Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel

An extraordinarily opulent 19th-century palace that blends Ottoman architecture with Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles.

Experience an older, imperial Istanbul by enjoying traditional afternoon tea in a gilded, red-velvet salon at this famous 19th-century hotel.

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.

Splendid Imperial palaces and gardens, built for the sultans, line the Bosphorus River in Istanbul, including the must-see Topkapi and Dolmabahce.

A fascinating and quirky military museum with an astonishing array of uniforms, weapons and battle standards. Upstairs, there is a room devoted to the revolutionary statesman Ataturk. Go around 3pm for an unforgettably weird re-creation of a 17th-century military band concert.

World-class collections of Ottoman art, tiles and ceramics – plus big-name travelling exhibitions – set in a former grand hotel.

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.

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

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.

A Sultan’s palace in Istanbul, a royal palace in Vienna, a Moghul fort-palace in India – authentic palace stays offer a taste of royal and aristocratic life from bygone eras. Here’s our round-up of 15 of the best.

Here’s our round-up of 60 unique and unusual places to stay – from castles to palaces, treehouses to caves and even UFOs – that justify a place on any travel bucket list in their own right.