With its long history at the center of empires, Istanbul offers a wealth of historic and religious places to take in. The bulk of these ancient monuments, dating back to Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods, including the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), and Basilica Cistern are located around Sultanahmet Square, while some others are dispersed throughout the peninsula of old city, such as Church of St Savior in Chora (Kariye Müzesi), entire inside of which is covered by mindblowing frescoes and mosaics. An impressive section of mostly intact Theodosian walls, which mark the full length of western boundary of the peninsula, is right next to this particular church.

North of the peninsula of old city, across the Golden Horn, is Galata, crowned by the Galata Tower. Istanbul Modern, with its exhibitions of contemporary Turkish art, is on the nearby waterfront of Karaköy. Another sight of religious significance close by is the Galata Whirling Dervish Hall of Sufi Mevlevi order, just north of the Tower. Further north is the Istiklal Avenue, Istanbul's prominent pedestrian street running from near Galata Tower to Taksim Square, the central square of whole city.

Heading west rather than north from the old city brings you deeper into the banks of the Golden Horn estuary. A neighbourhood perhaps well worth a visit here is Eyüp, to visit city's holiest Islamic shrine and just to see what daily life in Ottoman Istanbul was like. On the opposite shores of the Horn, in Sütlüce is the Miniaturk, the first miniature park in the city, with models from around the former Ottoman Empire.

Tulips:
Long ignored for their bad connotation with the Tulip era of 1700s, a period of ostentation and costly parties conducted by state elite amidst large gardens full of tulips (and also when the first bulbs were introduced to the Netherlands from Istanbul, by the way), which was later accused of economic destruction and the eventual dissolution of Ottoman Empire, tulips have regained much of their former popularity in the last decade and now serve as some sort of symbol of both Istanbul and the whole Turkey. They bloom from late March to early May (best bet is early to mid April) and while they can be seen on many avenues of the city wherever there is enough space for planting at the sides and the central strip of the road, if you are after admiring and/or photographing large patches of tulips with relatively exotic varieties, head to Sultanahmet Park and Gülhane Park in Sultanahmet; Emirgan Park near the northern Bosphorus neighbourhood of Emirgan; or Çamlica Hill in Asian Side.

Aya Sofia:
The Hagia Sophia or Aya Sofia is a former mosque, and former church in the old European part of Istanbul. It was the leading church for the Eastern Orthodox church for over 900 years, until the sack of Constantinople in 1453, after which it was converted into a mosque. It remained a mosque for almost 500 years, as in 1935 it was converted into a museum by orders from the first president of Turkey: Atatürk. The builing has suffered a great bit of damage during the centuries (especially the dome), because of earthquakes and fires, but has always been rebuild soon after. A large numbers of the christian mosaics became visible in the 1930's, during restaurations.

Galata Bridge:
The Galata Bridge in the European part of Istanbul spans the Golden Horn at the entrance of the waterway, just west of the famous Bosphorus. The current bridge is already the 5th bridge at this location. There had been plans since the early 16th century, but the first one opened only in 1845. The current 490-metre-long Bascule type bridge opened in 1994. Until 1930, there was a toll fee to cross the bridge. The longest span of the bridge is 80 metres and it's 42 metres wide. There are walkways, roads and recently even a tramway across the bridge, making the bridge one of just a few moveable bridges in the world with electrified rail.

Kilyos:
Kilyos is a seaside resort located in the north coast and Sariyer district of Istanbul. Kilyos is well-known for its beautiful and famous beaches, nice hotels, restaurants and summer activities. In Kilyos you may have a nice weekend activity such as having a nice dinner in its seaside restaurants, having an excellent relaxing holiday in its great hotels or having silent and calm moments with the company of endless seas and nature. Kilyos is surrounded by the Black Sea from north region and the forests from the south region. It is ideal for weekend activities for every season. Especially in summer population increases. With its specialties, Kilyos became one of the most important vacation and tourism towns in Istanbul. Kilyos is 11 kilometres to Sariyer, 32 kilometres to Taksim and 50 kilometres to Istanbul Ataturk Airport.

Polonezkoy - Adampol:
Everybody knows Istanbul, its beauty and history. But not many people know about the old Polish village located just inside the city with its heavenly nature, culture and history. It is time to discover Polonezkoy, where still Polish people live.
It was founded by Adam Czartoryski in 1842. Polonezkoy-Adampol, within Istanbul is a cultural and historical event that has never before been seen in the world. Lets check out the brief history of the village. The village is the one and only place in Istanbul that is very close to the city center and it makes the town easy for arrival. The village is very popular especially for the weekend activities and attractions. Polonezkoy's Club Hotels, Pensions and Restaurants are serving great opportunities for their guests. There are many hotels, pensions, restaurants and garden barbecue places within Polonezkoy. "House of the Memory of Zofia Ryzy" where the village's history and photographs are exhibited; "Czestochowa's Church" which was built during the years 1900-1914; "Polish Cemetery"; " Polonezkoy Culture House"; "Open air exhibition center of wooden carving art"; "Apiculture Museum and Souvenir Shops"; "BMX Bicycle Track" and "5 kilometre walking and jogging track" are the places of interest.