Pera Palace Hotel — Istanbul, Turkey
About Pera Palace Hotel
At the eastern terminus of the Orient Express sits the Pera Palace Hotel, one of Istanbul's historical icons. And it was here that Agatha Christie, when installed in room 411, penned the mystery that immortalized the cross-continental overnight train as both romantic and tragically murderous. Christie visited room 411 multiple times between 1926 and 1932, and today, it's a tribute to her legacy. Once, a psychic once alluded to a hidden compartment beneath the floorboards where the key to her lost personal notes (and the secret to her own one-time disappearance) could be found. According to that legend, the notes themselves were locked away by Pera Palace hotelier Misbah Muhayyeş. In 1979, a crew searched the hotel room and did find a mystery key, but her notes were another story. While digging up secret alternative keys (or her diaries themselves) aren't likely to get you invited back t…
Literary significance
Multiple theme rooms associated with historical figures like the spy, Mata Hari, Ernest Hemingway, Jaqueline Kennedy, Greta Garbo, and Alfred Hitchcock. They're homages rather than historic preservations. But you can visit Ataturk's room (the secular father of modern Turkey) for some authentic appeal, visit the Orient bar, or grab a treat in the Patisserie to absorb the hotel's history. There's a curated package that leans into the history of the building, with afternoon tea, a tour of Ataturk's room, breakfast at Agatha Restaurant, and dinner and a cocktail.
Authors
Location
Meşrutiyet Caddesi No. 52, Tepebaşı, Beyoğlu, 34430 Istanbul, Türkiye