Where Europe meets Asia, Istanbul is a dizzying array of Byzantine treasures and soaring minarets, bisected by the Bosphorus strait. Though it’s long captivated visitors with its ancient charms, a slew of openings in recent years is proving there’s more to this magical Turkish metropolis than the past. From the Atatürk Cultural Centre to the Galataport retail and arts hub, which features Istanbul Museum of Modern Art by Pritzker prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the striking modern additions to the city are all must-sees.
Add in a lively events calendar – think Turkish Cuisine Week and modern art festival Contemporary Istanbul– and this is the best place to soak up Turkish cuisine, culture and mingling. The top sights are the stuff of legend (and many an iconic travel poster), but the cool neighbourhoods that lie beyond are equally worth your time and tourist buck.
Famous landmarks are mainly found on the city’s European side, where the Golden Horn estuary splits the newer region from the “old city” of Sultanahmet. Most are clustered in the latter, an enchanting peninsula on which simit (Turkish bagel) sellers ply their wares under candy-striped awnings and cats meander amid evocative vestiges of the Roman, Byzantine and early Ottoman past.
What to do
Tour the top sights
Still headlining itineraries is the Hagia Sophia, which – despite its controversial reconversion from a museum into a mosque, with many of its beautiful Christian mosaics covered – remains a world wonder almost 1,500 years on (TL907/£20). Topkapı Palace(TL1954/£44.90; harem entry extra) is another icon. This sprawling complex was the residence of the Ottoman sultans for around 400 years before the extravagant European-inspired Dolmabahçe Palace(TL1500TL/ £34) took over in the 19th century.
Other top culture fixes include the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (TL617, £14) and the Archaeological Museum (TL544/£12.50), while a Bosphorus boat cruise should round things off nicely. If you plan to see several sights, the city’s museum pass is recommended at TL3807(£87.50) – it gets you into 13in total with a validity period of five days.
Read more: 48 Hours in Istanbul by Simon Calder
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