Your morning starts with a trip toward the Bosphorus Bridge, an architectural masterpiece that connects 2 continents. Travel 197 feet (60 m) above water, cross the contemporary steel structure, and admire an expansive view of both sides of the city.

Lying under the legs of the Bosphorus Bridge is the Beylerbeyi Palace, the elegantly-furnished 19th-century summer residence of the Ottoman sultans. From Bohemian crystal chandeliers and Hereke-type carpets to Arabic-inscribed ceilings and stately rooms, explore the Ottoman house plan, where nearly everything is symmetrical.

Ascend to one of the highest points in Istanbul, Camlica Hill, and absorb a panorama of the city—a great photo opportunity. This idyllic spot is scattered with small cafés and tea-houses and surrounded by pine trees and well-maintained lawns, making it a favorite leisure spot for locals and tourists.

For a sample of modern Istanbul, visit Bagdat Street. Lined with sidewalk cafés, swaying trees, and chic boutiques and shops, this is the place to be for the fashionable, local Sunday-brunch crowd.

After the naval victory at Cyzicus, the ancient Athenian general Alcibiades possibly built a custom station for ships coming from the Black Sea on a small rock in front of Chrysopolis (today's Üsküdar). In 1110 Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus built a wooden tower protected by a stone wall. From the tower an iron chain stretched across to another tower erected on the European shore, at the quarter of Mangana in Constantinople. The islet was then connected to the Asiatic shore through a defense wall, whose underwater remains are still visible. During the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, the tower held a Byzantine garrison commanded by the Venetian Gabriele Trevisano. Subsequently, the structure was used as a watchtower by the Ottoman Turks during the reign of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.