Istanbul (1 of 7)
In its guise as Constantinople, the city was powerful and mysterious. Much remains of ancient Constantinople, including churches, palaces, cisterns and the Hippodrome. The Bosphorus strait, between the Black and Marmara Seas, divides Europe from Asia. On its western shore, European Istanbul is further divided by the Golden Horn into Old Istanbul in the south and Beyoglu in the north. Sultanahmet is the heart of Old Istanbul and it's here that you'll find most of the city's famous sites, including the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofya and Topkapi Palace.
On an afternoon stroll through Istanbul you can marvel at the greatest examples of Byzantine art and architecture in the world, submerge yourself in the mystique of the seraglio or lose yourself in the labyrinthine Grand Bazaar - a bustling marketplace borne of ancient trade routes. The exquisite legacies of the Ottoman Empire, its mosques, hamams (bathhouses), palaces and fountains, are on almost every corner. You can join the throng at a meyhane (tavern) heaving with raki-fuelled song and dance, dine alongside Prada-clad locals enjoying fusion cuisine, wind down in a cay bahcesi (tea garden) alongside Anatolian gents puffing nargilehs and witness the ablutions of the faithful summoned by the melodious call to prayer.
