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Istanbul, the city that never sleeps, presents its 2000 year old past what is of course not easy to be consumed in a couple of days. The Sultanahmet quarter is the oldest part of the city where most of the remnants of Byzantine Constantinople are located and therefore the place where most of the tourists start their trip trough the city. Here the Haghia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque stand full of dignity and impressive power and wait to be discovered. The city centre which is divided into an Old Town and a New Town by the Golden Horn, lies on the European side of Istanbul. Here, northwest of Sultanahmet lies the area of Beyazit with the famous Grand Bazaar where no wishes stay unsatisfied. North of Sultanahmet you reach to Eminönü from which you come to the Galata Tower by crossing the Galata Bridge. From there you can make your way to Beyoglu and Taksim which used to be the designated residence area for foreigners such as Italians, Greeks and Levantine traders. The Tunel leads to Istiklal Caddesi, a pedestrian walk to Taksim Square which is considered to be the heart of modern Istanbul and with it the centre of its nightlife.
Due to its mix of religions there are churches, mosques and synagogues all over the city. Most of them thrown impressively and present one of the styles of old times. Although Istanbul is loaded with buildings and people there are also some green oases where you can rest from the hectic city life and where locals go to picnic and have a time-out. The biggest and most popular is the Yildiz Park which used to be used by sultans for a stroll.
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