Short Breaks in Istanbul

Istanbul represents the border between Asia and Europe, and is the only city in the world that straddles two continents. It is the fifth largest city in the world with a greater population of 12.5m inhabitants. It is of huge significance to western history, having been the seat of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman Empires. The Hagia Sophia, built in the 6^th century by St Justinian, was the largest cathedral in the world for a full 1000 years until the completion of the Seville Cathedral in Spain. Now a mosque, this building is nonetheless one of the most important in the Christian world.

The city has seen huge growth in the course of the past century with trade enhanced by the crossing over the Bosporus, the natural boundary with Asia. The population tripled in the 25 years between 1980 and 2005. Istanbul always has been one of the most important cities in the world due to its geographical location and was for much of history the biggest.

Over the centuries the various ethnic groups that came to Istanbul from trade and migration have assimilated, resulting in the city that you can see today.

Getting to Istanbul
The national airline is Turkish Airlines, but BA have frequent departures as well. Search for cheap flights to Istanbul with our flight comparison tool. The best way to save money in booking short breaks in Istanbul is to book a package deal with operators like Lastminute.com and Expedia.co.uk.

Visas
UK residents don't need a visa to enter Turkey, and as it's not part of the Schengen agreement, entry for eastern Europeans is much more straightforward.

Money
The local currency is the Turkish Lira. At the time of writing the exchange rate was £1 - 2.38 Lira