Istanbul

Istanbul is the rare city that genuinely spans two continents, and it feels every bit as epic as that sounds. For sixteen centuries this was the capital of empires, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman, and the layers are stacked right on top of each other. You can stand in one spot and see a sixth-century basilica, an Ottoman mosque, and a ferry gliding between Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus. The historic heart is Sultanahmet, and it is dense with wonders. The Hagia Sophia has been a church, a mosque, a museum, and a mosque again, and its scale still stops people mid-sentence. Across the square, the Blue Mosque answers with cascading domes and six minarets, while Topkapi Palace unspools the opulent daily life of the Ottoman sultans. Underground, the eerie Basilica Cistern drips with atmosphere. Then come the bazaars, which are an experience as much as a shopping trip. The labyrinthine Grand Bazaar and the fragrant Spice Market are made for wandering, haggling, and sipping endless tulip glasses of tea with vendors. Bargaining is expected, so treat it as a friendly game rather than a fight. Do not spend all your time on the peninsula, though. Cross the Galata Bridge to Beyoglu for the Galata Tower, the buzzing length of Istiklal Street, and a nightlife and cafe scene that runs late. Better yet, board a Bosphorus ferry: it is cheap, scenic, and the best way to grasp how the city is stitched together by water. Hop across to the Asian side, where neighborhoods like Kadikoy feel more local and less touristed. And the food deserves its own trip, from street simit and balik ekmek, the fish sandwiches sold by the water, to long, lazy meze spreads and kebabs done properly. Four days lets you balance the big sights with room to breathe: two for Sultanahmet, one for Beyoglu and a Bosphorus cruise, and one for the bazaars or the Asian side. Spring, April to May, and autumn, September to October, are the most pleasant, dodging the summer crowds and heat. Base yourself in Sultanahmet or Beyoglu, ride the efficient trams, and let this endlessly layered city reveal itself one call to prayer at a time.