Mid-range: There are boutique hotels aplenty but, in a very understated way, the Ibrahim Pasha Hotel (0212 518 0394) – just a short walk from the Blue Mosque – is perhaps the best. Doubles from £118.
On a budget: Büyük Londra Hotel (0212 245 0670), known in its late-Ottoman heyday as the Grand Hotel des Londres, in the heart of buzzing Beyoglu. Doubles from £35.
Tucked away up a cobbled side street just off Sultanahmet’s main drag, Divan Yolu, is Khorasani (0212 519 5959 ; khorasani restaurant.com ) whose speciality is that most Turkish of foods - the kebab.
Begin your day in the subterranean depths of the Basilica Cistern, a 1,500-year-old building supported by 336 columns. Don’t miss the twin blocks carved into snake-haired Medusas.
Right across from the cistern is the greatest single building in a city full of wonders, the Hagia Sophia or Aya Sofya (£8.70, closed Mondays). It was a church, then a mosque and is now a museum.
A couple of minutes walk away on Divan Yolu is Tarihi Sultanahmet Köftecisi (0212 520 0566), whose speciality is grilled meatballs, offers good value with mains around £5.20.
The four courtyards and plethora of buildings and pavilions that make up the Topkapı Palace complex (topkapisarayi.gov.tr ; £8.70, closed Tuesdays in winter) are a whole afternoon’s entertainment.
Head to hedonistic Beyoglu and Gurme Boncuk (0212 245 3170) , a lively, traditional Armenian-Turkish meyhane (tavern) where you can enjoy an all-inclusive feast (including alcoholic drinks) for £30.
Walk off an early lunch with a half-hour stroll to the wall’s end on the Golden Horn. At Ayvansaray Pier catch a ferry (£1) to the Galata Bridge.
