blue Mosque. This three-star of 20 rooms has one of the fuller facility lists here: a restaurant, a bar, a garden and the terrace, plus family rooms and airport transfers.
Guests score it 9.3 out of 10, though from fewer than 50 reviews. Check-in starts at 14:30, slightly later than the usual 14:00.
5minBlue Mosque
5minKennedy Avenue shore path
7minSultanahmet tram stop
8minHagia Sophia
05Ligos
UnratedHotel24 roomsAccessibleAirport transfer24-hour deskTerrace
9.2 guest score · about 448 reviews
On Yeni Saraçhane Sokak in Cankurtaran, Ligos is an unrated hotel of 24 rooms that guests score 9.2 out of 10 across about 450 reviews. Hagia Sophia is 5 minutes away and the shore path 5, though the tram is a longer 9.
It lists the terrace, accessible features, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk, but not family rooms, which makes it better suited to couples and solo travellers than to families.
5minHagia Sophia
5minKennedy Avenue shore path
6minBlue Mosque
7minBasilica Cistern
Good to know Family rooms are not listed, so families should look at Eastanbul Suites or Hotel Empress Zoe nearby.
06Eastanbul Suites
UnratedHotel9 roomsAccessibleAirport transfer24-hour deskFamily rooms
9.2 guest score · about 159 reviews
Eastanbul Suites on Dalbastı Sokak has a strong claim on position: 3 minutes to the Blue Mosque and 5 to Hagia Sophia, the shortest Blue Mosque walk on this list. It is an unrated property of 9 rooms with a garden as well as the terrace.
Family rooms, accessible features, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk complete the list. Guests rate it 9.2 out of 10 from roughly 160 reviews.
3minBlue Mosque
5minHagia Sophia
5minBasilica Cistern
5minSultanahmet tram stop
07Şebnem Hotel
UnratedHotel15 roomsAirport transferBar24-hour deskFamily rooms
9.2 guest score · about 456 reviews
Şebnem Hotel sits at the corner of Akbıyık Caddesi and Adliye Sokak, 5 minutes from Hagia Sophia and 5 from the shore path. It is unrated, with 15 rooms, and guests score it 9.2 out of 10 across more than 450 reviews.
Besides the terrace there is a bar, family rooms, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk. Check-in from 13:00 is an hour earlier than many neighbours.
5minHagia Sophia
5minKennedy Avenue shore path
6minBlue Mosque
6minBasilica Cistern
08Carina Gold Hotel And Restaurant
4 starsHotel71 roomsAccessibleAirport transferBar24-hour desk
9.2 guest score · about 622 reviews
The largest hotel on this list, Carina Gold Hotel and Restaurant has 71 rooms in Mollafenari, 7 minutes from the Grand Bazaar and 6 from the tram. It is a four-star, and the facility list shows it: a restaurant, a bar, a garden and the terrace, along with accessible features, family rooms, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk.
Guests give it 9.2 out of 10 on more than 600 reviews. Hagia Sophia is about 11 minutes on foot.
6minSultanahmet tram stop
7minGrand Bazaar
8minBasilica Cistern
9minBlue Mosque
09No12 Hotel Sultanahmet
4 starsHotel33 roomsAccessibleAirport transfer24-hour deskFamily rooms
9.2 guest score · about 737 reviews
No12 Hotel Sultanahmet, on Prof. Kazım İsmail Gürkan Caddesi, is the best placed here for trains and ferries: Sirkeci station is about 9 minutes away and the Basilica Cistern 4. Topkapı is 10 minutes and Hagia Sophia 7.
It is a four-star of 33 rooms with the terrace, accessible features, family rooms, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk. Its 9.2 score comes from more than 700 reviews, the largest sample on this list.
4minBasilica Cistern
7minHagia Sophia
8minSultanahmet tram stop
9minBlue Mosque
10Little Palace Blue Apartment
UnratedHotel29 roomsAirport transferFamily roomsGardenRestaurant
9.1 guest score · about 118 reviews
Little Palace Blue Apartment is on Akbıyık Oyuncu Sokak, 6 minutes from the shore path and 5 from the Blue Mosque. It is listed as an unrated hotel with 29 rooms and has a restaurant and a garden as well as the terrace.
Family rooms, airport transfers and non-smoking rooms are listed, but no 24-hour desk, so check arrival arrangements if you land late. Guests score it 9.1 out of 10 across roughly 120 reviews.
5minBlue Mosque
6minKennedy Avenue shore path
8minSultanahmet tram stop
10minBasilica Cistern
Good to know No 24-hour desk is listed; confirm a late arrival with the property in advance.
11Albinas Hotel Old City
4 starsHotel17 roomsAccessibleAirport transfer24-hour deskFamily rooms
9.1 guest score · about 191 reviews
Albinas Hotel Old City is a four-star of 17 rooms on Küçükayasofya Caddesi, which makes it one of the smaller four-stars in the district. It still lists a restaurant and a garden next to the terrace, with accessible features, family rooms, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk.
The Blue Mosque and the tram are both 5 minutes away, Hagia Sophia 13. Guests score it 9.1 out of 10 from about 190 reviews.
5minBlue Mosque
5minSultanahmet tram stop
11minBasilica Cistern
12minKennedy Avenue shore path
12OId Hagia Sophia Pansion
UnratedHotel8 roomsAirport transfer24-hour deskFamily roomsTerrace
9.1 guest score · about 148 reviews
Despite the name, Old Hagia Sophia Pansion is the furthest hotel here from Hagia Sophia, about 17 minutes, on Pideci Sokak in Küçük Ayasofya. It is an unrated guesthouse with only 8 rooms, the joint smallest on this list.
