Lusso Travel Ltd, No. 1 Glasshouse - 1LG1,
Alderley Park, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, SK10 4TG
“If the earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital,” said Napolean Bonaparte. Straddling Europe and Asia, this pulsating metropolis has been capturing the imaginations of visitors for centuries.
Istanbul is defined by water, with the Bosphorus shaping daily movement and giving the city a natural pause between neighbourhoods.
Layers of Byzantine and Ottoman history remain part of everyday life, visible in working mosques, markets and residential streets.
Perhaps the city’s greatest sight, the massive dome and four elegant minarets of the Hagia Sophia rise above the chaos of downtown Istanbul.
Shop for figs, spices, coffee, apricots, Turkish delight and a host of other treats at Istanbul’s 17th-century Spice Market.
For a break from the hubbub, relax in the magnificent marble-domed steam room of the Cağaloğlu Hammam, a traditional bathhouse built by the Ottomans in 1741.
Any visit to Istanbul should take in Emperor Justinian’s great church, the Hagia Sophia, the greatest church in Christendom until the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. Other highlights include the minareted Blue Mosque, built to rival the Hagia Sophia in the 17th century; Topkapi Palace, home to the Ottoman Sultans for around 400 years; the extraordinary underground Basilica Cistern; the 300-foot-tall Galata Tower, built in the 14th century; and the ultimate bargain-seeker’s paradise, the Grand Bazaar, one of the oldest covered markets in the world.
The city also boasts a thriving cafe culture and a great restaurant scene, with each of its numerous districts offering its own distinct character. Other essential experiences include pampering yourself at one of the city’s fine hammams and attending a whirling dervishes ceremony.