Agora Guesthouse — Hotel in Fatih

First time in Istanbul and booked Agora Guesthouse based on its history of positive reviews and its proximity to the sights.||For a three-star hotel (which can vary a lot in some countries), this was a solid fine. Good value for a private room because I did some freelance work while traveling, but some drawbacks too.||First, private rooms overall look like they do online, however I didn’t get one of the actually cute ones. Layout was weird and the furniture was shabby, not cute and chic like it looks online. I did peek into other ones while they were being cleaned and the quality among the rooms really varies. I wish I had known that ahead of time.||Second, location is good in the area closest to the sights, but to get to the trams and many other parts of the city, it’s a bit more of a hike. But if you’re here for 1-2 days, this is a good location.||Wifi was overall good too, but you have to renew your login every 12-24 hours. Easier to do on computer than phone so just an FYI.||Guesthouse did arrange a private transfer from IST since I was landing after a longer flight and didn’t want to mess with a taxi. As of May 2025 that cost is 60 Euros one-way. In March it was 50 Euros, so I would expect costs to keep going up.||Breakfast is good and the breakfast staff is very nice. Mix of Turkish and some Western/EU options.||Rooftop is nice but no real view, outside of a peek toward the Asia side of Istanbul but can be nice in the evening and the mornings.||My room had an old AC unit that did work and helped a lot during the warm days in May. ||The entire area did lose water one night and we were without any shower or tap water for several hours. I wish staff would have made some kind of sign to make this clear to guests because coming back after hours touring in 27 degree weather, hot, sweaty and tired to find out there’s no water or heads up about it and then staff being short when I asked about it, it wasn’t a great interaction. While this is common for Istanbul, a heads up would have been nice.||Communication styles in Turkey compared to Europe and the US do really vary. Staff was always nice but often very dismissive in tone. ||I think depending on what you’re looking for, this is a fine option. There are also dorms but I didn’t stay in them so I can’t speak to...

I stayed here twice because it’s excellent! The shared rooms are clean with a/c, windows, small fridge, spacious lockers, privacy curtains, the wifi is fast and reliable, the location is perfect (5-10 minute walk to several attractions including Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and ~15 minute walk to the Grand Bazaar), the breakfast is amazing (when I was there they served as buffet style: eggs, cheese, cooked and fresh veggies, bread/cake with butter/Nutella/jam, fruit and sometimes homemade borek, juice/coffee/water/milk and cereal), there is a pleasant rooftop outdoor seating area, the owner and staff are welcoming and helpful and the fluffy Golden Retriever is calm and friendly. I traveled as a solo female and felt very safe here. There is someone at the front desk reception 24/7. I also met some really cool people. I’d love to come back for a third time the next time I’m in Istanbul. You’ll be in good hands here. In addition to the 10-bed dorms they have private rooms in case you’re traveling with your significant other. I also saw 1-2 children here during my stay, so I guess they have some family-sized rooms too but I’m not sure. A couple other things to note: if you have mobility issues, there is no lift and the shared bathrooms are one flight of stairs below the main floor/entrance. They offer pretty cheap laundry services (it was 40 lira to wash and dry about 2kg of my laundry). Shower soap is included but towels are not- if you want a towel you can get one for a nominal fee.

Overall I definitely recommend this place if you’re looking for a pleasant stay in a central location...

Firstly the location is fantastic, you're 5-10mins walk away from Haga Sophia and The Blue Mosque. Also lovely restaurants nearby, the first restaurant around the corner from Agora is Rainbow Restaurant (best restaurant in Istanbul!)

Secondly the breakfast is wonderful, buffet style, with quality freshly made food with a wide selection. The fact that you can enjoy this on the balcony whilst seeing the tops of Haga Sophia & Blue Mosque from one side and the opposite side the beautiful sea! Wonderful start to every day.

Beds are very comfortable, and the rooms are clean, shower works great too (nice pressure which we loved).

Just wanted to say a massive, massive thank you to Alper, who was happy to help on my first trip to Istanbul with various things (airport transfer, Bosporus cruise, top locations to see etc).

But what topped it off for me was when my wife had forgotten her phone in the taxi on our departure from Turkey. I called Alper and he called the taxi driver immediately and we thankfully got our phone back within 15 mins, he handled this situation of panic for us so calmly and swiftly. We can't thank him enough as the phone had all our holiday pictures and videos. This was all after we had checked out. We really were treated like guests rather than just customers. Wonderful.

Thank you so so much Alper and all staff at Agora for such an amazing experience, it was my wife and I first holiday together, which was such a great experience...