February 22nd, 2006 | The lowdown by Allison Miller

Galata Tower and the Anemon Hotel.

The Galata Tower was built and rebuilt for centuries to keep enemies at bay and to look for fires in the city. For some reason the powers that be also constructed it to be the most beautiful structure in all of Istanbul. For 10 lira, you can take an elevator to the top and get an amazing 360 degree view of the city. Don’t go on a windy day if you can help it, because it gets pretty cold up there.

You can get dinner and an “authentic” Turkish belly dancing show (it’s not really authentic, nor is it very good) for a price, but I’d recommend simply partaking of the tower’s view and then heading over to the less well-known Anemon Hotel.

Now, any 4-star hotel in Istanbul is bound to be nice, but the bonus of the Anemon Galata is the view from its restaurant-terrace up on the top floor. It sits just under Galata Tower, so you have a remarkable view through the glass roof of the tower itself. Through the side windows, you can also see a full panorama of the Golden Horn. The food is incredible, but the view really makes it worth what you pay.

I’d recommend going at night, as the tower is even more beautiful when it’s all lit-up. The view of the tower from Anemon is a sight you can’t see anywhere else in Istanbul. Added bonus: you can eat there without staying at the hotel; just walk in and head toward the elevator (at which point a friendly Turkish bell-hop will just about run over and ask you if you’re going to the terrace).

Keep in mind that the whole terrace is smoker-friendly, and you may want to make reservations if you’re headed there in the evening. If you go for late-afternoon tea, you’ll miss out on seeing the tower at night, but you’ll also pretty much have the place to yourself.