Vacanta Istanbul si Pristina

About the destination: Istanbul owes its historical significance and its incredible cultural and architectural heritage to its perfect strategic location, straddling the Bosphorus straits which separate Europe and Asia Minor. Throughout most of its 2,500-year-long history, the city (first known as Byzantium, then as Constantinople and since 1930 as Istanbul) was a cultural melting pot. Today, its population of over 13 million is almost exclusively Turkish, and many of its people are recent migrants from provincial Turkey, drawn by the promise of jobs and careers in this vibrant, rapidly growing city. Istanbul is no longer the nation's capital, but is Turkey's economic and cultural powerhouse - a status emphasised by its role as a European City of Culture in 2010 and the award of UNESCO World Heritage listing to many of its most important landmarks, which range from stunning Ottoman mosques and Byzantine churches and catacombs to the columns of Hellenistic temples and the remains of massive medieval city walls. But there's more to Istanbul than Byzantine and Ottoman heritage. A rapidly growing economy has contributed to a thriving arts and music scene, with a wealth of new bars, clubs, private art galleries, restaurants and designer fashion outlets.

About the destination: Pristina is a rapidly evolving city that exudes a sense of optimism and potential, even if its traffic-laden streets and mismatched architectural styles don't make it an immediately appealing place. Far more a provincial town than a grand city, Pristina is an unlikely national capital, yet it feels more cosmopolitan than many Balkan capitals due to the large UN and EU presence here. Beyond the bustling city centre, with its international restaurants and stylish cafes, you'll find yourself in the charming Turkic hillside neighbourhoods that have shaped the city for centuries, where the call to prayer still echoes from minarets overlooking the city's terracotta roofs and where the bustling bazaar remains the hub of daily life.