Running between the outer walls of Topkapı Palace and Hagia Sophia, Soğukçeşme Street takes its name from a historic fountain at one end. This narrow, cobblestoned lane preserves a rare glimpse of 19th-century Istanbul's wooden residential architecture.

Restored in the 1980s, its colorful wooden houses with projecting bay windows now house boutique hotels and cafés, giving visitors the feeling of stepping back into Ottoman-era Istanbul.

Short but atmospheric, this walk is one of the most photographed streets in the Sultanahmet district and a must-see stroll on the way from Soie Boutique Hotel to Topkapı Palace.