Istanbul's Blue Mosque illuminated at night

The former stomping ground of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires, modern-day Istanbul is a frenetic sensory overload.

There's the muezzin's 5am blare of the call to prayer, the screeching traffic and honking boats, the vivid colours and heady aromas of the Spice Market, the sugary tang of Turkish delights lining sweet shops and hustlers everywhere yelling "Where are you from?" and "Hello/hola/shalom/bonjour/konnichiwa can I ask you one question?".

Straddling two continents (Europe and Asia), the Bosphorus strait divides East from West. The city too - a crowded expanse of 12 million people - is a melting pot of different cultural and architectural influences.

The imposing mosques, centuries-old hamams, Byzantine churches and sultans palace of Sultanahmet (Old Istanbul) coexist with the modern buildings of Taksim Square. The maze of shops in the labyrinth-like Grand Bazaar compete with the chic department stores of cosmopolitan Beyoglu. Women in headscarves rub shoulders with those in jeans. Stylish nightclubs line the Bosphorus while sunny tea gardens bustle with old men sucking on water pipes.

What to do in Istanbul

• Hunt for a bargain in the Grand Bazaar
• Take a boat ride on the Bosphorus
• Stand beneath the majestic domed ceiling of Aya Sofya, a church turned mosque turned museum
• Ogle the riches, the harem and Prophet Mohammed's sword at the Topkapi Palace
• Stand beneath the floodlit minarets of the Blue Mosque at night
• Venture into the subterranean depths of the Byzantine Basilica Cistern
• Get scrubbed to a pulp in a steaming hamam
• Visit the Kariye Muzesi, an 11th century church decorated with religious mosaics
• Watch the whirling dervishes spin what their mother gave them at the Mevlei Monastery