Where East meets West, a city on two continents.

Blue mosque - a fabulous place.  The sheer size and grandeur of the building.  Inside is beautiful.  The carpet inside must have cost a fortune.  Takes your breath away.

Santa Sophia - What an incredible history this building has.  From Christianity to Islam to a museum for the people.  Again the scale and granduer are amazing.

Cistern - an underground water cistern built by the Romans.  The pillars are impressive and the place a little bit spooky!  Sometimes they have art exhibitions or rock concerts here!

Topkapi Palace - Even a full day is not enough.  There is so much to see and so many different areas to explore.  For me, the harem is very special.  Others found the treasury with diamonds the size of a fist moved them to tears!  There is a lovely terrace café so you can break up the day and take lunch while exploring.

Asia - a trip to the Asiatic side.  The ferry trip over is invigorating.  The towns on the far side look very similar - but you can say you have been to Asia.

Princess Islands - a collection of Islands of different sizes famous for their beauty and wildlife.  They do not have any motor vehicles, just horse drawn carriages.  Quite a change from the mele of traffic in Istanbul!  We can have a day trip or stay over.