Sogukcesme Street, Istanbul

Though its name translates literally to the “Street of the Cold Fountain,” the vibe here is anything but chilly. This little cobblestone lane slips quietly downhill between two absolute show-offs: Hagia Sophia on one side and Topkapı Palace on the other. It’s car-free, calm, and determined to remind everyone that Istanbul wasn’t always made of concrete and traffic jams.

The street is lined with charming Ottoman-era wooden houses (well, charming 1980s recreations of Ottoman-era wooden houses, to be frank, but let’s not ruin the fantasy...). Restored in 1985–86, they show what Istanbul’s residential life looked like around the turn of the 20th century: cozy façades, narrow windows, and just enough creaking timber to feel authentic. Today, nine of these “Hagia Sophia Mansions” moonlight as boutique accommodations, each named after the fragrant shrubs out front—Jasmine, Wisteria, Honeysuckle… basically a perfume aisle you can sleep in. The interiors go full period drama with silk curtains, velvet chairs, and gilded mirrors.

Over the years, these houses have welcomed quite a guest list, including Queen Sofía of Spain, Oscar-winning actors and actresses (such as Sam Neil and Hilary Swank), Bond girls (remember Ursula Anders?), and even Roman Polanski, the renowned film director. Indeed, if these walls could talk, they’d demand an autograph book.

There’s more history tucked into this short stretch than meets the eye. Turkey’s 6th president, Fahri Sabit Korutürk, was born right here. One house now guards a treasure trove of over 10,000 books on Istanbul. And at the Gülhane Park end, a former Byzantine cistern has reinvented itself as the charming Sarnıç Restaurant—because who wouldn't want to dine underground in a fashionable medieval water pipe?

So, whenever the grandeur of old Constantinople starts to overload your senses, take a breather along this cute street—where tranquility, nostalgia, and very good lighting come together. And before you wander off, swing by the nearby Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III—a solo-standing splash of 18th-century Ottoman rococo flair proving that even fountains can have star power...