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Summer is the swim season in Istanbul, with June to August the best stretch and highs reaching 30°C in July and August. Three hotels on our list have a pool on the roof, and all three are guests-only, so none sells a day pass.
Our first pick is Fairmont Quasar, which publishes the 5th floor for its rooftop infinity pool, the only floor given on our list. If you're traveling with children, The Marmara Pera is the easier fit, with a separate kids' pool next to the main one.
Fifth-floor infinity pool, the only published floor on our list
Mecidiyeköy, 5-star hotel, rated 4.6 on Google (4,616 reviews)
Sample photo, not Fairmont Quasar. Amanda Hawker, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
5thfloor pool
Who can swim
Hotel guests only
Day pass
No
Heated
Not published
Season
Seasonal: only open during summer months
Why it's here. Book here if you want to know which floor you're swimming on. The hotel publishes the 5th floor for its rooftop infinity pool, which no other Istanbul hotel on our list does, and the views cover the skyline, Bosphorus and Marmara.
Marcel Wanders designed this rooftop infinity pool, set on the 5th floor in Mecidiyeköy. Views take in the Istanbul skyline, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara, and loungers and sun shades line the poolside. It opens only in summer, and the hotel gives no dates.
Best forSwimmers after a rooftop infinity pool with a confirmed floor and wide city and sea views.
Skip it ifYou're visiting outside summer or hoping to swim without a room.
Bosphorus infinity pool with summer Tuesday open-air cinema
Harbiye, 5-star hotel, rated 4.6 on Google (4,783 reviews)
Sample photo, not The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul. Ted Eytan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Rooftopfloor not published
Who can swim
Hotel guests only
Day pass
No
Heated
Not published
Season
Seasonal, available during the summer period
Why it's here. Choose this one for Bosphorus views and a roof with more going on than a pool. A bar shares The Roof terrace with the infinity pool, and open-air cinema runs there every Tuesday from June to September.
The Roof is an open-air terrace in Harbiye with an infinity pool, sundecks and panoramic Bosphorus views. A modern bar shares the terrace. The hotel doesn't publish a floor, and the pool is open only in the summer period.
Best forAdults who want Bosphorus views, a bar and a summer evening program on the roof.
Skip it ifYou're traveling with children under 12 and want them in the rooftop pool.
Guests-only pool with a cocktail bar and a separate kids' pool
Asmalı Mescit, 4-star hotel, rated 4.3 on Google (4,556 reviews)
Sample photo, not The Marmara Pera. Ted Eytan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Rooftopfloor not published
Who can swim
Hotel guests only
Day pass
No
Heated
Not published
Season
Seasonal; exact opening dates not stated
Why it's here. Pick this if you're bringing children. Our list has no other hotel with a separate kids' swimming pool, and a pool-side cocktail bar serves adults next to the main pool, in Asmalı Mescit.
Besides an outdoor swimming pool, the hotel has a separate kids' pool, with panoramic Istanbul views. A pool-side cocktail bar serves drinks next to the rooftop pool, and the Mikla rooftop restaurant is open-air. The hotel doesn't publish a floor, opening dates or pool hours.
Best forFamilies and groups who want a hotel pool with a kids' pool and a bar nearby.
Skip it ifYou want a published floor, season dates or confirmed pool hours.
Book for June to August, when highs reach 30°C in July and August. September still reaches 26°C. The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul runs open-air cinema on its roof every Tuesday from June to September, so pick a Tuesday there if you want the pool and a film.
Winter is a poor bet. Average highs are 10.7°C in December and 8.8°C in January, and none of the three hotels publishes heating or a winter opening date. Ask before you book outside summer. The International Istanbul Music Festival runs June 1 to 30, 2027, and Contemporary Istanbul is September 21 to 26, so reserve early for those dates.
