Overview

The splendid city of Istanbul has many unique and fascinating features. It is the only city in the world reaching across two continents, with its old city in Europe and modern Istanbul situated in Asia, separated by the Bosphorus Strait. It is also unique in having had capital status during two successive empires, Christian Byzantine and Islamic Ottoman, and the legacy from both is visible in the modern city today.

Istanbul's location on the water made it a much coveted site as a commercial shipping port and military lookout, and as capital of the Roman Empire, Constantinople, as it was known, became extremely desirable as a centre of world trade, until Mehmet the Conqueror claimed it for the Ottoman Empire in 1453 and it became the imperial seat of the sultans. After the War of Independence the capital was moved to Ankara, but Istanbul still remains the commercial, historical and cultural heart of Turkey today.

The charm and character of Istanbul lies in its endless variety and jumble of contradictions. Its fascinating history has bequeathed the city a vivid inheritance of Byzantine ruins, splendid palaces, ancient mosques and churches, hamams (bath-houses) and exotic bazaars. Modern Istanbul exudes trendy bars and nightclubs, western boutiques, office blocks, and elegant suburbs. The call to prayer heralds the start of each day and the city comes to life with over 12,000 residents forming a chaotic social and cultural mix of unscrupulous carpet merchants, wealthy shoppers, religiously veiled women and destitute beggars. Joining the noisy throng are over-awed tourists and those capitalising on the tourist trade.

Getting Around

The best and easiest way to explore the old city is on foot, but to get to other areas there is a cheap public transport network consisting of buses, taxis or dolmuses (shared minibus taxis), tramways and a new metro system that relieves the pressure on Istanbul's endless traffic jams. The rechargeable Akbil electronic transit pass, available from special kiosks, is a discounted way of using local buses, trams, metro and ferries. Useful underground Metro lines run from Aksaray to the main city bus station at Esenler and the Ataturk Airport, and another north from Taksim Square passing the Levent districts. Buses are comprehensive, but slow and crowded; dolmuses and private yellow taxis are more comfortable than the city buses and very inexpensive, but it is advisable for foreigners to have their hotel call a private taxi for them and check that the meter is working, as overcharging is common. Dolmuses can be hailed anywhere along their set routes. Passenger ferries are a pleasant way to see the city, and there is also a train network running along the Mamara shore. Driving or hiring a car is not recommended due to traffic congestion and poor driving standards.

Climate

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Temp(c)	3 - 9	3 - 9	4 - 11	8 - 16	12 - 21	16 - 26	18 - 28	19 - 28	15 - 25	12 - 20	8 - 15	5 - 11
Temp(f)	37 - 48	37 - 48	39 - 52	46 - 62	54 - 70	61 - 79	65 - 83	66 - 83	60 - 77	54 - 68	47 - 59	41 - 52

Airports

Name	Istanbul Ataturk Airport
City
IATA Code	IST
Location	Istanbul Ataturk Airport
Contact	Tel: +90 212 465 5555.
Transfer Terminals
Transfer City	The Istanbul Metro system provides quick and easy access to the city, including the intercity bus terminal. Use metro station Zeytinburnu and transfer to a tram to reach the Eminonu ferry or Sea Bus docks. The Havas Airport Bus connects to Taksim Square. Taxis are also available.
Car Rental	Car rental companies include Avis, Budget, Hertz, National and Sixt.
Airport Facilities	Banks, ATMs and bureaux de change are available. Facilities for the disabled are good, but those with special needs should make advance arrangements with the airline. Other facilities include tourist information and hotel reservations, bars, restaurants, duty-free shopping, a conference centre, a post office, 24-hour left luggage and first aid. Turkish Airlines and British Airways have their own lounges, while the Millennium Lounge serves the First Class and Business Class passengers of other airlines that run scheduled flights.
Airport Hotels
Website	www.ataturkairport.com/eng/index.php