Luxury Istanbul Holidays

With its glittering mosques, smart hotels and beautiful vistas, Istanbul is quintessentially Eastern. A truly relaxing way of getting across one of the world’s busiest waterways is to take one of the half-hourly commuter ferry services up the Bosphorus from Eminönü - the ride affords a stunning view of the historic peninsula and if you disembark at Beşiktaş, Ortaköy and Bebek you can take in the lush parks, palaces and waterside mansions. Two of Turkey’s great architectural achievements stand next to each other in Istanbul's main square; the Aghia Sophia, the Byzantine cathedral, now a museum dominates the Istanbul skyline as well as the city's architectural history. And the 17th century Sultanahmet Mosque (better known as the 'Blue Mosque'), with its cascading domes and six slender minarets, is one of the most beautiful mosques in the world.