Sultanahmet has twelve properties listed as hostels, and they are not all alike. Some carry no star rating at all, while one, Bucoleon by Cheers, is rated four stars. Sizes run from five rooms to fifty, and several have a bar, a restaurant, a garden and a terrace on site, while others list almost nothing beyond the rooms.
Most of them sit in Cankurtaran, on or near Akbıyık Caddesi, Kutlugün Sokak and Bayram Fırını Sokak, around five minutes from the Blue Mosque and the shore path along Kennedy Avenue. Two are on Çayıroğlu Sokak in Küçük Ayasofya, closer to the tram but farther from Hagia Sophia, and one is up in Alemdar near the Basilica Cistern.
The list runs from the highest guest score to the lowest, with the one hostel that has no reviews yet at the end. Things to weigh: whether a 24-hour desk is listed for late arrivals, how early you must check out (two hostels ask for 10:30), and whether you want a bar on site. If you would rather have a private room in a small house, see guesthouses, B&Bs and homestays.
01Cheers Hostel
UnratedHostel38 roomsAirport transferBar24-hour deskFamily rooms
8.9 guest score · about 406 reviews
The best-placed and best-rated hostel in the district, Cheers Hostel is on Zeynep Sultan Cami Sokak in Alemdar, three minutes from Hagia Sophia and two from the Basilica Cistern. Guests score it 8.9 out of 10 across about 400 reviews. It has 38 rooms, a bar, a garden and a terrace, with a 24-hour desk for late arrivals. Being on the Alemdar side, it is also the closest hostel to Sirkeci station, at 11 minutes.
2minBasilica Cistern
3minHagia Sophia
7minBlue Mosque
8minTopkapı Palace
Good to know At 11 minutes from Sirkeci station, it is the easiest hostel to reach by train.
02Stanpolihostel
2 starsHostel22 roomsAirport transfer24-hour deskTerrace
8.8 guest score · about 262 reviews
Stanpolihostel, on Yeğen Sokak in Küçük Ayasofya, is the nearest hostel to the tram at five minutes, and four from the Blue Mosque. Hagia Sophia is farther, about 11 minutes. It is a two-star-rated hostel with 22 rooms, a terrace and a 24-hour desk, and its 12:00 check-out is later than most of its peers allow, and airport transfers can be arranged. Guests rate it 8.8 out of 10 from about 260 reviews, close behind Cheers Hostel.
4minBlue Mosque
5minSultanahmet tram stop
10minBasilica Cistern
10minKennedy Avenue shore path
03Cheers Vintage Hostel
UnratedHostel39 roomsAirport transferBar24-hour deskFamily rooms
8.4 guest score · about 359 reviews
Sharing a name with Cheers Hostel but sitting in Cankurtaran, Cheers Vintage Hostel is on Kutlugün Sokak with 39 rooms, one of the larger hostels here. It has a bar, a garden and a terrace, plus a 24-hour desk. Hagia Sophia is five minutes away, the Blue Mosque four and the shore path six. Guests score it 8.4 out of 10 across about 360 reviews. Check-in starts at 13:30, and airport transfers can be arranged through the desk.
4minBlue Mosque
5minHagia Sophia
5minBasilica Cistern
6minKennedy Avenue shore path
04Lighthouse
3 starsHostel43 roomsAirport transferBar24-hour deskFamily rooms
8.2 guest score · about 580 reviews
Down in Küçük Ayasofya on Çayıroğlu Sokak, Lighthouse is a three-star-rated hostel with 43 rooms and the largest review count of any hostel here, about 580, at 8.2 out of 10. It has the full set of shared spaces: bar, restaurant, garden and terrace. The tram and the Blue Mosque are six minutes away, though Hagia Sophia is a longer 13. A 24-hour desk handles late check-ins, and the Grand Bazaar is 17 minutes away on foot.
6minBlue Mosque
6minSultanahmet tram stop
11minBasilica Cistern
12minKennedy Avenue shore path
05Antique Hostel
2 starsHostel20 roomsAirport transferFamily roomsRestaurantTerrace
8.0 guest score · about 274 reviews
Antique Hostel, at Kutlu Gün Sokak No:51, is a two-star-rated hostel with 20 rooms, a restaurant and a terrace. It is four minutes from the Blue Mosque and six from Hagia Sophia, and airport transfers can be arranged. There is no 24-hour desk on record, and check-out is early at 10:30, so plan your last morning around it. Guests give it 8.0 out of 10 across about 275 reviews, the same mark as Theodora but from a far larger sample.
4minBlue Mosque
6minHagia Sophia
6minBasilica Cistern
6minKennedy Avenue shore path
Good to know Check-out is at 10:30 and no 24-hour desk is listed, so sort out bag storage the night before.
06Theodora Hostel
UnratedHostel33 roomsFamily rooms
8.0 guest score · about 24 reviews
Theodora Hostel lists 33 rooms on Kutlugün Sokak and very little else: family rooms are the only facility on record. Its location does the work, five minutes each to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, with the Kennedy Avenue shore path six minutes away. Guests score it 8.0 out of 10, but from only about two dozen reviews, so treat the number with some caution. Check-in is from 12:00, earlier than at most hostels here. No desk hours are listed.
5minHagia Sophia
5minBlue Mosque
5minBasilica Cistern
6minKennedy Avenue shore path
Good to know The 8.0 score comes from about two dozen reviews, so read recent comments before you decide.
