Second Home Hostel

Great staff, very chill. Location is very convenient, it’s minutes walk from the major sites yet still removed from the super busy touristy part. Friday night dinner and going out is a great way to eat good food and meet some people!

Second Home was the best hostel I stayed at during my three week trip through Eastern Europe. Memo and his staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. It felt more like staying with extended family (the kind you like!) than a hostel. The location was great – a short walk to the sights on the Sultanahmet area, the tram to the Galata area or towards the airport, and the ferry terminals. The beds were comfortable, the bathrooms as clean as you could expect for shared facilities, and the wifi was good, if a little spotty in our room. The rooftop terrace was a great place to sit and enjoy the evening after a long day of traveling. The hostel has free breakfast which was excellent and a great opportunity to meet other travelers. They also offered a traditional Turkish dinner once a week for 25 TL – highly recommended. The staff’s recommendations for places to eat and things to do were always spot on. When we said we were interested in a Turkish bath they set us up with a place that cost less than half of what most of the places catering to tourists charged. I liked this place so much that I actually stayed in Istanbul an extra two days – and even then I didn’t want to leave! I can’t wait to return to Turkey and stay here again!