The European side of Istanbul again is divided into two parts by an estuary with a width about 500 metres; so the southern part - that some call Stamboul - is a penisular and the very oldest part of the European side. This is the old Byzantium, or in Roman times Constantinople (the city of Emperor Constantin). Here you can find the seven hills with the most spectacular sights:



- palaces , since Mehmet the Conqueror this is the palace of the ottoman Sultans.

- churches , the 1500 years old church, a dome-shaped building that became a model for countless mosques all over the world.

- the great mosques (Sultan Ahmet Cami), with its wonderful tiled inside and the huge pilars, called elephant's feet.

- In between the Blue Mosque and Haghia Sophia the roman Hippodrome, place of chariot-races in ancient times.

- 100 metres from there you can enter the roman time with hundreds of columns. With music and artificial fog an eerie athmosphere!



For all that you should not forget to have enough time! Haghia Sophia or Topkapi Palace can take hours if one is really interested in it!

The northern part of the European side is the old Italian, in newer times the European city. Nevertheless it has today a great Turkish athmosphere. The pedestrian precinct on the Istiklal Caddesi (the Boulevard of Independence) is one of the most powerfull areas in the hole city: day and night!

While this part was called in earlier times Pera, it is known today as Beyoglu. It is really charming to have a ride on the historical "tramvay" but - as always in Istanbul - it is rewarding to stroll around.

Adana
Alanya
Ankara
Antalya
Aphrodisias
Asian Part
Avanos
Ayvalik
Balikesir
Bodrum
Canakkale
Cerkezkoy-Tekirdag
Dalaman
Denizli
Diyarbakir
Dogubeyazit
Edirne
Ephesus
Erzurum
Eskisehir
European Part
Fethiye
Goreme
Ihlara Valley
Izmir
Karklareli
Kocaeli
Konya
Kusadasi
Malatya
Manisa
Marmaris
Mersin
Nemrut Dagi
Olympos
Pamukale
Selcuk
Side
The Bosphorus
Trabzon
Urgup
Van
West Coast
Zelve