07Sultan Hostel & Guesthouse
1 starsHostel35 roomsAirport transfer24-hour deskFamily roomsTerrace
7.9 guest score · about 360 reviews
Sultan Hostel & Guesthouse is on Terbıyık Sokak, just off Akbıyık, with 35 rooms, a terrace, a 24-hour desk and a one-star rating. Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque are five minutes away, the shore path five. Guests rate it 7.9 out of 10 across about 360 reviews, a sample as large as Cheers Vintage's. Check-out is at 10:30, the earliest here along with Antique Hostel. Airport transfers are on offer if you would rather not drag a bag across the city.
5minHagia Sophia
5minBlue Mosque
5minKennedy Avenue shore path
6minBasilica Cistern
Good to know Check-out is at 10:30, one of the two earliest among the hostels here.
08Bahaus Hostel near BlueMosque and HagiaSophiaMosque - 2 minutes
UnratedHostel37 roomsAirport transferBar24-hour deskFamily rooms
7.8 guest score · about 260 reviews
Despite the long name, Bahaus Hostel on Bayram Fırını Sokak is six minutes from Hagia Sophia and five from the Blue Mosque by these walk times, rather than the two its title promises. It has 37 rooms, a bar, a restaurant and a terrace, with a 24-hour desk and airport transfers. Guests score it 7.8 out of 10 from about 260 reviews, in the middle of the pack for Cankurtaran hostels. Check-out is at 11:30.
5minBlue Mosque
5minKennedy Avenue shore path
6minHagia Sophia
7minBasilica Cistern
09Bucoleon by Cheers
4 starsHostel50 roomsAirport transferBar24-hour deskFamily rooms
7.8 guest score · about 169 reviews
Bucoleon by Cheers is the outlier: a hostel with a four-star rating and 50 rooms, the largest on this list. It is on Çayıroğlu Sokak, the same street as Lighthouse, with a bar, restaurant, garden and terrace. The tram and Blue Mosque are six minutes away, Hagia Sophia 13. Guests give it 7.8 out of 10 across about 170 reviews, lower than its rating might suggest. Check-out is at 12:00, and a 24-hour desk is listed.
6minBlue Mosque
6minSultanahmet tram stop
11minBasilica Cistern
12minKennedy Avenue shore path
10Istanbul Hotel&Guesthouse
UnratedHostel5 roomsAirport transfer24-hour deskFamily roomsGarden
7.6 guest score · about 76 reviews
With five rooms, Istanbul Hotel&Guesthouse on Akbıyık Caddesi is the smallest hostel listed. Even so it has a restaurant, a garden and a terrace, as well as a 24-hour desk. The Blue Mosque is four minutes away and the shore path five. It carries no star rating, and guests score it 7.6 out of 10 from about 75 reviews. Check-out is at 11:30. Family rooms are listed if you are travelling as a group.
4minBlue Mosque
5minKennedy Avenue shore path
6minHagia Sophia
6minBasilica Cistern
11Piya Boutique Hotel
UnratedHostel9 roomsFamily rooms
6.8 guest score · about 80 reviews
Piya Boutique Hotel is classed as a hostel, with nine rooms on Akbıyık Cami Sokak. Only family rooms and non-smoking rooms are on record, with no desk hours listed. The Blue Mosque is five minutes away, but Hagia Sophia is 11 and Topkapı 17, longer than from most hostels here. Guests score it 6.8 out of 10 across about 80 reviews, the lowest on the list. Check-in is from 13:30 and check-out by 11:00.
5minBlue Mosque
6minKennedy Avenue shore path
7minSultanahmet tram stop
10minBasilica Cistern
Good to know No front-desk hours are listed, so tell the hostel your arrival time in advance.
12Apple Sophia hotel istanbul
UnratedHostel21 rooms
Apple Sophia, on the same street as Bahaus, lists 21 rooms but no facilities and no guest score yet, so you would be choosing on location alone. That location is sound: six minutes to Hagia Sophia, five to the Blue Mosque and five to the shore path along Kennedy Avenue. Check-in is from 12:00, earlier than most, and check-out is at 11:00. It is the one hostel here with nothing yet to judge it by beyond the map.
5minBlue Mosque
5minKennedy Avenue shore path
6minHagia Sophia
7minBasilica Cistern
Good to know No guest reviews or facilities are listed yet; ask what is included before you commit.
How to choose
For the shortest walks to the big sights, Cheers Hostel in Alemdar is the clear pick, and it also has the best score. Stanpolihostel is the one to look at if you will use the tram a lot, and it lets you sleep in until noon.
If you want a social place with a bar and a terrace, Cheers Vintage, Lighthouse, Bahaus and Bucoleon all have both; Lighthouse has the most reviews behind its score. Travellers after something quieter and smaller can weigh Istanbul Hotel&Guesthouse, with five rooms, against Piya, though Piya's score is the lowest here.
Location splits the rest. The Cankurtaran hostels, from Antique and Theodora on Kutlugün Sokak to Sultan Hostel and Bahaus near Akbıyık Caddesi, all sit four to six minutes from the Blue Mosque and the shore path, so pick among them on score and facilities. The two Çayıroğlu Sokak hostels, Lighthouse and Bucoleon, trade a longer walk to Hagia Sophia for a shorter one to the tram, and both are among the larger places here.
Watch the early check-outs at Antique and Sultan Hostel if you have a late flight. For more low-cost options with strong scores, see budget-friendly stays.
