Stepping inside the Spice Market , the air is filled with the aromatic smell of exotic herbs and spices

The Old City

Sultanahmet

Sandwiched between the soaring minarets of the Sultanahmet Mosque and the venerable dome of Haghia Sophia, Sultanahmet Square is the undisputed centre of tourist Istanbul, and the most logical spot to begin your wanderings. Despite ongoing renovation work, the cool, fresco decorated interior of the Byzantine cathedral of Haghia Sophia is awe-inspiring, not least when you think it it is over 1,400 years old(open 9am-430 pm, everyday except Monday).

Across the square, the Sultanahmet Mosque is an upstart at only 400 years old. The mosque gets its western name, the Blue Mosque, from the patterned Iznik tiles decorating its interior. Outside of prayer times, feel free to step inside and marvel at its arching dome and dizzying tilework, though for the connoisseur of Ottoman architecture greater delights await elsewhere.

Next door to the palace, the city's Archaeological Museum (open 930am-530pm, close Monday) houses fascinating curiosities unearthed across Turkey and the Middle-east. While on a smaller scale, the Mosaic Museum (open 930am-530pm, close Monday), tucked behind the Blue Mosque, is filled with colourful frescoes from the Imperial Palace of Constantinople unearthed in the 1950s.

The Grand Bazaar

If you're in the mood for some shopping, stroll or catch a tram along Divanyolu to the mother of all markets. Shopaholics heaven, the Grand Bazaar (open daily 8am-8pm) is a maze of arcades and passageways lined with over 4,000 shops selling everything from carpets to jewellery, antiques, leather jackets and fake designer clothes. Surrender yourself to the inevitability of getting lost and just wander. Though be prepared to fend off some serious salesmen. Then, when it all gets too much, relax with a glass of tea in one of the bazaar cafes.

A short walk from the Grand Bazaar, the Suleymaniye is the city's most impressive imperial mosque. Built for Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent in the 16th century by the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, its towering minarets are visible from miles around. Inside, the feeling of space is humbling and the huge dome seems to hang by magic in the air.

Eminonu

Beside the choppy waters of the Golden Horn, Eminonu is a vibrant, bustling commercial district. The narrow backstreets are crowded with traders hawking everything from plastic razors to fake Gucci. Stepping inside the Spice Market, or Egyptian Bazaar, the air is filled with the aromatic smell of exotic herbs and spices, piled outside the shops in colourful sacks. A feast for the eyes, there is plenty to nibble on too, whether it is Russian caviar, fresh pistachios or maybe you fancy some "viagra" tea. If it is time for lunch the market's Pandeli Restaurant is one of the best places to try authentic Ottoman food.

From Eminonu ferries (see above) leave for the suburbs of Uskudar and Kadikoy on the opposite side of the Bosphorus. It is only a 20 minute trip to the Asian shore, and you get some excellent views along with a dose of bracing sea air.