Cordial is a very friendly option well away from backpacker-central, Akbiyik Caddesi in Sultanahmet, but still very close to the sights. There is a huge selection of rooms and a great bunker-style lounge/bar. It's also the closest budget option to the Grand Bazaar.

It's a bit rough around the edges, but tiny Mavi Guesthouse is a perennial favourite for its location (a short stroll to Istanbul's top sights), friendly hosts and chilled atmosphere. It's not geared for partying, but is more for travellers who prefer to swap travelling yarns...

This well-appointed hostel has some of the cheapest and cleanest rooms in town. It's a great-value option and close to all the sights.

Istanbul's best-known and most popular hostel, the Orient has been around forever and, showing admirable staying power, it's still going strong. It's right in the heart of Istanbul's backpacker hub and very close to Istanbul's main sights. It's also one of the cheapest options...

Laid-back, fun and very friendly, the Bahaus may yet pip the competition and become Istanbul's busiest hostel. It's a few steps from Istanbul's backpacker hub and very close to all the sights.

Beyoglu is the hub of modern Istanbul and this hip hostel is the place to base yourself if you're here to sample Istanbul's thriving nightlife. It's in a good backstreet spot, a short stagger from the bars but far enough away to escape the noise for when you do want to sleep.

This quiet budget option is located right in the heart of Sultanahmet, with cheerful rooms and a homey environment. The downstairs cafe-cum-sitting-room is the real drawcard here. It's a cosy area decked out with kilims (woven rugs) and cushion-covered benches - here you feel...

If you're here to party, this basic backpackers is right in the touristy heart of the action. In fact the streetside cafe/bar is the action most nights. The accommodation itself is nothing special, but if you need a bed within staggering distance from the busy cafe/bar, Sultan...

Sultan's Inn is in a pleasant, quiet neighbourhood away from the hullabaloo of Sultanahmet, but still within walking distance of all the sights. It's a pleasant option, though with seemingly little to write home about until you see the terrace…

Once a backpackers, the Alp has been given a facelift. Unfortunately it's the mock-Alpine sauna-timber look, so very popular in Sultanahmet, but we forgive them because of the improvements inside.

This special little spot is in the heart of a lovely neighbourly district of tumbledown wooden houses, a short walk from all the sights. Naz is also an old Ottoman house, so it nicely fits the neighbourhood, but inside it's been fully refurbished in traditional style.

Kooky, there's no doubt about it: chintz statues, bad-taste Roman-inspired friezes, heart-shaped pillows. They certainly broke the mould when they decorated this hotel. We're not quite sure how to take Angel's Home, but we like it. For maximum Angel's experience book the...

Ararat owns one of the best views in the city - it's almost in the shadow of the Blue Mosque. This small boutique option also has a lovely terrace, mostly small but very comfortable rooms, and friendly hosts.

Hotel Park II outshines its sibling around the corner with great-value rooms plus knockout views. The paint was still wet when we visited and we're afraid that once the paint is well and truly dry the prices might creep up - surely such good value can't last!

The Accura is an eyesore, so don't say you weren't warned, but its rooftop has some of the best views in the city and the rooms are top value for money. It's also in an excellent position, a short walk from the sights but away from the hustle of the crowds and touts.

In an older-style but fully restored building, sleek Hotel Daphne is one of the newest hotels on the block. Although it's a few steps off the end of the Hippodrome, it's still very close to the sights, but just far enough away from the press of crowds and touts.

Hands up who loves views? This place is for you. Terrace is a teeny guesthouse with only seven rooms - most with great views - and one of the highest terraces in Sultanahmet.

With its garden outlook, great terrace and attentive staff, Hotel Poem may not win awards for the most attractive makeover, but it certainly offers a comfortable and welcoming stay. Each room is named after a Turkish poem, framed above your bed.

Sari Konak Oteli is a bright and light renovated hotel with beautiful quality antiques and carpets throughout. Any place that can keep its white sofras (low tables) this squeaky-clean has to be fastidiously clean. Charge your glasses to the drycleaners! The location is great...

This terrace of nine lovingly restored wooden houses lining Topkapi Palace's outer wall is furnished with original Ottoman antiques. Here you sleep by Aya Sofya's back door and Topkapi Palace's front door.

Perfectly located between the big-ticket sights of Sultanahmet, and the shopping, bars, food and clubs of Beyoglu, Galata Residence is a good choice. Its apartments are reasonable value and perfect for families.

Advertising itself as offering 'the first and only gay accommodation in Istanbul', this gay-owned-and-managed place offers seven individually decorated rooms with TV. You can enact fantasies in the Pasha Room, chill out after a big night in the Zen Room or just feel funky in...

No you haven't walked into a lamp store, but the lobby of the Kybele Hotel. Nearly every ceiling in this loopy little gem is studded with hanging lamps. It's pure Ottoman overload. Kybele won't be to everyone's taste, but provided you're used to a bit of clutter and you like...

No doubt Ibrahim Pasa would have given the nod to this mod Ottoman renovation borrowing his name. This très chic guesthouse successfully combines Ottoman style with contemporary decor. Well located and stylish indeed.

Hidden away in spectacular private gardens behind Aya Sofya, Konuk Evi (Guest House) is a beautiful reproduction of the mansion which once stood on this site. Accommodation is antique-style but with mod-cons (eg air-con) added since it was rebuilt.

Istanbul's leading contemporary boutique hotel, the Bentley is design chic par excellence. It's not well situated for the tourist sights of Old Istanbul, but is a short taxi ride away from bustling Taksim and within walking distance to Nisantasi, Istanbul's upmarket shopping...

The ultimate in extravagant living, wining and dining, Çiragan Palace will cater to your every desire (and they'd want to at this price). This is Istanbul's most prestigious hotel, right on the city's magnificent waterway, the Bosphorus.

Istanbul's finest and most elegant choice, the Four Seasons is known for its service (extraordinary), history (deliciously disreputable), location (right in the heart of Old Istanbul) and rooms (wow). We've been sentenced to time at Four Seasons? Please throw away the key.

If you're in Istanbul to party, and you want a cheap-but-clean hotel to doss in then this no-nonsense place is for you. It's right in the thick of things and offers reasonable, well-kept rooms.

Perfectly positioned overlooking Taksim Sq, this very popular hotel is an Istanbul institution. It's slick, plush and has all the five-star mod-cons you'd expect in a very friendly, laid-back but professional package.