Pera Palace Hotel

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Pera Palace Hotel History

The Pera Palace Hotel opened in 1895 to host passengers arriving in Istanbul on the famous Orient Express train. Renowned architect Alexander Vallaury oversaw the construction of the building. It has an Art-nouveau façade and inside, the grand ballroom and the glorious Kubbeli Lounge, combining oriental grandeur with geometric patterning where you can take afternoon tea, are highlights.

Pera Palace was the first hotel in the city to have electricity and also the first to have an electric lift. The latter is a popular spot for photographs.

Famous Pera Palace Hotel guests

Over the decades they have hosted many different and famous guests including wealthy Russians fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution, actresses Sarah Bernhardt, Greta Garbo and Zsa Zsa Gabor, film director Alfred Hitchcock, writers Pierre Loti and Ernest Hemingway as well as crime novelist Agatha Christie.

Christie stayed in Para Palace Hotel many times between 1926 and 1932 and favoured room 411. It’s believed this is where she wrote Murder on the Orient Express.

Guests can reserve a stay in Christie’s room, unlike in the room preferred by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, solider and founder of the modern Turkish Republic. Ataturk’s room 101 is now a museum open to public every day between 10-11am and 3-4pm. You have to book in advance through pasaport.com and it costs 130tl per person.

Ataturk stayed at the Pera Palace Hotel many times between December 1915 and October 1917. His room, converted into a museum in 1981 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth, contains various personal items as well as mysterious carpet he received as a gift from an Indian businessman in 1929.

I say mysterious because Ataturk died at 9.07am, on 10 November 1938 and carpet, includes a time stamp of 9.07am, and rich designs comprising chrysanthemums, a flower that only blooms in November.

The carpet is protected behind reflective glass so I was unable to photograph these details, but I did see them. The 10 chandeliers that once hung from the ceiling were no longer there.

While I can’t guarantee they’ll turn your room into a museum after you leave, I do know the Pera Palace Hotel is a great place to stay. Interested? Have a closer look here.  

Pera Palace Hotel in print

More recently the Pera Palace Hotel featured in the drama series based on Charles King’s non-fiction book Midnight at the Pera Palace. The televised version was too farfetched for my tastes but I loved the book. It’s largely set in the 1920s when Istanbul was undergoing enormous change and turmoil, the end of the Ottoman Empire and the aftermath of the First World War, a city occupied by allied forces and the emergence of a new republic.

All the main stakeholders passed through the doors of the Pera Palace Hotel at one time or another. Spies like Mata Hari, revolutionaries such as Trotsky who lived in exile on the Princes’ Islands, dance hall owners, writers, and even a young Joseph Goebbels, who was awed by the majesty of the Hagia Sophia.

Visions of romantic splendour aside, here are some practical tips to help plan your trip to Turkey

Before you even buy your plane ticket, check whether you need an EVISA to enter Turkey. Here’s my post on everything to know before you take off, including how to buy one from the government website so you don’t pay extra. Once you land, you’ll need to head to your hotel. I’m a big advocate of public transport, but know it’s not suitable for everyone all the time. When I need to be picked up from or get to Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen Airport, I use MELON TAXI AIRPORT TRANSFERS.

Naturally you’ll want to stay connected and eSIM are the way to go, wherever you travel. I recommend Truely, an eSIM provider working with local telcos. You can buy it before or after you arrive in Turkey, a convenience other esim providers no longer offer and can opt for 1 to as many days as you need, instead of being limited to 7, 15 or 30 days. Plus you can reload as you need. Truely eSIM are straightforward to install and activate but if you have any problems their responsive Whatsapp customer service is available 24/7.

Use my code: insideoutinistanbul and get 5% off when you order through the Truely website.

Even if I never claim on it, I always take out TRAVEL INSURANCE. I recommend Visitors Coverage. If you’re travelling alone, check out this post on useful solo travel tips Turkey for women (and men).

Now that all the serious stuff is out of the way, it’s time to have fun on CITY TOURS & DAY TRIPS. Let me guide you around Kadikoy with my audio walking tour Stepping back through Chalcedon or venture further afield with my guidebook Istanbul 50 Unsung Places. I know you’ll love visiting the lesser-known sites I’ve included. It’s based on using public transport as much as possible so you won’t be adding too much to your carbon footprint.

Browse the GetYourGuide website or Viator to find dozens of ways to experience Istanbul and Turkey with food tours, visits to the old city and evening Bosphorus cruises. If you prefer a more personal touch, I also offer bespoke author walks.

Then, back home, read about what you’ve seen and experienced in my three essay collections and memoir about moving to Istanbul permanently.

However you travel, stay safe and have fun! Iyi yolculuklar.