Istanbul is the largest and most populous city in Turkey. Though not its political capital (which happens to be Ankara), it certainly it’s historical, cultural, food, lifestyle, bazaar, and natural capital. The city straddles the Bosphorous strait to be the only city that partly lies in Asia and party in Europe. One of the most actively visited cities in the world, Istanbul is very touristy owing to its welcoming and pleasant Mediterranean weather and hospitable citizenry. Not only tourism but the city itself is the hub of economic and financial activities and contributes about 30% of the overall GDP of Turkey. The city sits at the intersection of the historical legacies of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires.
Actively found on the radars of travelers and explorers alike, the city is serviced by two airports, namely: Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (which lies on the Asian side of the city and handles relatively lesser crowd, has no metro connectivity to the city center but has buses for connectivity) and the Istanbul Airport ( which lies on the European side and caters to all international flights and has metro connectivity to the city center). Crystal travel gets you to discover the best deals on your flight bookings. Connect to our customer support team to discover to steal the best deal on your flight bookings.
The official currency of Turkey is the Turkish Lira (TRY) which is the legal tender used in the country. In recent times, TRY has slumped greatly vis-a-vis other stronger currencies like USD and GBP. The convertibility rate between the GBP and TRY is around 23 but this tends to change on day to day basis. There are currency exchanges at the airport that runs their show 24x7 and hence money exchange shouldn't be a great challenge.
Things of Interest: Blue Mosque of Sultanahmet, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Galata Tower, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, Chinese market, Bosphorus, Basilica cistern of Brzytine, blooming Tulips at Gulhane Park, Fericoy flea market, St. Antoine Church, flower passage, whirling dervishes at Galata Mevlevi lodge, Museum of Innocence, dine at Mikla, Kariye Museum, Rustem Pasha Mosque, walls of Constantinople, are some of the prominent things of interest in and around Istanbul.