Istanbul

Unni Mohanadas August 23, 2019 Uncategorized 0

Istanbul – Home to Grand Bazaar, the world’s most visited tourist attraction in 2014

Istanbul is a major city in Turkey that straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait. Its Old City reflects cultural influences of the many empires that once ruled here.

History

The earliest known settlement dates from 6700 BC
Continuosly inhabited for 3000 years ( founded between 11th and 13^th centuries BC)
It was colonised by the Greeks in the 7th century BC. It fell to the Roman Empire in AD 196
In 330 AD it was renamed Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which ended with the Muslim conquest in 1453 and became capital of Ottoman
Since 1930, the native name “Istanbul” has been the sole official name of the city in Turkish

Activities for tourists

Visit Blue mosque
Visit Aya Sophia
Shop at Grand Bazaar
Visit Basilica Cistern
Visit Hippodrome

How to reach there

Air

Istanbul’s main airport is Istanbul Atatürk Airport. It is Europe’s third busiest airport, after London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle. There are regular flights to numerous cities across the globe, such as Athens, Moscow, Toronto, Paris, Rome, London, Dubai, Cairo, Seoul, Singapore, New York, etc.

Road

There are several bus routes connecting Istanbul to international destinations such as Romania, Bulgaria, Greece in Europe and Syria and Iran in the Middle-east.

Train

Istanbul is fairly well connected to cities in the country via the rail network. A high speed train line also connects Istanbul to the capital city of Ankara. Trains to Istanbul are also available from European destinations. However, these take a lot of time and are now not a popular mode of transport.

Nearby destinations for tourists