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WHY ISTANBUL IS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO TRAVEL IN 2024 — AND WHAT'S NEW —
ACCORDING TO T+L'S EDITOR IN CHIEF

Istanbul, which was earlier this year named the best city in Europe by Travel +
Leisure readers, is now one of the best places to go in 2024. Editor in chief
Jacqui Gifford shares what's new, why the hotel scene rivals Paris, and how to
plan your trip.

By
Jacqui Gifford
Jacqui Gifford
 * 
 * 

As the editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure, Jacqui Gifford is always on the next
plane. She constantly scouts for new hotels, shops, and restaurants to give
readers the latest news and trends, and frequently appears as an expert guest on
television networks, including NBC, CBS, ABC, CNBC, and MSNBC.
Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
Updated on April 4, 2024
 * 
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Photo:

todamo/Getty Images

Come sunset, there is only one place to be in Turkey’s style capital: settled
comfortably by the Bosphorus, chilled cocktail in hand.  



The sky was turning a blush pink, the seagulls hovering above the water like
ivory drones as we took our seats at Gallada, an oasis-like restaurant from chef
Fatih Tutak. Opened in July to rave reviews, it crowns one of the four buildings
that comprise the new Peninsula Istanbul — itself a much talked-about addition
to the Karaköy neighborhood. Ferries, cargo ships, and party boats packed with
revelers coursed up and down the strait, where 40,000 vessels traverse the
waters annually. Music blasted from the pleasure cruises — an occasional
distraction, but one easy enough to forgive. Everyone was ready to shake off the
languor of the hot afternoon and welcome in the shade of night.




Courtesy of The Peninsula Hotels

Soon enough, a steady stream of influencers (executives in crisp shirts, fashion
types in the latest Gucci) started to saunter in, and the restaurant was just as
humming as the party boats. Our party of three, by contrast, included two
bleary-eyed parents and a starving 8-year-old. In addition to Gallada, the
38-year-old Tutak operates Turk, the only Michelin two-starred restaurant in
Turkey, and has become something of a celebrity in the food world. We ordered a
Heinz variety of Tutak’s signature dishes, which blend Turkish and Asian flavors
and take inspiration from the Silk Road. To start: a wood-fired potato pide
accompanied by smoked bone marrow butter, and fried eggplant with burnt yogurt,
tokat onions, and pepper oil. And multiple orders of crispy beef dumplings,
umami bombs dunked in spicy butter and fragrant yogurt. There were lamb kebabs
with vinegar onions and grilled Mersin red prawns with a delicate sweetness to
balance the savory meat. It all paired beautifully with (ironically enough)
the “Hong Kong” cocktail – a heady mix of Sichuan-infused tequila, Sichuan oil,
galliano, yuzu, and vanilla.

We left at 10 p.m., long past our bedtime; the influencers stayed well into the
night, at their epic waterfront perch. 

The Bosphorus may physically divide Europe and Asia, but it spiritually unites
visitors and locals, who both gravitate to its shore and to its scenery. It
gives Istanbul a purpose, a way to gather and evolve. Nowhere is this more
evident right now than at the Galataport: a $1.7-billion hub that stretches for
three-quarters-of-a-mile along the strait, and includes an underground cruise
terminal, shopping area, pedestrian promenade, and art museum. 



The Peninsula is the linchpin. Stitched together by three landmark buildings
from 1910, 1912, and 1937, plus one addition, the 177-room hotel, which opened
in February 2023, quickly turned heads. The crisp service, the walkable
location, and the top-tier amenities give it an edge. After touring the Hagia
Sophia, we lounged by the serene pool, which overlooks the 1,486-year-old site
and other jewels such as the Topkapi Palace. The sprawling, subterranean spa has
one of the best private hammams in the city. The intuitive, tablet and
touchscreen panel-enabled guest rooms feel residential, cocooning, thanks to
Zeynep Fadillioglu, a female interior designer known for her work on Istanbul’s
Sakirin Mosque. 




EMRE DORTER/Courtesy of The Peninsula Hotels

The hotel’s shiny new toys are all the more remarkable when you consider that
the lobby and atrium, with its art deco flourishes (note the marble water
feature, toward the back) once welcomed thousands of cruise ship passengers,
starting in 1940. The other two buildings that flank it had past lives, too —
the 1912 guest wing, “Rihtim Han,” was once a naval hospital.



“This area is a gift to the city, because this part had been hidden from the
public for many years, as it was an official port,” said Arzu Kaprol, a local
designer who fashioned most of the trim staff uniforms, using artisans from the
Grand Bazaar. “Now with this new structure, the area is being given back to the
public. On the weekends we are witnessing thousands of people enjoying the
waterfront, freely.”



