Istanbul is the city for lovers of culture, beautiful architecture, ottoman art, and gorgeous nature, and I wanted to share the summery fabulosity that I encountered on this, my second, visit to the largest city in Turkey. The city boasts both vivacious nightlife and peaceful religious sites that take your breath away with their beauty.

Any visit to Istanbul is not worth it without a look into the famous sights of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia that face each other in the Sultanahmet. At the mosque you can marvel at the architecture and golden details of the artwork on the walls.

Another must-see location is the Topkapi palace, the luxurious former home of the Ottoman sultans, that will transport you to the ancient days of the Ottoman Empire and easily takes up at least three or four hours of your vacation with its four courtyards, several smaller buildings, and a harem residence.

For once it’s nice to see a country that really takes care of the stray cats: every restaurant owner seemed to have a whole pack of cats that they would caringly feed. Just pay attention that you get fed too because sometimes the dinner would mysteriously take over an hour to find its way to your table.

A breezy cruise on the Bosphorus really brightens up the trip. A cheap cruise with the locals is naturally preferable to the ones offered by money-grubbing travel companies. A day cruise will take you all the way to the confluence of the strait and the Black Sea and you’ll even have a chance to climb a mountain to charming Yoros castle ruins during a lunch stop at a little village of Anadolu Kavagi that has the best fish in town.

Istanbul is one of those cities that only gets more beautiful by night: all the sights (and even some fountains) are lit up with different colored lights and many of the restaurants have inviting lanterns hanging from the ceiling in the terrace areas.

If you’re in the mood for fresh fish, you can head to the fish market that is easily spotted due to the massive amounts of birds circling above it. You might even see a stork lounging about.

If fish is not your thing, you can find an assortment of local candies like Turkish delights or spices at any of the bazaars, like The Grand Bazaar or the Spice Market (also called the Egyptian Bazaar). Remember to haggle (even though the prices are quite cheap as it is) and you’ll most likely end up with so many souvenirs you’ll end up paying extra fees for luggage on your flight home.

Istanbul is a wonderful and affordable holiday location that has a completely exotic feel while still being fairly close to Finland. Just beware of taxi scams on your trip!