Istanbul is the only city in the world that straddles two continents, and it carries that geographical improbability into its character. Byzantine mosaics beside Ottoman minarets beside Genoese towers beside Art Nouveau apartment buildings — the city's history accumulates rather than replaces itself, and the result is a density of texture that rewards weeks rather than days.
It is also a city of water. The Bosphorus — the strait that divides Europe from Asia and connects the Black Sea to the Marmara — runs through the city's heart, and the relationship between Istanbul and its waterway defines everything: the view from every high point, the ferry routes that substitute for roads, the fish restaurants that line the shore at Karaköy and Bebek and Arnavutköy.
The Historic Peninsula
Sultanahmet — the old city on the European side — contains the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, and the Grand Bazaar within easy walking distance of each other. This concentration of Ottoman and Byzantine monuments is without parallel in the world. The Hagia Sophia, a cathedral for a thousand years and a mosque for five hundred, is the essential visit: arrive early, dress modestly, and allow your eyes time to adjust to the interior.
Recommended Stay · Istanbul · Sultanahmet
Four Seasons Istanbul at Sultanahmet
A converted 19th-century prison within the walls of the historic peninsula, the Four Seasons Sultanahmet is minutes from the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. The rooms facing the Sea of Marmara, the courtyard garden, and the position make it the finest base in old Istanbul.
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Beyoğlu & the Modern City
Across the Golden Horn from Sultanahmet, the neighbourhood of Beyoğlu — centred on the pedestrian İstiklal Avenue — is the city's cultural and nightlife hub. Karaköy, at the waterfront below, has become Istanbul's most interesting neighbourhood for food and galleries. Cihangir, on the hill above Karaköy, has the cafés, the bookshops, and the bohemian character that the more touristic Sultanahmet lacks.
The Bosphorus
Take the public ferry up the Bosphorus toward the Black Sea — a journey of about 90 minutes that passes palaces, fortresses, wooden yalı mansions, and the point where Europe and Asia are separated by less than a kilometre of water. Disembark at Anadolu Kavağı on the Asian shore for lunch (grilled fish, rakı, and a view of the Bosphorus junction) and return on the afternoon ferry.
