Istanbul is bustling, beautiful, chaotic, romantic, historic, and ever-changing—depending on where you are and the time of day. Built across two continents, it has been the capital of three great empires: Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman. Its layers of history are visible in every mosaic, minaret, and cobblestone street.
To truly experience Istanbul, wander quiet side streets, take a ferry across the Bosphorus, sit in a café with a view of Asia, or stand beneath the vast dome of Hagia Sophia. Contrast is the city’s essence—east and west, old and new, sacred and secular.
The Vikings called it Miklagard (“the great city”), the Slavs Tsarigrad (“City of the Caesar”), and the Greeks Konstantinoupolis. What will you call it?