Istanbul

Istanbul excels at spectacle. From the domes of its mosques to the frantic pace of the traffic, it is awe-inspiring, unflinching and gregariously urban. Though it was demoted from its position as the Turkish capital in 1923 and its name changed from Constantinople, Istanbul still has the swagger of a principal city; it was the seat of Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Traverse its steep cobbled streets, drink raki in its taverns, loll in a hammam or two and navigate the labyrinth of the bazaar.