It lists the terrace, family rooms, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk. Guests score it 9.1 out of 10 across nearly 150 reviews, and check-in is from 13:00.
9minSultanahmet tram stop
11minBlue Mosque
13minGrand Bazaar
14minBasilica Cistern
13Agora Guesthouse
3 starsHotel47 roomsAirport transferBar24-hour deskRestaurant
9.1 guest score · about 597 reviews
Agora Guesthouse is bigger than its name suggests: a three-star with 47 rooms on Amiral Tafdil Sokak, off Akbıyık Caddesi. It is the only hotel on this list with a spa, and it adds a restaurant and a bar to the terrace.
The shore path and the Blue Mosque are 5 minutes away, Hagia Sophia 7. Family rooms are not listed. Guests score it 9.1 out of 10 on close to 600 reviews.
5minBlue Mosque
5minKennedy Avenue shore path
7minHagia Sophia
7minBasilica Cistern
Good to know It is the only hotel on this list that lists a spa alongside its terrace.
14Mytra Hotel
3 starsHotel13 roomsAccessibleAirport transferBar24-hour desk
9.1 guest score · about 198 reviews
Mytra Hotel on Terbıyık Sokak in Cankurtaran is a three-star of 13 rooms with more on site than its size suggests: a restaurant, a bar, a garden and the terrace. Accessible features, family rooms, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk are listed too.
Hagia Sophia and the shore path are both 5 minutes away, the tram 9. Guests score it 9.1 out of 10 from about 200 reviews.
5minHagia Sophia
5minKennedy Avenue shore path
6minBlue Mosque
7minBasilica Cistern
15Hotel Empress Zoe
UnratedHotel19 roomsAirport transfer24-hour deskFamily roomsGarden
9.1 guest score · about 646 reviews
On Akbıyık Caddesi at No 10, Hotel Empress Zoe is among the closest on this list to Hagia Sophia, about 4 minutes, and to Topkapı, about 10. It is unrated, with 19 rooms, a garden as well as the terrace, family rooms, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk.
Guests give it 9.1 out of 10 across more than 640 reviews, one of the larger samples in the Cankurtaran group.
4minHagia Sophia
6minBlue Mosque
6minBasilica Cistern
6minKennedy Avenue shore path
16Castle Franco Suites
3 starsHotel9 roomsAccessibleAirport transfer24-hour deskFamily rooms
9.1 guest score · about 158 reviews
Castle Franco Suites is the closest hotel here to the Grand Bazaar, 5 minutes from Evkaf Sokak, and a good pick if shopping comes first. Hagia Sophia is 13 minutes and the tram 7.
It is a three-star of just 9 rooms with the terrace, accessible features, family rooms, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk. Guests score it 9.1 out of 10 across nearly 160 reviews. Check-out is at 12:10.
5minGrand Bazaar
7minSultanahmet tram stop
10minBlue Mosque
10minBasilica Cistern
Good to know At 5 minutes, it has the shortest walk to the Grand Bazaar on this list.
17Nowy Efendi Hotel Special Category
4 starsHotel25 roomsAccessibleAirport transfer24-hour deskFamily rooms
9.1 guest score · about 401 reviews
In Alemdar, on Hoca Rüstem Mektebi Sokak, Nowy Efendi Hotel is a four-star of 25 rooms with a garden as well as the terrace. It sits between the sights and the bazaar: 5 minutes to the Basilica Cistern, 8 to Hagia Sophia, 9 to the Grand Bazaar and 11 to Sirkeci.
Accessible features, family rooms, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk are listed. Guests rate it 9.1 out of 10 on about 400 reviews.
5minBasilica Cistern
6minSultanahmet tram stop
8minHagia Sophia
8minBlue Mosque
18Fer Hotel
4 starsHotel56 roomsAccessibleAirport transfer24-hour deskFamily rooms
9.1 guest score · about 551 reviews
Fer Hotel is on Türbedar Sokak in Mollafenari, toward Nuruosmaniye, with 56 rooms, making it the second largest here after Carina Gold. It is a four-star with a restaurant and the terrace, plus accessible features, family rooms, airport transfers and a 24-hour desk.
The Grand Bazaar is 7 minutes away and Sirkeci 11, while Hagia Sophia is 10. Guests score it 9.1 out of 10 from more than 550 reviews. Check-in is from 15:00.
7minBasilica Cistern
7minGrand Bazaar
8minSultanahmet tram stop
10minHagia Sophia
Good to know Check-in is from 15:00, an hour later than most; ask about leaving bags if you arrive early.
How to choose
Every hotel here has a terrace and a score of 9.1 or better, so the choice comes down to area, size and what else is on site. For the shortest walks to Hagia Sophia and the shore path, look at the Cankurtaran group: Berk Guest House, Hotel Empress Zoe, Eastanbul Suites, Şebnem, Ligos and Mytra. Eastanbul Suites is the closest to the Blue Mosque.
If you want a larger hotel with a restaurant and more services, Carina Gold and Fer Hotel are the biggest, both handy for the Grand Bazaar. No12 is the pick for Sirkeci trains and ferries, and World Heritage Center Hotel is closest to the tram and the Basilica Cistern. Agora Guesthouse is the one with a spa.
For smaller, quieter stays, see small hotels with fewer than 20 rooms, or hotels with a garden if outdoor space at ground level suits you better.
