How a hammam works in Istanbul
Every address in this guide follows the same sequence, inherited from the Ottoman baths. You change in a cubicle off the entrance hall (camekan), wrap yourself in a peştemal, a checked cotton cloth, then move into the hot room (sıcaklık). There you lie on the göbek taşı, the large marble platform heated from below, while your skin softens: 15 to 30 minutes depending on the hammam. The attendant, a tellak for men and a natır for women, then scrubs your whole body with a kese, a coarse mitt, and washes you under a thick lather of soap foam before rinsing you with water from the marble basins (kurna). You finish in the warm room with a tea or a sherbet.
The peştemal, towels and slippers are provided everywhere. You bathe in underwear or swimwear under the peştemal, never naked in the shared areas. In traditional hammams, men and women bathe separately, either in two sections or at different times; only one hammam in this guide welcomes couples together.
The most renowned historic hammams
Kılıç Ali Paşa, Sinan's hammam in Tophane
Built by Mimar Sinan for the admiral Kılıç Ali Pasha, next to the mosque of the same complex, this hammam reopened in 2012 after a restoration that lasted several years. Its great dome and marble hot room make it one of the most photographed hammams in the city.
The traditional ritual costs 4,700 TL: rest on the hot stone, kese, then a foam wash at the basins. Children aged 4 to 12 pay 3,000 TL and babies aged 0 to 3 go free, washed on their parent's lap. Massages are extra: 5,000 TL for 50 minutes, 3,200 TL for a 25-minute foot massage. The hammam gives a 5% discount for cash payments (lira, euros or dollars) and does not accept American Express.
The hammam has a single section: women come from 8am to 4pm (last booking at 2:15pm), men from late afternoon until 11:30pm (last booking at 10pm), every day. Booking a week ahead is recommended, by WhatsApp, email or on the website; cancellations must be made at least 48 hours in advance. Address: Kemankeş Mahallesi, Hamam Sokak No: 1, Tophane, Beyoğlu, next to the Tophane stop on the T1 tram. Our guide to Galata and Karaköy covers the rest of the area.
Ayasofya Hürrem Sultan, between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque
Commissioned by Hürrem Sultan, the wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, and built by Sinan in 1556-1557 on the site of the ancient Baths of Zeuxippus, this hammam stands on the square between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Its men's and women's sections are aligned on the same axis, as mirror images, a layout that was new at the time. Long used as a carpet showroom, it was restored from 2008 onwards and is a working bath again.
Its prices are among the highest in the old city, with four rituals: €110 for 45 minutes (kese, foam massage, head and neck massage, hair wash), €155 for 60 minutes, €220 for 80 minutes and €300 for 110 minutes. Each guest receives a personal kit (mitt, olive oil soap, shampoo, shower gel, conditioner, disposable slippers and underwear), and a home-made Ottoman sherbet is served after the treatment. Address: Cankurtaran Mahallesi, Ayasofya Meydanı No: 2, Sultanahmet; book by phone or WhatsApp.
Cağaloğlu, the last great Ottoman hammam
Completed in 1741, the Cağaloğlu hammam is the best known among visitors, a few minutes from Hagia Sophia. Its packages range from €95 for about 45 minutes to €400 for nearly two and a half hours, in two separate sections open from 9am to 10pm Monday to Thursday and until 11pm Friday to Sunday. Our page details each package and the house rules.
Gentler prices near the monuments
Çemberlitaş, on the way to the Grand Bazaar
Founded by Nurbanu Sultan, mother of Sultan Murad III, and completed in 1584 to plans attributed to Sinan, the Çemberlitaş hammam is a double bath: two twin sections side by side, each with its own domed hall and a hot room ringed by twelve columns. It is open every day from 6am to midnight, the longest hours in this guide, a few steps from the Çemberlitaş stop on the T1 tram and from the Grand Bazaar.
It also sells a simple entry: 3,200 TL (€57), with no time limit, including towel, soap, shampoo and slippers, so you wash yourself. The 15-minute kese and foam wash brings the total to 4,050 TL (€72), the package with a 30-minute oil massage to 5,200 TL (€92) and the VIP Plus package to 8,600 TL (€152). Address: Vezirhan Caddesi No: 8, Çemberlitaş, Fatih; the men's entrance is a few steps below street level.
Süleymaniye, the hammam for couples
At the foot of the Süleymaniye Mosque, the bath of Suleiman's complex, built by Sinan between 1550 and 1557, has made a choice unique in Istanbul: from 10am to 9pm it only welcomes couples and families, together, in the large shared hall. Solo travellers are not admitted during these hours, nor are under-16s. All the attendants are men, women included, and couples have their treatment side by side.
The single package costs €90 per person, with no extras: 30 minutes on the hot stone, 30 minutes of kese and foam, 30 minutes of rest with drinks, plus check-in. The hammam provides a bikini, shorts and peştemal for women and shorts for men, and you may bring your own swimwear. Book two or three days ahead: the deposit is neither refundable nor transferable. A men-only slot runs from 6am to 10am, except on Sundays; the women-only slot is suspended until 21 October 2026. Address: Mimar Sinan Caddesi No: 20, Süleymaniye, Fatih.
