Istanbul | Top Ten List

L-ATITUDE's very own Ashley Wick scoured Istanbul to bring you the best suggestions for dining, shopping, relaxing and sleeping. 

1. Grub: We recommend the Doner or Iskender Kabab (shaved meat over butter-soaked pita bread, topped with stewed tomatoes and yogurt), followed by the Tavukgogsu (chicken pudding, a surprisingly sweet and delicious local dessert).

2. Bazaar: Ideally we recommend you go with a guide, as it?s a zoo!  Be sure to locate the king of Turkish textiles?Murat?at his stall, as well as Abdullah and Dervish for Turkish towels, blankets and scarves.

3. Dining with a View: Check out Hamdi for lunch and Ulus 29 for dinner.

Hamdi Tahmis Cad. 17  34110 Istanbul

Ulus 29 Kuru?esme Mh.  Yol Sokak 71, Istanbul

4. Mosques: Visit both the Blue Mosque and the Haggia Sophia.  No matter how many moques you've seen in your lifetime, you will still be astounded by their beauty and scale.

5. Sleeping: Stay at the House Hotel in Galatasaray and take note of Autoban?s honeycomb ceiling design, intricate molding and the CT scan-like shower module in the bathroom.

Harbiye Mh.  Abdi ?pek?i Caddesi 34, 34367 Istanbul

6. Museum: Visit the Istanbul Modern Museum and be sure to explore the surrounding Galatasaray neighborhood.

??nar Mh.  Sosyal Sk 7, 34840 K??kyal?/?stanbul

7. Prayer: Pause and listen to the call to prayer chant as it reverberates from every direction from the city's 2,500 mosques.

8. Hammam Treatment: Pamper yourself and book a traditional hamam treatment at Les Ottoman Hotel where you will be scrubbed and massaged from head to foot while lying on a hot stone bed.

Kuru?esme Mh.  Muallim Naci Caddesi 68, 34345 Istanbul

9. High Tea: Revive yourself after a day of shopping in Bebek with the herbal tea (which includes cinnamon sticks, lemon, ginger, and mint) at Lucca Caf?.

Cevdetpa?a Caddesi No:51 B Bebek, ?stanbul

10. Rush Hour: Avoid it! Going anywhere at this time is debilitating.

To shop the collection from Istanbul, please click here.