Stepping back from Turkey's 'walking city'

Istanbul is a riot of bazaars and hidden gems but for MILO BOYD, exploring it on foot is a tough ask

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There is no better way to explore a new place than by walking. When it comes to soaking up the atmosphere, building an internal map of a city and stumbling upon secret spots and hidden gems while travelling, two feet is the way to go.

Earlier this year, Istanbul was named the most walkable city in Europe in a ranking by Braw Scottish Tours, which analysed the walking distance and step count between the five main attractions in 30 of Europe's most popular cities.

It found that the Turkish capital was number one with an impressively low total walking distance of 2.5km.

This route takes tourists past major attractions such as Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar, which sit in a compact area.

To explore, it'll only take about 3,250 steps and half an hour of walking.

Given my love of pavement pounding, I decided to hit the slabs hard during my first trip to Istanbul, only to quickly discover that I'd bitten off more than I expected.

So much so, I take major issue with the claim that the city is Europe's most walkable. That's not to say that Istanbul is not a fantastic city - in fact, it's one of the most enchanting, vibrant places I've ever visited.