The building was an original trading building used by merchants as an Inn. Over the past years the building became dilapidated and was used as an underground street-art exhibition center, visited by street artists from all over Turkey. With the rapid regeneration of Karakoy taking place over the past 2 years the building was soon spotted to have great potential to restore it to its original beauty. The building has now been beautifully renovated, and has an urban edge, with beautifully exposed brick walls, concrete columns, wooden floors, large windows letting in lots of day light, ultra high ceilings in all guest’s rooms and fantastic architectural features throughout. The hotel can be described as urban cool, comfortable, playful and luxurious, all at an affordable price. Banker Han offers free exhibition space for up and coming artists, giving them an opportunity to showcase their works. We have an amazing events program, inspired by the local area and local artists, to showcase the good and the great of Istanbul.
Banker Han, Hotel by the Sofa
RESTAURANT
Cafe Banker Staying at Banker Han is about creating stories and memories. The Cafe is the place where Art, Design, Comfort and Fun meet. A ‘help yourself’ breakfast each morning, with freshly baked simits from the local bakery, seasonal and organic vegetables and fruit and delicious traditional dishes. Light lunch, banker han bites, or cheeky but awesome sweet pick me up’s with a Turkish çay during the days or daily specials in the evenings over a glass of wine or chilled beer. Expect to see a lot of fish on the menu, as the chef will handpick fresh fish each day from the local Karaköy fish market.
Karakoy is Istanbul’s buzzing new hip urban playground and creative and culinary hub. Stunning architectural and historical monuments blended with art galleries, trendy boutiques and quirky cafés have given this area its cosmopolitan charm and character and it has become Istanbul’s coolest new hot spot. Bankalar Caddesi parallel to Banker Han’s street was the heart of 19th-century Constantinople’s banking industry and it is lined with stunning architectural buildings. During the Ottoman era, Karakoy was a popular residential area for Jews, Armenians and Greeks and the streets are filled with old mosques, synagogues and churches and French, German, Greek, Austrian and Italian schools. There are so many hidden secrets in Karakoy. The single most important building is the one designed by Vallaury in 1892 to house the stunning Ottoman Bank, which now has a banking museum (open daily, admission free) in the basement and this building is home to the SALT Gallery, which is a magnificent arts and research center and Turkey’s largest public library of printed and digital resources on modern and contemporary art. Banker Sokagi, the street that Banker Han is located, you can find an identical copy of the San Giorgio Palace in Genoa, which still stands in ruins together with its adjacent buildings and numerous Genoese houses from the early 1300s. The Famous Galata Tower, the Genoese also built the nearby Galata Tower, which they named as Christea Turris (Tower of Christ), at the highest point of the citadel of Galata, in 1348. The Genoese Castle at the Black Sea entrance of the Bosporus was originally built by the Byzantines.
OUT & ABOUT
Out and About Gay Travel Guides are available at each and every World Rainbow Hotel. They are prepared by the concierge and staff at the hotel and aim to provide you with up to date information about the local gay and lesbian scene.
DOWNLOAD THE OUT & ABOUT PDF
GALLERY
