24 Hours in Istanbul

24 Hours in Istanbul
The Blue Mosque at sunset, in Istanbul, Turkey. Anastasia Mazureva/Shutterstock
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Some cities are so huge that it can feel almost impossible to wrap your arms—and your mind—around them. Istanbul is definitely like that. As you come in from the airport, descending toward the Bosporus, the sight lines grow vast, and a seemingly unending city spreads out before you: a megalopolis, splashed across two continents.

But spend a little time here, and you learn that, somehow, a city of more than 15 million can somehow feel personal. Get close enough, and this place will embrace you. It is what’s kept me coming back—about a dozen visits so far. And while 24 hours isn’t a lot, if you stay busy, you can experience just a bit of that depth and history and culture—and warmth—in this city where east meets west.

Arrival

Opened just five years ago, Istanbul Airport (IST) is a wonder in itself. In Europe, only London’s Heathrow is busier, and flights from more than 120 countries land on IST’s five runways. It has just a single, impossibly huge terminal, with soaring, domed ceilings and a control tower shaped like a tulip, Turkey’s national flower.
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