OnTheRoad

One of the biggest cities in the world, Istanbul stretches from Europe into Asia - the continents anyway. First up, anyone under the delusion that it was cheap (as I was) should get rid of it. I can be a tourist in Wellington or Christchurch for less. It's still not terrible, but jumping on a bus or train for a few hours will get you into Bulgaria, a fraction of the price.

That said, there are good reasons that so many tourists are here (and believe me, even in winter, there are many tourists here). The scenery is great, the mosques dotted everywhere are very attractive and so much history is everywhere on display.

As a general rule, eat away from the Sultanahment area if possible; everything there is horribly overpriced. It's worth checking out the Istiklal Cadessi area for accommodation if you don't mind being a little further away, as food around here is much cheaper. Around the Grand Bazaar there are also quite a few cheaper options, especially down hill towards the sea.