European Turkey, also known as Eastern Thrace, is the Turkish territory located exclusively on the continent of Europe. This geographical part of the Balkan Peninsula accounts for only 2.8% of the total Turkish territory and is home to around 12 million inhabitants. The majority of them, almost eleven million people, live in the European part of the metropolis of Istanbul.

Turkey's European territory borders Bulgaria in the north, Greece in the west, the Sea of Marmara in the south and the Black Sea in the east.

The largest cities in Eastern Thrace include Corlu, Silivri, Edirne, Tekirdag, Lüleburgaz, Kirklareli and the European part of the city of Istanbul, which has a population of one million.

Istanbul is geographically located directly on the Bosphorus Strait and is divided into the continents of Europe and Asia. In the European part there is the old town with the historic Byzantium peninsula, the Eminömü district with the Hagia Sophia cathedral, the remains of the Byzantine imperial palace, the church of Hagia Irene, the hippodrome, the former Sultan's palace with the important Sultan Ahmed Mosque - or "Blue Mosque”, the ancient cisterns, the Süleymaniye Mosque, the oldest mosque in the city – the Beyazit Mosque, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, the Turkish-Islamic Museum, the Archaeological Museum, the Topkapi Palace, the Golden Gate, the Egyptian bazaar, the Fatih Mosque and the Apostle Church.

So far in the last few years I have traveled to the city of Istanbul several times, including of course the historical European part. Istanbul is a really exciting, exciting and incredibly vibrant metropolis. You quickly get the feeling that the city never sleeps and there is no peace and quiet at any time of the day.

Apart from the enormous traffic, there is actually nothing there that would be a nuisance during a tourist stay. Istanbul is rich in interesting cultural attractions and is guaranteed to never be boring.

If you haven't been to Istanbul yet, you should definitely do so as soon as possible.