Kaprol’s caftan-packed shop can be discovered five minutes away on foot, in the
Paket Postanesi: an airy domed building from 1911 that served as a customs
office, passenger lounge, and post office. Compared to the sensory overload of
the Grand Bazaar, a maze if there ever was one, it’s an excellent place to
browse, unhurried. The boutique Juju Mood offers charms, bangles, stylish
amulets; Atelier Rebul, a heritage cosmetics company dating to 1895, specializes
in luxurious candles and fragrances. At the nearby Tophane-İ Amire Culture and
Art Center, “Golden Opulence,” an exhibition celebrating 500 years of Turkish
craft, fashion, and technique, sponsored by fashion house Beymen, runs from
December 6-15, with plans to travel across the country. 




Jacqui Gifford/Travel + Leisure

Another center for Turkish heritage and culture is the Renzo Piano-designed
Istanbul Modern, a five-story structure opened in June. The old museum was
housed in a not-so-attractive customs warehouse, demolished as part of the
Galataport rehabilitation. (For several years, the Modern was moved to temporary
housing in Beyoğlu). Piano, for this latest iteration, took inspiration from the
Bosphorus, creating sight lines to the water on the upper floors and a
reflecting pool on the rooftop. The compact, welcoming museum focuses on Turkish
contemporary art, with photography being a standout: a current exhibition
includes 22 oversize photos from filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan. The Restaurant
Modern, with its sweeping waterfront terrace, makes the whole experience even
more approachable.



“[The Galataport] was built not just for tourists,” explained Sinan Sökmen, the
founder of Istanbul Tour Studio, a luxury travel agency. “Everyone goes with a
different purpose. I go for eats and drinks; some go shopping.” Sökmen, who has
been a guide for 15 years, now arranges bespoke experiences, including rowing
along the Golden Horn and street photography tours. He worked in the port in
2014, when it was basically “desolate.” He told me that he was excited to see
this era of “adaptation and renovation,” noting that the 86-year-old MSFAU
Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture, which reopened in 2020, is another
welcome change to the area. “The city is certainly old, there is nothing much we
can do about that,” Sökmen added with a smile. “But all these clashes and
contrasts make it special.”




Courtesy of Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul

Istanbul’s luxury hotel scene, one could argue, now rivals London or Paris. Up
the coast, Çirağan Kempinski Palace, a 17th-century sultan’s residence and
longtime society darling, just got a glow up. There are two new restaurants (the
waterside Akdeniz by Esra Muslu is a highlight) while the rooms nod to Ottoman
history with touches that are subtle, not too showy (think Cintemani-patterned
headboards, marble-inlaid furniture). In Beşiktaş, the two-year-old Mandarin
Oriental, Bosphorus, draws a well-traveled international crowd, with on-point
contemporary rooms and a Michelin-approved outpost of Hakkasan. The
four-year-old Six Senses Koçtaş Mansions in residential Sariyer is more
boutique, with just 43 jewel-box-like rooms spread across two 19th-century homes
once owned by a minister of justice. The Four Seasons Istanbul at Sultanahmet,
voted by Travel + Leisure readers as the best hotel in the world, reemerged in
2022 after a two-year renovation. It is housed in a former jail; for all its
on-trend glitz and glamor, there are still prisoners’ etchings in the walls,
giving guests a surprising, tangible connection to the past.



Meanwhile, rumors are swirling that an Orient Express hotel will come to
Karaköy, not too far from the Peninsula – how very Agatha Christie. Indeed: for
all the polished hotels, the modern art, the Michelin-caliber restaurants,
Istanbul still can feel like a throwback to another, simpler time. Up early one
morning, I peered out our hotel room window and saw several fishermen standing
with their rods at the ready, passing time with ease. Friends sat casually
chatting on benches to start their day, as I suspect they might have done a
century ago — or even long before that.




HOW TO PLAN A TRIP TO ISTANBUL

T+L A-lister Jonathan Alder can book Istanbul and a wider Turkey itinerary. He
also highly recommends booking a VIP arrival service and IGA Pass at Istanbul
Airport, a world-class facility opened in 2018. “It will truly help, as you are
whisked away by buggy saving the very long walks,” said Alder. “Shopping is also
an experience here, so do come early to enjoy."  Contact Jonathan Alder at
jonathan.a@jonathanstravels.us. Of course, be sure to pack carefully for any
trip to Turkey.






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