There’s something rather wonderful about Istanbul. It’s fully developed... and yet it’s not quite. 
It’s Western... and yet it’s patently Asian. The alphabet is definitely Latinate... but then you look a bit closer and see that there are a few additions. The whole atmosphere of Istanbul is bright, cheerful, friendly, bustling and incredibly welcoming. With the minarets of the world’s most famous and beautiful mosques dominating the skyline, the aroma of Turkish coffee and apple tea never far from your nose and the brightly coloured clothes and ceramics out on display, Istanbul is probably the most exotic city in Europe. Of course, it helps that half of it is in Asia. Istanbul is the only city in the world to be spread across two continents, and you can clearly see the influences of both the East and the West.
We’re assuming, for the sake of argument, that you will be staying in Sultanahmed, the historic district. This is where most people visiting Istanbul stay, in order to get the most out of all the wonderful things to see. You could be super-rich and staying in Taksim, in which case you won’t mind getting taxis over to Sultanahmed for your sightseeing (about 10/15 lire), or you might just have ended up in one of those obscure hotels built purely because of their proximity to the airport, in which case there’s no hope for you.
Transport
Istanbul has two airports: the big, luxurious, close-to-the-city one (IST); and the tiny, empty, miles-away one (SAW).
Istanbul’s main airport is Ataturk International Airport (IST), and it’s all of about 20 to 40 minutes away from Sultanahmet, depending on the time of day. You can either get a taxi there, which will cost about 20 or 30 lire, or you can book yourself onto a shuttle bus, which should cost about 4 Euros. If you get the shuttle, be prepared for the fact that it takes over an hour, because it has to go around picking people up from all over the historic quarter. A taxi driver, on the other hand, will have you there in half the time, and will deliver you there after one of the most gripping rides of your life.
Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) is the budget airlines airport. A very popular flight goes between here and London Luton. This is a good option if you didn’t book your flight with BA or Turkish Airlines early enough to get a good deal. You need to give yourself about an hour and a half to get here by shuttle bus (approx 11Euro), or an hour by taxi. A taxi should take about 50 minutes or so.
Getting around Istanbul is a fairly straight-forward business: you can walk around each district, you can get the tram between districts and you can get taxis everywhere else or whenever you can’t be bothered to walk. The tram is very new, clean and efficient (although it can get a bit packed at rush hour), and you buy little tokens from the booths to get through onto the tracks. Make sure you pick up an Istanbul map from your hotel, and if the y don’t provide one then look for the Tourist Information centre between the Blue Mosque and the Sultanahmet tram stop – they can give you a good one. Walking around the historic district can get well and truly confusing, with the winding interconnected streets. Try not to get taxis around Sultanahmed – it’s about double the price of going to anywhere else in the city. Luckily, taxis are generally metered, but we’d definitely recommend wearing your seat belt.
Things that you really should see when you come to Istanbul
Topkapi Palace
Grand Bazaar – An outstandingly huge building with hundreds of shops, the Grand Bazaar has a wonderful atmosphere and a very exotic feel to it, considering that the inside of the building feels very modern. Prepare yourself to be greeted by the owner of every stall you pass, for them to very charmingly entice you into their shops to view their wares and drink their tea. You don’t have to! Just smile and keep moving – if you can manage a ruefully amused shake of the head, all the better. This is shoppers’ heaven: You can buy some beautiful things, you can definitely get all the souvenirs and gifts for friends and family that you need, and you can haggle! In fact, it’s expected of you. Start your offers at 40% of the asking price, and work from there. Never get angry or aggressive. Always smile. Never make, or get pushed into making, an offer that you’re not prepared to honour. It’s embarrassing and deeply unfair to make a price, get it accepted and then decide it’s too much. On offer here you’ll find Nargile water pipes, intricate lights made from multi-coloured glass, ceramic patterned bowls and masses and masses of leather and carpets. If you want to go for the last two, put aside some serious time, because they go for serious money and the sale of them is a serious business. During negotiations, you will sit and drink apple tea, you’ll admire some carpets, you’ll drink some more tea and then view some more carpets, and after that you’ll drink some tea. This is the ritual – do not fight it. The point to be aware of here is that you must be pleasantly firm. If they pressure you, keep smiling and say something along the lines of “Well, this is the first place I’ve been in today. You don’t honestly think I’m going to buy the first thing I see, do you? But I really like your stuff, so I’ll probably come back later.” They can be pushy, but they’ll never be aggressive, so don’t feel like you should be.
Spice Bazaar – otherwise known as the Egyptian market, one of the oldest bazaars in the city. This is a lot more old-school and traditional than the Grand Bazaar – it has much more of an oriental feel to it, with heaps of spices piled up all over the place. A lot of spices used to be imported here from Egypt. Great place to stock up on your apple tea and Turkish Delight!
Blue Mosque –One of the two famous mosques of Istanbul, the Blue Mosque is about 400 years old. 
The exterior of the mosque is grey, which always seems to disappoint people who were expecting some kind of blue marble, but in fact the mosque is named after the blue tiled surfaces of the incredibly ornate interior. It’s free to go inside, although donations are encouraged. You must take shoes off but they will provide you with a bag to put them in. You must also cover your shoulders and knees, and if you are handed a scarf you should drape it around your shoulders.
Hagia Sofia – This mosque really is something special. It may be the fact that the current building, as it stands, is about 1500 years old. It could be the sheer scale of the thing. 
