Istanbul

A thousand-year imperial capital astride Europe and Asia: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar, Bosphorus cruises and Turkish cuisine.

Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus and is the only major metropolis in the world that spans two continents, Europe and Asia. It was the capital of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires for nearly 1,600 years; with a population of over 15 million, it is Turkey's largest city and its economic and cultural center. The new airport (IST) on the European side is about 40 km from the old town, with direct flights on Turkish Airlines and Air China from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong (about 10–11 hours); Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) on the Asian side is served mostly by low-cost carriers. Chinese citizens can apply for an e-visa. The climate is a transition between Mediterranean and oceanic: April–May, with the Tulip Festival and temperatures of 15–22°C, and September–October, with crisp autumn weather, are the best seasons; June–August is hot and dry with the most visitors; December–February is cold, gray and rainy with occasional snow, but the museums are quiet. The core areas fall into four parts: first, the old town of Sultanahmet (a World Heritage historic area), where Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern and the Grand Bazaar are all within walking distance, and the best place to stay; second, Galata and Beyoğlu on the north shore of the Golden Horn, with the Galata Tower, Istiklal Avenue and Taksim Square, the center of nightlife; third, the Bosphorus shore, with Dolmabahçe Palace, Ortaköy and Beşiktaş, which you can see by cruise; and fourth, the old districts of Balat and Fatih on the inner Golden Horn, and the Kadıköy food district on the Asian side. Plan on staying 4–5 days, and you can add a day trip to the Princes' Islands. Getting around: buy an Istanbulkart; the T1 tram runs through the old town to Galata and Kabataş, and ferries between the European and Asian shores take about 1–2 hours of travel for just a few dozen lira; for taxis, make sure the meter is used. Tips: to enter mosques, women need a headscarf, everyone must cover shoulders and knees and take off their shoes, and mosques close to visitors during prayer times (five times a day, about 30 minutes each), with the Friday midday prayer longer; entry fees at old-town attractions rise year by year and are mostly priced in euros, and the Museum Pass Istanbul no longer includes Hagia Sophia and Topkapı; watch out for scams such as the shoe-shiner "dropped brush" trick and bar touts; the Turkish lira's exchange rate fluctuates a lot, so exchange small amounts at a time.

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Where to eat

Itineraries