Traveling to İstanbul

Information and tips

With an atmosphere from 1001 nights and landfills; smart hotels and ruins from the great earthquake in August 1999 – Istanbul in Turkey is a city of contrasts. However, despite these enormous differences, Istanbul is unique not only because it is located on the border of two continents: Asia and Europe.

The most extraordinary thing about Istanbul are the crowds in the streets at any time of the day or night. Visitors could sit down in one of the Istanbul cafes and watch the goings for hours and be entertained. "Istiklal street" is the perfect location for this: in the daytime, the street attracts thousands of tourists to its many boutiques and restaurants. At night, the area is a popular party district. 

An absolute must during any city trip in Istanbul is a visit to the Sultanahmet district with the breathing Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, which is now a museum.

The Bosphorus Bridge and the busy daily bazaars should not be missed. Here, the trick is to stay firm and barter with the traders to get a real bargain. However, even sauntering past the colorful stands filled with spices, jewelry and souvenirs is entertaining enough.

In the evening, delicious food will tempt visitors to end the day in one of the restaurants or in the cosy Turkish shisha or hookah bars in former Constantinople.

Facts

Name	İstanbul
Region	İstanbul
Country	Turkey
Continent	Eastern Europe
Latitude	41.013840 North
Longitude	28.949659 East
Population	11,174,257