Off the beaten track: Zeyrek, Galatasaray and local baths
Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, restored in 2023
Built by Sinan in the 1540s for Barbarossa (Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha), grand admiral of the Ottoman fleet, the "tiled" hammam of Zeyrek reopened in 2023 after thirteen years of restoration. The site combines a working bath with an exhibition space. The entry package, The Original, costs €125 for 50 minutes: home-made sherbet, rest in the hot room, kese and foam massage, then tea and biscuits in the cold room. Children aged 0 to 5 bathe free with their parents, and those aged 6 to 11 have their own package, accompanied by a parent of the same sex.
Men and women each have their own section. The hammam is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8am to 10pm and closed on Mondays; the last recommended booking is at 8:30pm, and cancellations must be made at least 24 hours ahead. Address: İtfaiye Caddesi, Zeyrek, Fatih, not far from the Valens Aqueduct.
Galatasaray, near İstiklal
Founded in 1481 by Sultan Bayezid II together with the Galatasaray complex, it is one of the oldest hammams still in use in the city, a short walk from İstiklal Avenue. It is open every day from 9am to 9pm, with sections for women and for men, and offers three services: hammam, kese, and the Pasha package with a 40-minute oil massage. It does not publish its prices: they appear when you book online, and bookings can be cancelled up to 24 hours ahead. Address: Turnacıbaşı Caddesi No: 8, Kuloğlu, Beyoğlu.
Mihrimah Sultan, a real neighbourhood bath
For a hammam used by Istanbul locals, head to Karagümrük, near the Edirne Gate, where Sinan built the hammam of the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in the 1560s. Prices for the men's section are published: 600 TL to use the hammam, 1,000 TL with kese and foam massage, 1,600 TL with an oil massage; prices for the women's section differ and are given by phone. Men can come every day from 7am to 11pm, women from 9am to 8pm, with female staff. No booking is needed, but a call saves waiting in the evening and at weekends. Address: Fevzipaşa Caddesi No: 333, Karagümrük, Fatih, near the T4 tram line; combine it with Chora Church and the Theodosian Walls.
Comparison table of Istanbul hammams
| Hammam | Area | Entry-level price | Women / men | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kılıç Ali Paşa | Tophane | 4,700 TL (ritual) | Women 8am-4pm, men in the evening | A week ahead |
| Ayasofya Hürrem Sultan | Sultanahmet | €110 (45 min) | Two sections | Recommended |
| Cağaloğlu | Cağaloğlu | €95 (about 45 min) | Two sections | Recommended |
| Çemberlitaş | Çemberlitaş | 3,200 TL (entry only) | Two sections | Optional |
| Süleymaniye | Süleymaniye | €90 | Couples and families together | Required, 2-3 days ahead |
| Zeyrek Çinili | Zeyrek | €125 (50 min) | Two sections, closed Mondays | Recommended |
| Galatasaray | Beyoğlu | Price shown when booking | Two sections | Online |
| Mihrimah Sultan | Karagümrük | 600 TL (men, entry only) | Two sections | Optional |
Prices checked in October 2026, on the hammams' official websites.
Which one to choose?
- For a first hammam near the monuments: Cağaloğlu or Hürrem Sultan; choose the latter for the most polished setting, the former for shorter, cheaper packages.
- For the architecture: Kılıç Ali Paşa, under Sinan's great dome, or Zeyrek Çinili for a recently restored, quiet hammam.
- As a couple: Süleymaniye is the only one that welcomes you together; elsewhere, each of you goes to your own section.
- With children: Kılıç Ali Paşa (from age 4, free before) and Zeyrek Çinili (free up to age 5) have children's rates; Cağaloğlu does not admit under-6s and Süleymaniye does not admit under-16s.
- On a tight budget: the entry-only ticket at Çemberlitaş, or Mihrimah Sultan for the price of a neighbourhood bath.
- Late in the evening: Çemberlitaş closes at midnight, and Kılıç Ali Paşa welcomes men until 11:30pm.
Practical tips and traps to avoid
- Health: hammams advise against the hot room for pregnant women and for people with heart disease, high blood pressure or asthma. Do not come after drinking alcohol, or on a full or completely empty stomach.
- What to bring: nothing essential, everything is provided. Swimwear is enough if you would rather not keep your underwear on; leave jewellery and watches in the locked changing room.
- Tipping: optional, given in cash to the attendant; our guide to money, bank cards and tipping in Istanbul explains local customs.
- Touts and hotels: a "hammam" offered in the street or at your hotel may be a hotel spa charged at the price of a historic bath. Book directly with the hammam you have chosen, and be wary of massages added during the session without a stated price; our guide to scams in Istanbul describes other traps.
- Deposits: most hammams ask for a deposit that is lost in case of late cancellation (24 to 48 hours depending on the hammam).
- Rainy days: a hammam is one of the best ideas on our list of things to do in Istanbul when it rains; book earlier on those days.
Further reading
To plan your day around a hammam in the old city, our guide Sultanahmet: what to see in the old city places Cağaloğlu, Hürrem Sultan and Çemberlitaş in relation to the major monuments. If you are staying in Beyoğlu, Galata and Karaköy leads to the Kılıç Ali Paşa hammam, and our Istanbul travel budget helps you fit the price of a hammam into your spending.
