"Time Out" Istanbul

Capital of two major empires - the Byzantine and Ottoman - Istanbul is rich with monuments, from the earliest of Christian cathedrals to the most decadent of oriental palaces. The city's bazaars offer shopping at its rawest; a glittery array of one million and one merchants, no departments, no signs, no loyalty cards. It boasts a cuisine descended from the courts of the sultans, and only starts to party once the UK has gone to bed. Surrounded by sea, built on seven hills and with a panoramic profile of spiky minarets and cascading domes, from almost any angle it's breathtakingly gorgeous.