Travelling Istanbul: Wonderful Option for Spending Holiday

Istanbul is a world capital. It is the only city in the world built on two continents. It had long been coveted by dominant empires. Firstly, it served as capital to Byzantine, and then to the Ottoman Empire. Everyone should visit at least once during life.

Istanbul stretches along the shores of the Bosphorus (two shores) that relates  the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea. It is the largest city of Turkey having a population of over 13 million. Istanbul describes  the base of the economy of Turkey.

Istanbul is an wonderful destination for travelling around. Every year millions of tourists pay a visit to Istanbul. If you have enough time, my suggestion to you is to spend your holiday in Istanbul. Nowhere in the world  you can experience the life as you can in Istanbul.

Istanbul is also the capital of art and culture as well as being a combination of eastern and western cultures. Istanbul was Europe Cultural Capital in 2010. Many art based actions are accessible even during vacation. Some of them are; opera and ballet, art exhibitions, auctions, theatres, concerts, festivals, conferences and unique museums.

Large numbers of ancient structures from not only 13th or 14th centuries but also older ones are still there. Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Suleymaniye Mosque and Blue  Mosque are placed in Istanbul. Atmosphere is always perfect with its old crumbling houses , street vendors and stock brokers, department stores, ultra-modern shopping centres, bazaars and skyscrapers. Many media and advertising agencies, giant companies and banks all have their headquarters in Istanbul.

Istanbul has two famous sides; European side and Asian side. The European side, is divided in two by the Golden Horn or Halic, which roughly divides  the historic part of old Istanbul, encompassing the areas of, Sultanahmet and Laleli, from the modern city. It is crossed by a number of bridges, the most well-known of which is the Galata Bridge. Asian side is also worth to see with its cultural atmosphere and its contact to other parts of Asia continent.

Travelling around Istanbul is easy. No problem wherever you select to stay, it doesn't take much time to complete the most of the city. The most noteworthy parts  of Istanbul (The Sultanahmet Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar) are within a 30 minute walk of each other. It is tolerant to get around on foot or by making use of the tram, which supplies  usual service on the principal streets. Taxis are plentiful and to some extent cheap and there are also 'dolmus' (shared taxi) and bus services. Most tour operators could design tours to visit the primary sights.

There are a number of qualified hotels in the section of Sultanahmet, many of which are reconstructed  Ottoman mansions. Turkish bath is famous in the world with its exclusive cultural purification formula. Turkish national foods are also worth to taste. Turkish delight, Turkish raki (national alcoholic beverage) and also other national foods are excellent.

Some of Istanbul's perfect touristic places to visit contain; Dolmabahce Palace, Topkapi Palace, Panorama 1453 Museum, Islamic Sciene & Technology Museum,  Air Force Museum, Byzantine Hippodrome, Taksim Square, Blue Mosque, Suleymaniye Mosque, Askenazi Synagogue, Saint Antuan Church, Galata Whirling Dervish Hall, Anatolian Fortress, Grand Bazaar, Spice Market, Bosphorus, Princes' Islands.

If you desire to see all these best places, I can suggest you an e-book which talks  about all these touristic stations  and also much more. Its name is ISTANBUL TOP-101 and is dedicated to 101 TOP touristic places  in Istanbul. You could get this e-book from the following link: www.istanbul-top-101.com. Although it is not free of cost, i guess it is one of the cheapest sources written on Istanbul with its more than 130 pages.