Hagia Sophia

Where to go and what to see in Istanbul to get the most from your trip – a 4-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.

Exotic, inexhaustible and dynamic – East meets West head-on in this mesmerising city metropolis, famed for its extraordinarily rich history, superb food and shopping, and mind-blowingly magnificent, over-sized mosques.

Magical 6th-century underground cistern, once used to supply water to Istanbul’s Ottoman emperors.

Three world-class collections, including the famous Alexander sarcophagus, fascinating prehistoric art and gorgeous Ottoman tiles.

The greatest of Istanbul’s Ottoman mosques, beautifully decorated with thousands of handmade ceramic tiles, the Blue Mosque combines Byzantine elements with traditional Islamic architecture.

Built in 1459 to become the 15th and-16th century home of the Ottoman Sultans, this magnificently decadent palace is a perfectly preserved time capsule of life at the top in this most exotic of empires.

Lovely, lively 5th and 6th-century AD mosaics depicting nature, animals and people from the palace of the first Byzantine Emperors.

One of the world’s finest collections of Islamic-influenced glassware, rugs, ceramics, metal work and ethnographic items.

Super authentic spot near the Grand Bazaar where you can smoke nargile (a water pipe or hookah) and drink tea in the courtyard of a mosque from 1709.

A modern art museum housing the finest collection of modern and contemporary art in the country. The Modern’s temporary exhibits by Turkish and international artists – often organized in collaboration with MoMA (New York) and the Centre Pompidou (Paris) – are particularly exceptional.

The great civilisations of the past have left a legacy of constructions that still stand out and inspire. Built without the wonders of 20th-century technology, many are also monumental feats of engineering; others offer such grace and beauty, that they’ll literally take your breath away.