Istanbul

Not too long ago, most travellers wouldn't have dreamed of taking short breaks to Istanbul. But Turkey's most famous city has opened up considerably, and nowadays it's easy to experience its mesmerising atmosphere in a few days.

City breaks to Istanbul can be chaotic, captivating, and usually something of a culture shock, but always provide a powerful sense of being in a pivotal place in world history.

Born as Byzantium in around 655 BC, the city became Constantinople - the capital of the Roman Empire - a millennium later, only to be captured by the Ottomans in 1453 and find itself HQ of the Muslim world.

Today, parted by the Bosphorus, Istanbul has one foot in Europe and the other in Asia. All of the significant sights are in the Old City, occupying a peninsula on the European zone. In the centre is the district of Sultanahmet, home to 15th-century Topkapi Palace (complete with a 400-room harem), the famous Blue Mosque and, what was once considered the supreme church in the Christian world, the magnificent Aya Sofya.

Continue five centuries of haggling at the labyrinthine Grand Bazaar, where 4000 shops vie for your attention - ensuring all visitors return home from short breaks to Istanbul with armfuls of souvenirs.

However, city breaks to Istanbul don't have to be all about exotic history and culture. Across the Golden Horn in the New City, be prepared to step into a different millennium. This is the Istanbul's modern commercial centre, and its district of Beyoğlu is a pulsating playground of western-style bars, dance clubs, cafés and restaurants.

In stark contrast to the historical sites across the water, where modesty is very much encouraged, a night out here generally involves very little in the way of restraint...

Short breaks to Istanbul? Not only possible, but magical.