Or it could be the very fetching pink and mother-of-pearl exterior that draws people in. In any event, it was originally a Christian church, converted to a mosque in 1453 and is, nowadays, a museum. It costs about 10 lire to go in and have a look around, and it’s definitely worth it. There are plenty of guides hanging around outside offering their services for a price – it’s up to you. There is a fair chunk of information on the walls inside, but we’ve overheard the guides doing their thing and they do seem to give some very extensive information.
Basilica Cistern – Head down into the cavern that is the Istanbul Cistern. Here you’ll find the set of the underground bit of From Russia With Love; it’s an incredible pillared affair dating back to the Byzantine Empire, covered with walkways for you to have a wander round and enjoy the eeriness. It can hold 80,000 cubic metres of water, and is filled with 336 9m tall marble columns. Have a look out for the two Medusa heads – no one really knows why they’re here or where they came from, just to add to the spooky factor.
Food and where to get it
Eating in Istanbul is a great experience. The cuisine is slightly more Middle Eastern than Greece, with plenty of hummus, yoghurt and honey, black olives, kebabs, baklava and about a billion other things of this kind. There are many restaurants with outdoor street seating or terraces for the summer, restaurants with floor cushions instead of tables and chairs, canteen style restaurants where you can choose what you like; you name it, Istanbul has it. The only major word of warning we have is a standard one – avoid restaurants right by the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofya, and on the main road with the tram line next to them. Inevitably, these are far more expensive. Instead, head down side streets running off the main road, or walk further up it toward the bazaar until the prices drop. Here are a couple of suggestions for you...
Doy Doy – Sifa Hamami Sokak No. 13, Sultanahmet, Tel. (0212) 5171588
Tucked away behind the Blue Mosque, you’ll find Doy Doy. All three floors of it. The waiters are very friendly, efficient and helpful, and the food is very good (if not gourmet – don’t expect high-class cuisine here). The best place to be is on the terrace, which overlooks the Blue Mosque. Great kebabs – try the Doy Doy Special – and nice apple tea, occasionally on the house.
Mozaik – Divanyolu Caddesi, Incili Çavus sok No.1, Sultanahmet, Tel. +90 212 512 41 72
If you’re looking for something a bit higher-brow, come to Mozaik to spoil yourself. Both the outdoor seating and the indoor seating is lovely – the outdoor because you get to people-watch and soak up the atmosphere, and the indoor because the restaurant is laid out in several rooms on several floors, and it’s quite like just eating in someone’s house. The mezze plate is extremely good, but save room for your main course. Oh, and dessert.
Cibalikapi Balikcisi – www.cibalikapibalikcisi.com
Seafood restaurant of excellent type! Istanbul is lucky enough to have the Bosphorus running straight down the middle of it, providing some well and truly fantastic seafood. This restaurant takes it from there and cooks it to perfection. It’s fairly expensive, but then you get what you pay for.
Nightlife and where to find it
There are two types of nightlife here – the open-air, chilled-out, chatting with friends nightlife, or the more western club scene. If you favour the former, which is, by the way, the most traditional and popular in Istanbul, you can stick to the Sultanahmet area. Here you will find, tucked down side-streets, an abundance of outdoor cafes and bars, which will just as willingly serve you an apple tea as a beer. But the true Istanbul experience (or at least, the one we like to take advantage of the most) involves those fantastic Turkish Nargile water-pipes. They seem to have different names in different places: shisha, hookah and even hubby-bubbly pipes in presumably the more quaint areas of the US. If you’re unfamiliar with the above terms, just think of the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland, sitting on the mushroom, breathing out blue and purple smoke and drawling “Whhhhooooooo are yooouuuuuuuu?” Don’t worry, there’s no funny stuff here, it’s just flavoured tobacco that is nicely cooled by the water in the pipes to take away the burn of smoking. We’re not going to pretend that it’s good for you, but it really is very nice to sit outside in a warm summer evening, sipping apple tea, relaxing with your friends and passing around a water-pipe.
If you really can’t do without bopping it out to music so loud the bass vibrates the floor along with hundreds of like-minded souls, you need to head over to Taksim – the cool district. Taksim tends to have the best (and most expensive) restaurants and bars, and the best club scene. Other districts that house some great bars are Ortaköy and Kuruçesme. You will find the bars on the water’s edge, which has a great night view too.
Try the following:
REINA – Muallim Naci Caddesi 120 – Ortaköy Tel. 0212 259 59 19. Web www.reina.com.tr Open all day from 17:00 to 04:00.
SORTIE KURUCESME – Muallim Naci Caddesi No:141 – Kuruçesme Tel. :0212 327 85 85 Open all day from 18:00 to 04:00,except Wednesdays.
ROCK HOUSE – Dereboyu Caddesi 36/38 - Ortaköy Tel. (0212) 259 89 11 Open all day from 12:00 – 02:30. Located inside the Ortakoy Princess Hotel.
THE JAMES JOYCE – Zambak Sokak 6 - Beyoglu Tram/Métro : Taksim Tel. 0212 244 02 41 Web : www.irishpubjamesjoyce.com Open all day from 10:00 to 02:00.
NORTH SHIELD – Nispetiye Caddesi No:47 – Besiktas Tel. 0212 263 78 14. Web www.thenorthshield.com Open all day from 11:00 to 01:00, weekends 05:00.
KEMANCI – TAKSIM SANAT EVI Sira Selviler Caddesi 69/1 – Cihangir / Beyoglu Tel. 0212 251 27 23 Open all day from 21:00 to 04:00