It’s always so much fun to be watching a movie or TV show and be able to say “We’ve been there!”. That happened to us the other night as we flicked through Netflix and came upon the series “Midnight at the Pera Palace”. So not only were we in Istanbul, but we specifically visited the Pera Palace as part of our Orient Express trip in 2013 because it was operated just for Orient Express passengers.
The creators of the series have done an imaginative job of mixing time travel with historical accuracy, but with enough fictionalization thrown in to make it catchy. We fact checked some of the historical details with an AI chatbot (see below), and if it’s on the internet then it must be true!
We’ve added a few of our pics from our tea at the Pera Palace below. No time travel for us, although the elaborate decor and impeccable service made it easy to imagine what it must have been like 100 years ago to take the Orient Express and to arrive in the lap of luxury at the Pera Palace Hotel. Truly a bygone era.
You can check out “Midnight at the Pera Palace” on Netflix.
A Flickr album with pics from our visit and tea at the Pera Palace Hotel, Istanbul during our Orient Express trip:
Hello! How can I help you?
Tell us about the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul, and the Orient Express.
The Pera Palace Hotel is a historic hotel located in the Beyoğlu (Pera) district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was built in 1892 with the aim of providing accommodation to the passengers of the Orient Express, a luxurious train that ran from Paris to Istanbul. The hotel was named after the place where it is located and holds the honor of being the oldest European hotel in Turkey. The Pera Palace Hotel is located in the Tepebaşı neighborhood of Pera, which was once known as “Little Europe.” It is around 20 km from Ataturk International Airport and is within walking distance of many consulates and popular tourist attractions.
The hotel also holds literary significance as it was frequented by many famous writers, including Ernest Hemingway and Agatha Christie. Room 411 of the hotel is where Agatha Christie wrote her famous novel, “Murder on the Orient Express.” The hotel is also mentioned in Ernest Hemingway’s short story, “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” where the main character stays at the Pera Palace Hotel while serving in the military during the Allied occupation of Constantinople in World War I.
Over the years, the hotel has undergone several renovations and restoration projects, and today it is considered an important historical building. The hotel was closed from 2006 for a considerable restoration project and reopened on September 1, 2010. It was managed by Jumeirah Hotels as Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah from 2012 to 2017. Today, the Pera Palace Hotel is a museum hotel and a popular destination for tourists visiting Istanbul.
In recent times, the hotel has also gained popularity through its appearances in popular culture. The hotel serves as the main setting for the show Midnight at the Pera Palace, which was released on Netflix in March 2022. Overall, the Pera Palace Hotel is a significant landmark in Istanbul’s history and is a must-visit destination for anyone interested in architecture or literature.
Is there an actual record of Agatha Christie staying there, or is that just a story?
Yes, Agatha Christie actually stayed at the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul on numerous occasions, and it is believed that Room 411 was her favorite. It is said that Christie was inspired to write her famous novel “Murder on the Orient Express” during her stays at the hotel. In fact, the hotel’s management has kept Christie’s room preserved in its original state for visitors to explore, and there are even plaques outside the room that commemorate her stay. So, the story of Christie staying at the Pera Palace Hotel is indeed true and adds to the significance of the hotel in literary history.
And the elevator at the Pera Palace is really the oldest electric one in Europe?
The Pera Palace Hotel’s electric elevator is indeed one of the oldest in Europe. The elevator was installed in the hotel in 1895, the same year the hotel opened its doors to the public. It was the second electric elevator to be installed in Europe, and the first in Istanbul. The elevator is made from European oak, and its original design and structure have been preserved over the years. Today, the elevator is considered a unique attraction in the hotel, and visitors can still ride it to the upper floors. So, the elevator at the Pera Palace Hotel is one of the oldest electric elevators in Europe, a fact that adds to the hotel’s historical significance.
AI chatbot at You.com