Poirot's hotel was the place to stay in Istanbul': the book that inspired my travels

Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express led one traveler to Istanbul, even though the city appears only briefly in the novel. Christie, however, treated the place as a personal turning point: after her first marriage ended, she traveled alone and often stayed at Pera Palace Hotel. The hotel still operates, and its Suite 411 is named for Christie, featuring an antique typewriter and copies of her books. In the book’s second chapter, Poirot visits the Tokatlian—an address still standing on İstiklal Avenue in Beyoğlu, though it closed years ago and now houses shops and offices.