Pera Palace Hotel, Istanbul

Wonderful historic hotel with exceptional design and hospitality located in the Pera district with lots of bars, restaurants and shops around. Nights were calm nevertheless. Everything was clean and the staff friendly and welcoming.

The building was built as a hotel to host high class passenger of Orient Express in 1895 and still serves as a hotel. You can feel the glory of the those times from the architecture, wide marble stairways, historical wooden elevator, paintings, antique furnitures and chandelier. Best place for whom like history and luxury. It is like a time travelling but in a modern hotel. I stayed in king room, 5th floor, clean and comfy, no traffic noise. I used pool and jacuzzi, clean and silent. Hotel staff is very helpful especially Esma was so nice and even offered a free tour of the hotel. I will definitely visit again.

Nothing really. A minor thing: Pool area can be slippery on bare foot, anti-slip bands on the floor will be helpful.

The location was excellent, the staff very good, and it felt special to be in such a historically significant place. The hotel does a good job of making this history accessible. The room was comfortable and clean and the hotel quiet.

This hotel has more history than most other Istanbul hotels added together. I stayed here in 1995, 2005, 2013 and now 2025, since a major refurb in about 2010 it’s been a genuine 5 star hotel. Our bed was incredibly comfortable, our Greta Garbo corner room was absolutely lovely.

I’m only sorry we couldn’t see the Agatha Christie room 411 as it was occupied.

Great to live the history and the moment

Bit noisy the walls dont have any soundproof but wasnt any major issue and not any view

Amazing property, takes you back in time, you can really feel the vibrations of all the events that took place in there. Huge 👍🏻 for the quality of the tea time and the charming old elevator.

Not all staff was at the right professionalism level that should be expected, the place could use a more appropriate interns/ pro ratio

Great historical hotel

Couldn’t provide late checkout

The history. The location. The staff - they were fantastic. The room was lovely and very comfortable. The hotel was very accomodating and the guest experience was fabulous. Can’t wait to go back!!

It would have been nice if the inside bar was functional - given the history and what a lovely space it was.

A hotel where you can breathe in history and travel back in time... Very friendly staff, especially thanks to Esma, who guided us on the visit to Ataturk's room, telling us many interesting facts.

Beautiful historic hotel. Great location. Helpful staff and the breakfast was great

Nothing

Wonderful historic hotel. All the atmosphere you would want. Comfortable rooms and great location in Pera.

The history

There was a misunderstanding that the afternoon tea service was complimentary when it was not.

Such a Beautiful classic hotel in the heart of town. Location was great, easy walking distance to most places we wanted to go. Staff friendly and rooms were huge and great value for money.

Nothing

Great location, close proximity to excellent restaurants and shopping. Staff are friendly, professional and welcoming. The Jacky Kennedy room is very spacious.

The level 6 foyer has no a/c or are flow but thankfully we don’t spend much time here as we only passed through to reach our room.

Jacqueline Kennedy suite was both comfortable and historic. Enjoyed the tour of the museum room and historic elevator. Public rooms were extraordinarily furnished.

Shower was extremely slippery, poorly designed. Breakfast should have more international offerings.

In general, the hotel provides what one would expect from a 5-star hotel: great service, daily room cleaning, general cleanliness (although it's not clean enough for a crawling baby, it's clean enough for me) and tidiness, wonderful breakfast (and accomodating to a 1-year old baby too). There's an air conditioner, good noise-isolation and black-out curtains.

There are some minor moments that I was not satisfied with. I'm sharing this feedback privatly with the hotel.

It is an amazing hotel. We loved it so much.

Everything is perfect.

Staff exceptional. Facilities outstanding. Extremely comfortable rooms. Excellent location.

Not enough time to enjoy all the facilities.

Excellent classic hotel

Nothing

What a fascinating hotel, would recommend but obviously pricey

Bit strict on room cleaning g times

Loved the hotel - amazing history, beautifully decorated, good location.

Staff were ok but didnt go out of their way, not a major issue.

An charming and historically significant property, that for a few short days, we felt a part of.

A few of the key spaces were closed off to us as a conference was taking place whilst we were there.

Rooms and breakfast at the very top, as expected from an hotel with this history... the hotel is fantastic and the atmosphere you breath there... Staff excellent!

I asked for an high floor room, to avoid noise and they gave me a first floor room, although an upgraded room, the windows aren't enough insulated for the heavy traffic of the road underneath...

breakfast was delicious and inventive. great salads , but as a trans continental guest i would have appreciated a little variety of cooked vegetables , instead of all raw.

front desk could have k looked crispier.as a 5 star hotel is usually.. beautiful historic hotel..

Unique site, historical and very well maintained space. Seems like leaving in the museum, but with the comfort of a good hotel. Breakfast was excellent

Hairdryer was very difficult to use

The locations is perfect, near most of amenities in Istanbul walking distance. The staff was superb, specially Ekrem Emre,can’t wait to comeback again.

Nothing

Ambient. Staff. History.

Wi fi and spa. Not all places were available because of event.

As many already know, I guess, Pera Palace is one of the finest hotels in the world, thanks especially to its indescriptible charm (fruit of a rich history, but also of a very carefully kept balance between splendor of the past and the most advanced technologies of the present) and to the high standard of its services. We found again all these qualities, enhanced by the upgrading of our rooms (thanks, Booking!), so we had balconies with a view of the Golden Horn and Istanbul's amazing skyline. The breakfast was incredibly varied and tasteful - and yet we missed some fresh Turkish yogurt... Maybe next time!

