Directory Travel Istanbul
Ecole St. Pierre
A 17-room hideaway in a restored school beneath Galata Tower.
- Location
- Galata, Istanbul
- Style
- Boutique hotel · Heritage · Courtyard
Why we love it
Tucked beneath Galata Tower, a medieval stone icon built in the early 1300s, Ecole St. Pierre is a honey-coloured hideaway in the heart of Istanbul’s boutique Galata district. Over the centuries the building has been a print workshop, a carpentry, a French Catholic school and a family home, before it was restored and reopened as a hotel in 2021. It still feels layered with all of those lives.
Highlights
A courtyard 700 years in the making: all 17 rooms and suites look onto an inner courtyard set among architectural remains, where guests gather for breakfast, a glass of wine and dinner at the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant.
Rooms with a view of the tower: book a suite facing Galata Tower for one of the most romantic outlooks in the city, with Le Labo amenities in every bathroom.
Galata on the doorstep: centuries-old churches, family-run restaurants, hidden courtyards, galleries, artisan workshops and small cafés, all just steps away.
Good to know
With only 17 rooms, it fills quickly, so book early and ask for a tower-facing suite. Karaköy and the Bosphorus ferries are a ten-minute walk downhill.
For a honeymoon
For couples who want old Istanbul at its most intimate, with a sense of community at the end of each day away from the bustle of the bazaars.
