Where to Stay - Turkey

and monuments. The legacy
of its chequered past can be
seen in every turn of the modern city.
Orientation&Where toStay
The layout of İstanbul can seem confusing at first. The Bosphorus
or Boğaz divides the city into the European and Asian sides, linked
by two magnificent bridges, spanning the continents, the first of
which was opened in 1973 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of
the Republic. Most visitors to the city, staying for a few days, will
have little reason to visit the Asian side, except for as part of a
Bosphorus tour, on a boat which zigzags from side to side, to
take in the best of each.
3İstanbul’sfamous skylineofturretsandminarets.
Istanbul
5Bosphorus Bridgelinking
EuropeandAsia
Istanbul
3DetailofamosaicfromHaghiaSophia
The European side, however, is also divided
in two by the Golden Horn or Haliç, which
roughly divides the historic part of Old
İstanbul, encompassing the areas of Sultanahmet
and Laleli, from the modern city. It
is crossed by a number of bridges, the most
famous of which is the pontoon, the Galata
Bridge. Most visitors on short city breaks stay in the old town as
the vast majority of the sites which they will be visiting are in this
area. İstanbul’s most famous sites – the Blue Mosque or Sultan
Ahmet Cami, Aya Sofya (Haghia Sophia), Topkapı Sarayı (Palace)
and the Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşi) – are all within a 30 minute
walk of each other. It is easy to get around on foot
or by making use of the tram, which provides a
didyouknow?
FlorenceNightingalepractisedher
nursingskillsinahospitalin what
was thenScutariandis nowknown
asÜsküdar,asuburbofIstanbul
factfile wheretostay
relaxation
history&culture