It was not cheap, but all was absolutely splendid.

Pera Palace is an excellent historic property. Located on a historic street full of beautiful cafes and museums. This was one of the reasons to book it. It lived up to the expectation on this front. The room was appointed with beautiful historic furniture. The Lobby and the Salon were beautiful, the patina very evocative. We loved seeing the Kamal Ataturk Museum. Staff was warm and helpful. AND YET : Will I ever return here : NO. The reason is given in What we did not like.

Besides its historic and iconic status, the most important reason for us to book this hotel was the description of the Grand Suite we booked. It said that the large windows of the room open on Golden Horn/ Bosporus. THIS WAS NOT TRUE AT ALL. A small diagonal section of the water body was visible from a small angular balcony that was un-sittable because of the traffic noise. This was extremely disappointing and a letdown. We had booked a second three day stay at Pera Palace on our return from Cappadocia and Ephesus. We cancelled the booking and shifted to Sultanahmet. How much ever the historic importance and iconic location, the Sales Team has no business lying to guests.

Awesome hotel with a rich history. Delicious breakfast. Helpful and welcoming staff. Especially Ergun and Aziz.

Nothing.

The room’s view was not nice… looking into the construction and giving its back to the nice views, make sure you chose the right location. As it was a nice suite and in a bad location from view point of view.

Nice and authentic

Charm of historic hotel. Staff was excellent. Breakfast was extra but exceptional.

Small room with terrible view.

There was no view I looked over a construction site

We love this place. Just one little minus: we booked room with bathtub, and the room was with shower. We asked to change the room, but there was no free rooms for change. Everything else was perfect

We booked room with bathtub, and the room was with shower

Such a beautiful and historic hotel - originally built for the passengers of the Orient Express - the former room of the founder of modern Turkiye, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is preserved as a museum here (Room 101). Ataturk was key to the Ottoman forces successfully defending Gallipoli (against the invading British/Australian/New Zealand forces) in 1915 during WW1, and successfully leading the post-war independence movement (in the wake of the defeat of Germany and the Ottoman Empire) to create what is now modern Turkiye. It has the second ever lift in the world, after the Eiffel Tower, and it's where Agatha Christie (a regular guest) supposedly wrote part of 'Murder on the Orient Express'. You can stay in her room, but we managed to book the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis room (also a regular guest) - which has a range of photos, books and fashion accessories (perhaps left at the hotel?). The staff are friendly and helpful, the breakfast in the Agatha Restaurant is fantastic, with a wide range of options and eggs/omelettes cooked to order.

Not exactly cheap at AUD$520 a night - but totally worth it!

history

The staff was very efficient unfriendly

I have a special connection to this hotel — my grandfather and grandmother spent their honeymoon here in 1932. While they were staying, there was a 7-year-old girl playing the piano in the lobby. When my grandparents returned from their trip, they decided that if they ever had a daughter, they would name her Hajal, like that little girl. I came to see the place my grandparents once visited, and it was incredibly beautiful — everything was absolutely perfect.

This hotel is an absolute gem—rich in history and located right next to the iconic Istiklal Caddesi. You’re in the centre of it all, yet the hotel feels peaceful and full of character. The staff were truly exceptional—warm, attentive, and always ready to help with anything. The breakfast was generous, delicious, and beautifully presented—definitely worth booking with your stay. One of the most unique parts of this hotel is the preserved room that Atatürk once lived in, now turned into a mini museum. The tour was fascinating and gives a powerful sense of the building’s significance. If you’re after a stay that combines comfort, location, and heritage, this place delivers on all fronts. Highly recommend.

excellent

the carpeting at the entrance could look cleaner, and the uniforms worn by staff reception od look c fresher.. somewhat tired.. not normal for a 5 star hotel.

Location, location location, perfect for cafes, restaurants and shopping.

Room service was difficult, took 30 minutes to bring a milk sachet, maybe they were down on staff

Location was great to restaurants, shopping, staff were attentive to our needs.

Perhaps a few minor things, but given it is a museum hotel, the experience more than compensated!

I loved the choice, freshness and excellent service

Very good - classic elegant hotel.

Gym facilities was not very modern or spacious Also, shame there wasn’t a rooftop restaurant or bar.

Lovely room, fantastic bed, very responsive service

Leaky air conditioning and blocked sink but neither really affected us

It was a wonderful experience to stay in this gorgeous, historic building on my first visit to Istanbul. We really enjoyed the spa and pool area, as well as the sitting area and bathtub in our room. The staff were extremely helpful and responsive, and I was very grateful that they allowed us to move to a different room when we had an issue.

Our room was noisy at times from traffic (there's a major road behind the hotel). The hotel uses heavy air fresheners and strong fragrances on the bedding, which affected my asthma and was just generally unpleasant if you're sensitive to strong smells. However, it was okay because the staff kindly provided us with unscented bedding. The beautiful Oriental Bar downstairs has some colored LED lighting and tacky decorations that detract from the 19th-century ambience (but, for the most part, the public areas of the hotel are absolutely beautiful!).

Historic charm

Sometimes service a bit off

Historically significant with beautiful architecture and decor. Charming helpful staff Old world etiquette Best huge gourmet breakfast ever

Nothing. Right down to maid service exceptional

The hotel is very cozy, a truly historic location. It is very close to everything, practically accessible by walking or public transport. The staff was very friendly, and the breakfast was plentiful.

Perhaps a little renovation would be beneficial for the rooms, but it was completely acceptable.

Good choice. Quality of fruit poor however.

Service a little slow