Istanbul Marmara

The Istanbul and Sea of Marmara region is the cultural, historical and economic epicentre of Turkey. Istanbul, a megalopolis of 16 million people, is one of Europe's largest cities and the only major metropolis in the world to literally stretch across two continents — Europe to the west, Asia to the east, separated by the Bosphorus, a 32 km strait connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and then to the Aegean.

The historic peninsula of Istanbul (Sultanahmet, Eminönü, Fatih) concentrates the memory of two successive empires: Byzantium first, which made it Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire for eleven centuries (330-1453); then the Ottoman Empire, which renamed the city and reigned there from Topkapi Palace for nearly five centuries (1453-1922). This stratification can be read at every step: Hagia Sophia, the Byzantine basilica of Justinian completed in 537 and turned into a mosque by Mehmed II the Conqueror; the Byzantine cisterns of Yerebatan and Theodosius, vast underground reservoirs supported by 336 columns recycled from ancient temples; the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii, 1616) with its six minarets and 20,000 blue Iznik tiles; Topkapi Palace, residence of the Ottoman sultans for four centuries; the Grand Bazaar and its 4,000 shops under Ottoman vaults.

But Istanbul is not limited to its historic peninsula. The neighbourhoods of Galata, Beyoğlu, Karaköy and Cihangir, on the north bank of the Golden Horn, concentrate contemporary life, the trendy cultural and food scene, designer boutiques and rooftop bars. The Asian side (Üsküdar, Kadıköy) offers a more authentic, residential Istanbul, 15 minutes by ferry from the centre. Beyond the city, the Sea of Marmara offers the Princes' Islands (Adalar) — nine car-free islets accessible by ferry, a summer refuge for Istanbulites — and the former Ottoman capital of Bursa, famous for its green mosques of the 14th century, the tomb of Osman, founder of the empire, and Mount Uludağ overlooking the city.