Average daily high by month in Istanbul
Avg high
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
°C
9
10
12
17
22
27
30
30
26
21
16
11
Cheaper ways to swim in Istanbul
All three hotels here are guests-only, so a public pool is the cheaper route to the water in Istanbul. One water park listed a 20 TL adult ticket in 2016, for summer months only, so check the current price before you go.
Great Club Pool. The snippet is a ticket-booking listing. It states no adult admission price, so the price is unknown from the sources.
Istanbul water park (name not given in the snippet): 20 TL adult ticket (2016 listing). The price comes from a 2016 listing and applies only in summer months. The snippet does not name the park, and the price may be outdated.
Hotels you might expect here, and why they're not
Six well-known hotels come up in searches for Istanbul pools but have no pool on the roof, including Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul At The Bosphorus and Swissôtel The Bosphorus.
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul At The Bosphorus. The hotel's site mentions an outdoor heated pool and indoor pools, but gives no roof location, and the pools are described as spa facilities. The rooftop terrace is a private suite terrace, not a pool. No source places a pool on the roof.
Swissôtel The Bosphorus - Istanbul. The rooftop guide says the hotel's pool is a vast indoor pool, not a rooftop pool. The hotel's own site lists only an indoor pool and a summer-only outdoor pool, with no roof location. The roof venue, 16ROOF, is a rooftop bar and restaurant without a pool.
InterContinental Istanbul. The hotel's own site describes the pool as the outdoor pool of Spa InterContinental in a garden-terrace setting. No source places the pool on the roof or on a top floor. City Lights Bar is a rooftop venue, but the sources do not say it has a pool.
Hyatt Regency Istanbul Ataköy. Sources describe an outdoor pool between the hotel garden and the sea, plus an indoor pool in the spa. The only rooftop mention is Vue Lounge & Bar, which has no pool. No source places the pool on the roof.
Georges Hotel Galata. No source mentions a swimming pool. The hotel's own site describes only a rooftop terrace with the Le Fumoir restaurant and bar. Per the hotel's own pages, which win over the third-party guide's "Restaurant 24" name, this is a rooftop bar/terrace without a pool.
Miss Istanbul Hotel & Spa. Sources describe an indoor, heated pool (plus a small outdoor pool per Agoda) in the spa area. No source places a pool on the roof or a top-floor terrace. Trivago says the hotel has no pool areas, which conflicts with the other sources. No hotel-owned page was provided.
Romance Istanbul Hotel. The only pool mentioned is an indoor heated pool in the spa centre. No rooftop or top-floor pool is stated in any source.
The Bank Hotel Istanbul, a Member of Design Hotels. The sources describe a rooftop restaurant and bar (The Bank Roof Bar) but mention no swimming pool anywhere.
Istanbul rooftop pools: questions people ask
Can you swim at an Istanbul rooftop pool without staying?
No. Fairmont Quasar, The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul and The Marmara Pera are all guests-only, and none sells a day pass. You need a room.
Are any Istanbul rooftop pools heated or open in winter?
No hotel on our list publishes heating or winter opening. Average highs are 10.7°C in December and 8.8°C in January, so ask the hotel before booking a winter stay for the pool.
Which Istanbul hotel has the highest rooftop pool?
Fairmont Quasar, on the 5th floor, is the one hotel here that publishes its pool floor. The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul and The Marmara Pera don't give one.
Is there a family-friendly rooftop pool in Istanbul?
Yes. The Marmara Pera has a separate kids' pool, and no other hotel on our list does. No hotel on our list says its pool is adults-only.
How can I swim in Istanbul for less?
A public pool or water park costs less than a hotel room. One water park listed a 20 TL adult ticket in a 2016 listing, summer months only, so confirm the price. None of our three hotels publishes a pool-only price.
Which Istanbul rooftop pool has the best Bosphorus view?
The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul has a Bosphorus infinity pool on The Roof terrace. Fairmont Quasar's views cover the skyline, the Bosphorus and the Marmara.
