Ritz Carlton Istanbul is located in the heart of Istanbul's prestigious Dolmabahce district. It is approximately 30 minutes from Istanbul Atatürk International Airport and is within walking distance of the Old Pera/Beyoglu district, which has many of the city's cultural attractions as well as Turkish designer shops. Istanbul is the only city in the world to sit astride two continents, and was the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Now a vibrant metropolis, it has centuries of history as a bridge between Europe and Asia and as a crossroads of civilizations.