Standing on the site of the original Byzantine city, the district known as Sultanahmet is the heart of tourist Istanbul, with many of the most important attractions dotted around it.
The 6th-century church of Hagia Sophia that dominates the Istanbul skyline is one of the best known and most visited sites of the historic peninsula.
Amid Istanbul's many surprises, few places can be more unexpectedly romantic than the wonderful Yerebatan Cistern, which lurks underground just across the tram lines from Hagia Sophia.
Topkapi is the palace over looking the Bosphorus where the sultas made their homes and supervised government during the glory days of the Ottoman Empire.
A stroll down pedestrianised Istiklal Caddesi is the must for any visitor to Istanbul.
This is the large island in Istanbul.. No car, no traffic and too much fish restaurants to have a great&romantic time in the island.. Really the best event in Istanbul to have a great week-end..
Topped with a distinctive witch's hat roof, the prominent Galata Tower dates back to the days when Genose traders were settled in this part of town.
By the mid-19th century the Ottoman sultans were obsessed with all things Western and determined to move out of Topkapi Palace and into the Dolmabahce Palace on the southern shore of the Bosphorus.
