Sydney, Australia to Istanbul from A$1150

🌍 About Istanbul

Istanbul is the only city built across two continents — a 20-minute ferry over the Bosphorus carries you from European Sultanahmet, where Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque face each other across a park, to Asian Kadıköy. Kadıköy is the side worth your time: a real fish-and-produce market, meyhane (tavern) lanes, and a fraction of the old city's tour groups. Eat balık ekmek, the grilled-mackerel sandwich sold off boats at Eminönü, and don't skip a long Turkish breakfast — menemen, simit, endless small plates. Come late April–May or September–October for mild days without the summer heat and cruise-ship crush; July–August is hot and crowded. Winter is grey and wet, but that's when fares fall hardest, and the hammams and tea houses make more sense anyway.