Grand Hotel de Londres Bar, Istanbul

Imagine flapper-era glamour meeting Istanbul skyline... This 1920s-style rooftop bar still reigns as one of the city’s most authentic hideouts—no pretension, no influencer armies—just locals, expats, and the occasional stray breeze carrying the scent of the Bosphorus. Whether it’s a frosty beer or a glass of Turkish tea, everything tastes better when paired with that glittering view of the Golden Horn and the Old City.

The lounge bar serves drinks and meals from 4 pm to late at night for those who missed dinner time. Come around sunset—say, between 7 and 9 pm—and the city puts on a free show. Minarets glow, ferries drift like lazy fireflies, and Istanbul’s skyline slips from gold to indigo. The menu is friendly to your wallet, and the relaxed crowd (largely devoid of tourists) makes it easy to linger longer than you planned.

Downstairs, the building tells another story. Once a refined city hotel for 19th-century European travelers (particularly the Brits, who had a soft spot for it), it still wears its age gracefully. The walls whisper history in oil paint and faded frames—worth a pause as you wander the stairway.

And if the weather turns brisk, retreat indoors. The main hall and lobby bar still hum with that quiet, timeworn charm that makes you want to order coffee slowly, as if you’re sharing it with the ghosts of Istanbul’s grand past...