Aya Sofya - Museum Yerebatan Cad, Sultanahmet. Monumental sixth-century church converted to a mosque in 1453. Highlights are the Byzantine flourishes, including superb figurative mosaics.

Kapali Çarsi (The Covered Bazaar) - Market Beyazit. The world's largest covered market, this huge web of passageways holding over four thousand shops is a wonderful, manic place to wander.

Kariye Camii - Twelfth-century church Fethiye Cad, Fener. Former church containing some superbly preserved fourteenth-century frescos and mosaics. Among the city's most evocative Byzantine treasures.

Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art - Art museum Hippodrome, Sultanahmet. One of the world's finest collections of Islamic art, magnificently displayed in the former palace of Ibrahim Pasa.

The Topkapi Palace - Sultan's palace Kennedy Cad, Sultanahmet. Vast fifteenth-century palace arranged round courtyards and gardens. Varied sights include the throne room, kitchens and harem.