Istanbul

For a thousand years the greatest church in Christendom, then an imperial mosque, then a museum, now a mosque again — a colossal, soaring dome floating over golden Byzantine mosaics, 1,500 years of history under one roof. The single most awe-inspiring building in Istanbul.

Facing Hagia Sophia across a garden, the early-17th-century Sultan Ahmed Mosque cascades in domes and six slender minarets, its interior lined with the tens of thousands of blue İznik tiles that give it its name. Still a working mosque, and free — dress modestly and mind prayer times.

Sail the strait that divides Europe from Asia — Ottoman palaces, wooden waterside mansions, fortresses and the great suspension bridges gliding past on either shore. The definitive Istanbul experience; take the cheap public ferry rather than a tour boat and let the city drift by.

One of the oldest and largest covered markets on earth — 4,000 shops down 60 vaulted lanes selling carpets, gold, lamps, spices and ceramics, unchanged in spirit for 500 years. Overwhelming, theatrical and a maze; haggle hard, get lost happily, and stop for a tea.

The opulent seat of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years, sprawling over the point of the peninsula — jewel-crammed treasury, sacred relics, the intricate Harem and courtyards with the best Bosphorus views in the old city. A whole morning of imperial splendour; the Harem ticket is worth it.

A vast, eerie 6th-century underground water cistern beneath the old city — a forest of 336 columns rising from dark water, lit theatrically, with two great Medusa heads used as bases. Cool, otherworldly and atmospheric; a wonderful escape from the heat and the crowds above.

The stout medieval Genoese tower that crowns the Galata hill — ride up for a 360° view over the domes and minarets of the old city, the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus laid out below. Best at sunset; the streets spiralling down from it are full of cafés and buskers.

The fragrant 17th-century market by the Galata Bridge — pyramids of spices, mounds of Turkish delight, dried fruit, teas and honeyed baklava, in a shorter, more manageable hit than the Grand Bazaar. Taste your way round, and step outside to the frantic Eminönü streets the locals shop.

The mile-long pedestrian avenue running from Taksim through Beyoğlu, a nostalgic red tram trundling down the middle past 19th-century facades, arcades, bookshops and hidden meyhanes off the side streets. The buzzing spine of modern Istanbul; dive down the passages for the good stuff.

The lavish 19th-century European-style palace on the Bosphorus shore, where the late Ottoman sultans decamped from Topkapı — crystal staircases, the world's largest Bohemian chandelier, and the room where Atatürk died. Opulent to the point of excess; go for the sheer glittering spectacle.

Steam, scrub and soak in a centuries-old hammam under a marble dome pricked with starlight — the classic Ottoman ritual, and blissful after days of pounding the sights. Historic bathhouses like Çemberlitaş and Cağaloğlu have been at it for 400 years; splurge on the full works.

A gloriously sprawling feast — cheeses, olives, tomatoes, honey and clotted cream, jams, eggs, warm bread and endless tea, everything in little dishes to graze for hours. The best meal of the Turkish day; do it long and lazy at a Karaköy or Kadıköy café at the weekend.

A pretty Bosphorus village square beneath a dainty waterside mosque and the great suspension bridge — cafés, a weekend craft market, and stalls of kumpir, the loaded baked potato that's the local street-food obsession. A lovely, low-key afternoon on the strait.

Take the ferry to the Asian side for the real deal — Kadıköy's fish, cheese and produce market, its lanes of buzzing meyhanes and cafés, and a stroll to the seafront tea gardens of Moda. The most delicious, least touristy afternoon in the city.

The Turkish tavern night out — a table of mezes, grilled fish, endless rakı and, often, live fasıl music, in the packed lanes of Nevizade and Asmalımescit off İstiklal. Long, loud and joyous; this is how Istanbul really lets its hair down after dark.