Charming Istanbul stands as as a complete city in itself while also encompassing all that it has been—namely, Byzantium and Constantinople. It's a cliche to talk about Istanbul serving as the bridge between east and west—Asia and Europe—but it's true that you get the best of both worlds in this captivating city.

The historically diverse area offers something new and unexpected around every corner because it's been home to so many different cultures over the centuries. International travel magazines agree that Istanbul is a must-see:

• "The skyline here is a glittering ribbon of palaces, mosques, and minarets, but also of sleek skyscrapers, where the sybaritic restaurants easily rivals New York's or London's." –Travel + Leisure

• "'If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Constantinople,'" marveled Alphonse de Lamartine, the 19th-century French writer and politician. Sixteen centuries as the legendary capital of the Byzantine, Roman, and Ottoman Empires, Istanbul has long entranced the civilized world."—National Geographic