WELCOME TO ISTANBUL



Istanbul, once a city that aroused the curiosities of travellers as the centre of the world, is a metropolis where Eastern and Western civilizations meet. It the city, the contemporary western way of life exists together with the traditional. Modern buildings and art forms appear side by side with classical Turkish, Byzantine and Roman masterpieces. Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, owing largely to its status as the most active trade, import and export, industry entertainment and education centre of the country. The climate of Istanbul is mild and the landscape, with sea and land intermingling in delicate harmony, is beautiful.
The Bosphorus is beautiful around the year, even in the rainy - and occasionally snowy - days of the winter. Spring, with its different shades of green and blossoming trees is rather short and the month of May marks the beginning of summer in Istanbul. Also in May thousands of travellers from all parts of the world begin pouring in to enjoy the beauty and the historical riches of the city. Summer in Istanbul means rushing to the beaches. There are not many cities in the world that offer as great a choice as does Istanbul in variety of sea bathing -both the cool waters of the Black Sea and the splendid warm beaches of the Princes' Islands easily reached from the city centre by short cruises. On the shores of the Bosphorus as well as the Sea of Marmara are numerous beach facilities available to the public. The long autumn, when the skies are clear and the temperatures are moderate, is especially suitable for tourism.
Turkish cuisine is also an experience not to be missed. (The Turkish kitchen is one of the three major culinary schools of the world.) Fresh fruits and vegetables of unbelievable variety appear on the menus especially in spring, summer and autumn, and fresh fish from the Black Sea, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Mar­mara is a treat to palates mistreated elsewhere.

Bosphorus

TOURS OF THE CITY

Historic Istanbul cannot be separated from the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, by the shores which it was first founded. There are not many places in the world where wonders of nature and masterpieces of man mix so gracefully, and where the testimony of the past is heard as vividly, as in Istanbul. And the tours of this magnificent city all end with beautiful memories for the visitors who take them.
The daily tours offered by local travel agencies usually enable the visitor staying for a short time to see the principal spots of interest in the city such as the Haghia Sophia Museum, the Suleymaniye Mosque, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, The Topkapi Palace and the Covered Bazaar and its surroundings.