Istanbul Vacation Guide

Türkiye

With a unique position straddling two continents, İstanbul has served as the capital city of two distinct empires – Christian and Islamic.

This metropolis remains the commercial, historical, and cultural hub of Türkiye, with its beauty rooted in its capacity to harmoniously meld opposites.

Its wide array of offerings entices visitors with a mix of old and new, religious and secular, and earthly and ethereal.

Tourists can find ancient mosques, palaces, and bazaars embodying the city’s rich history, and can take respite from the bustling city life at the tranquil İstanbul strait, the peaceful Princes Islands, and vibrant parks.

The thriving shopping and entertainment district of Taksim serves as a symbol of İstanbul’s vibrancy.

Istanbul City Photo

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Public Transport

There are many out-of station transfers that require you to pay another fare, to get where you are going. However, if you put some effort into it, you can avoid taxis and not walk too much. An easy way to cope with the system is to download city-smart applications such as “trafi”. Google maps also show updated transport options between …

Istanbul Vacation Guide

Must See in Istanbul

The bulk of these ancient monuments, dating back to Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods, including the Hagia Sophia, Topkapı Palace, Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), and Basilica Cistern are located around Sultanahmet Square, while some others are dispersed throughout the peninsula of old city, such as Church of St Savior in Chora (Kariye Müzesi), entire inside of which is covered by …

Istanbul Vacation Guide

Must Eat in İstanbul

There is really a kind of competition between the restaurants to make one come inside. However, the best restaurants are not always the expensive tourist restaurants, but those small Lokantas where many Turks go for food while out and about. Snacks “Kokoreç” is composed of wound lamb intestines grilled on a spit ,chopped with herbs and spices and usually served …

Istanbul Vacation Guide

Istanbul About

Located on both sides of the Bosphorus, the narrow strait between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, Istanbul bridges Asia and Europe both physically and culturally. Istanbul’s population is estimated to be between 16 and 19 million people, making it also one of the largest cities in Europe and the world. Variety in İstanbul is really charming the visitors. …

Istanbul Vacation Guide

History of Istanbul

It was finally conquered by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II on 29 May 1453, an event sometimes used to mark the end of the Middle Ages. It was the nerve centre for military campaigns that were to enlarge the Ottoman Empire dramatically. By the mid 1500s, Istanbul, with a population of almost half a million, was a major cultural, political, …

Istanbul Vacation Guide