Istanbul Cultural Holidays

Enjoy a cultural holiday to Istanbul. With its superb setting and incomparable history - capital of the Byzantine empire for 1123 years, then capital of the Ottoman Empire for 468 years - the cultural heart of modern Turkey is a city without equal. Start in the Hippodrome, where the Byzantines held their sports, and marvel at Ayia Sophia, once the mother church of Orthodox Christianity, then a mosque, and now an incredible monument, the largest enclosed space in the world for over 1000 years. Next door is the superb Blue Mosque with its six minarets, while above the old city towers the Sulemaniye Mosque, the masterpiece of Sinan, Turkey's greatest architect. Explore Topkapi Palace, an incredible warren of royal apartments. Wander along the waterfront of the Golden Horn, and smell fresh sardines grilled in front of you. Take a boat trip along the Bosphorus to really appreciate Istanbul's beautiful setting. Then there's the Grand Bazaar, the excellent restaurants, the fascinating museums - it may be overwhelmingly big, but Istanbul is a place to explore at length and remember for a long time.