Pera Palace Hotel

Opened in 1895 in the Beyoğlu district, this grand hotel was built to house passengers arriving on the Orient Express from Paris, and it remains a monument of belle époque Istanbul. Its ornate lobby, historic elevator and richly decorated public rooms have hosted royalty, spies and writers, and a room is preserved in memory of the crime novelist Agatha Christie, a frequent guest. Blending neoclassical, Art Nouveau and Ottoman touches, the interior evokes the cosmopolitan glamour of the late empire, kept alive by careful restoration.