A combination of fascinating history and contemporary dynamism is helping to put Istanbul on the budget travellers' radar, tourism chiefs have explained.
With the Turkish city due to be the European Capital of Culture in just over a year from now, growing numbers of holidaymakers and gap year adventurers are obtaining
online travel insurance and heading there, the director of events for Istanbul2010 has explained.
And while the city may boast a number of boutique and expensive hotels, just like travel insurance policies, great deals are available for those who shop around.
"It's a metropolitan city, it has a population of 12 million and not somewhere cheap, but of course in every metropolitan area you can live on a budget or you can live the luxury," Ozgul Ozkan Yavuz stated.
"It's very similar to London because you can live on every kind of budget. If you're earning £1000 per month you can still enjoy the city, but if you're earning £10,000, you can still enjoy the city."
According to the latest figures from Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of foreigners arriving into the country has increased by 13.9 per cent over the past 12 months alone.
