Istanbul Travel Guide

Istanbul OVERVIEW

With the inimitable amalgamation of architecture from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods as a backdrop, and hip restaurants, bars, galleries and clubs all around town, Istanbul is this bewildering place where history buffs and fun-loving jet-setters can clink their Raki glasses with equal zeal. The number of Istanbul's mosques is dizzying, the Topkapi Palace as elaborate as Sultan Mehmed II could only imagine, and the traditional waterfront houses on the Bosphorus a dream of an impressionist. But it's the ability to give up on this splendor for a moment, and indulge in simple, yet iconic pleasures such as sip of Turkish coffee at a sidewalk cafe, a whiff of a narghile in Tophane, and a bite of a fish sandwich by the Golden Horn that makes your Istanbul experience complete.