Pera Palas Oteli, located in Pera, Beyoglu on the European side is one of the must-see hotels in Istanbul. It’s a museum hotel with its story, style, all those famous visitors and the wonderful view of the historic peninsula and the Golden Horn (not as wonderful as it used to be).
The rococo-style Pera Palas was built in 1892 by the architect Alexander Vallaury (1850-1921), the founder and first instructor of the Architectural Department at the Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul. The purpose was to provide accomodation for the passengers arriving in Sirkeci Terminal on the Orient Express. The location of the hotel was great to built a hotel for the European tourists because Pera was the European face of the city with streets, religious buildings, cafes, restaurants, shops, lifestyle, vivid nightlife and the people coming from all over the world speaking many different languages, just like today.
Pera Palas hosted many famous people including Agatha Christie (She wrote Murder on the Orient Express in room 411 which is preserved in her honour today), Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (He stayed in room 101 which is preserved in his honour today), King George V of England, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary, Czar Nicholas II of Russia, King Zog I of Albania, Shah Reza Pahlavi of Iran, King Edward VIII of England, King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, King Carol I of Romania, President Tito of Yugoslavia and President Giscard d’Estaing of France, Franz Von Papen, Greta Garbo, Mata Hari, Yehudi Menuhin, Jacqueline Kennedy, Rita Hayworth and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
The hotel is located in Mesrutiyet Caddesi (street) in Tepebasi near Tünel. You can walk there or take the street car from Taksim or you can take the metro (oldest metro in Istanbul) if you are going from Karakoy.
Did you know?
After World War I, occupying forces used the Pera Palace Hotel as their headquarters.
Following the liberation of Istanbul by the Turkish nationalist movement under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1922, the British gave “the key to Istanbul” back to Celal Bayar in this hotel, where İsmet İnönü stayed during the armistice talks.
The first fashion show in Istanbul was held at the Pera Palas.
Pera Palas was the first building to have electricity as well as the first electric elevator in Istanbul.
Address: Meşrutiyet Caddesi No:52 Tepebaşı Beyoğlu 34430 İstanbul
Tel: +90 212 377 40 00
Email: reservations@perapalace.com
Web: http://www.perapalace.com
