We took a day trip from Istanbul to Ephesus, the most famous ancient city in Turkey, by flying down in the morning and returning the same day in the evening.

It was a very convenient way of doing it for us as we only had a few days in Istanbul but this is somewhere we really wanted to visit as well.

Ephesus itself is only about 1 hours' drive away from Izmir airport and the flights take about an hour each way. We arranged it through a local tour company and found it very convenient as everything was included from the tour to flights and transfers. It was all very well organized so that we didn't find it too rushed or tiring, just as a very interesting day out.

You can see the day trip we did with them and some others here: www.toursistanbul.com/day-trips.htm

Even though it was just for a day, we found it very worthwhile and the city beautifully preserved.

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Almost a town in its own right, it's on the Asian side, a pleasant place reached by ferry from Kadiköy. A very Turkish resort and a stop-off point for the unmissable Princes Islands. It also has the best fish soup this side of Atlantic! Find it at the Yildiz Yakamoz restaurant right in the centre. The squid was pretty amazing too.

On the edge of the Sea of Marmara, on the Asian side of Istanbul.

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Although there is easily enough in Istanbul to occupy the visitor for several weeks you may wish to take a trip to one of the nearby attractions for a day or two.

With this in mind the city of Bursa makes for an interesting stopover. The city is beautifully located against a mountainous backdrop and offers skiing during winter months. There is a thriving bazaar and several lovely examples of Ottoman-built mosques such as Yesil Cami.

To reach Bursa take the regular catamaran from Yenikapi to Yalova (badly hit by the 1999 earthquake) on the southern shore of the Sea of Marmara, then catch a bus from outside the ferry terminal for the hour-long drive to Bursa’s otogar.

A feasible daytrip from Istanbul is to the historic town of Edirne about 3 hours north-west of Istanbul close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Catch one of the frequent bus services from Esenler. Arriving in Edirne may feel as though you’ve returned to Europe but there are some interesting Ottoman monuments to be seen here including the beautiful Selimiye Camii mosque.

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Take the Bosphorus Steamer's ticket to see breathtaking views of the Bosphorous, where two continents cross. You’ll also see wooden houses on the waterfront, historic palaces and two fortresses. The passenger boats looks like Italian vaporettas. Ferry ticket are five euro for a return, and the ferry leaves at 10 in the morning from Sirkeci. Trips take around two hours.

Sirkeci Vapur Iskelesi across Yeni Cami

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If you have more than a few days, I recommend taking the ferry to one or more of the Princes' Islands.

There are no cars, hardly any other city life noises and the air is definitely cleaner. They are my favourite spot for peace and quiet especially in winter, early spring and autumn as there is hardly anyone visiting and the beautiful wood-clad houses from late 19th century are empty and serene in all their glory.

You can walk around or take a tour in a horse drawn open (covered in winter) carriage and have a glass of tea by the port.

There are regular ferry services to the islands from Eminonu on the Golden Horn and Bostanci on the Anatolian side

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Though the Sultanhamet area will long remain the centre of Istanbul's tourist honey pot, nobody's insane enough to enjoy a week battling their way between the Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and Taksim Square.

Escape the craziness by taking a boat to Princes’ Islands, a group of nine islands, an hour away from the city centre. These car-less islands where, yes, Princes were once exiled, offer the visitor secluded monasteries, decent walks, spectacular views and a weird wild west goes east ambience. At least they do out of season. In the summer, city folk flock to the islands in the same way that East Enders used to hit Epping.

Not that this changes the wholly delightful – and slightly European art house movie – experience of visiting the Princes’ Islands. The shabbily romantic face, of a compellingly multifaceted city.

Boats sail to the islands from just about every part of the city. So it's just a question of finding a ferry stop marked Adalar (which means islands in Turkish). On the European side, you can get there from the Eminönü ferry stops, just over the road from Sirkeci (the European) train station. If you're staying on Asian side you can go from Kadikoy.

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