“To be able to see the Bosphorus, even from afar—for Istanbullus—this is a matter of spiritual import” - Orhan Pamuk
Istanbul is a city of magic. Beautiful and bewitching, the former Imperial metropolis and Ottoman capital is the crossroads of cultures, a transcontinental city straddling Europe and Asia, and traversing millennia of history. And in the midst of it all is the Bosphorus, the powerful and narrow strait bisecting Istanbul, and connecting the two continents through commerce. For centuries, emperors and sultans built fairytale palaces on the seven hills of Istanbul, capitalizing on prime views of the inky Bosphorus but the Çırağan Palace Kempinski, a mid-19th century Ottoman palace, is entirely unique.
Constructed in 1870 under the architectural whims of Sultan Abdülaziz, the Çırağan is the only palace that brushes up on the banks of Bosphorus, and one of the few whose original architecture still commands an audience. Exquisitely-carved marbles on the exterior façade give hint to the sumptuous Sultan Suite, keystone to the original 19th century palace. Overlooking the Bosphorus on the palace’s southeastern corner and covering nearly 4,300 square feet, the Sultan Suite considered one of the largest in the world and most lavish from its 16 foot floor to ceiling panoramic windows and its marble floors to its period-piece furniture and crystal and gold plate fixtures in the bathroom.
The Sultan Suite is a royal experience of private chefs, full time butlers and spa services, and guests enjoy complimentary limousine, yacht, or helicopter transfers.
The allure of Çırağan Palace is its undeniably romantic presence in its beautifully preserved 19th century Ottoman architecture, its thrilling Bosphorus location, and most importantly, its fidelity to its pampering history. Beyond its design, the Sultan Suite is a royal experience of private chefs, full time butlers and spa services, and guests enjoy complimentary limousine, yacht, or helicopter transfers to and from the airport.
Winding your way through the busy Beşiktaş neighborhood, the palace hides surreptitiously behind an unadorned wall revealing the resplendent gardens and palace. With a personal helipad, helicopter arrival is undoubtedly the Çırağan Palace’s showstopper. Flying from the airport, sprawling Istanbul unfolds below, and landing entrance overlooks the entire straight from the Bosphorus Bridge Istanbul’s iconic suspension bridge to the gateway of the Sea of Marmara. The Çırağan Palace is a most sultanate experience is private boat, harkening back to an Istanbul of centuries past when guests to the palace traveled the Bosphorus, greeted at the palace’s historic marble entrance gate.