How To Get There

London – Istanbul.

The most straightforward way is with either of the 4 direct airlines who ply this route
Easyjet from Luton or Gatwick to Istanbul’s second Airport Sabiha Gokcen. (This airport is a bit futher out on the Asian side but there is a cheap (c£4), regular, English speaking and direct coach straight to the central Taksim Square.

British Airways from London Heathrow into the main Istanbul Ataturk airport. From Ataturk you can get a train into Istanbul centre which connects half way with a tram which is the most straightforward way of getting into the Sultan Ahmet part of town.
www.thy.com from London Heathrow, Manchester and Stansted to Ataturk although currently bafflingly expensive.

www.flypgs.com Pegasus Airlines.fly from Stansted to Sabiha Gokcen.

Newcastle / Manchester / Liverpool / Edinburgh to Istanbul.

Sorry guys, you’re going to have to change and it’s going to be abit more pricey. However KLM, www.klm.com currently seems the best bet in terms of prices and connections. British Airways is also an option, as is Air France, Lufthansa and Swiss Air.

Overland
You could also consider going overland as Jamie’s sister intends to do! A bit more pricey perhaps but what better way to see a bit of Europe on the way before you eventually crawl through the spectacular walls of Constantine after 3 nights travel! Check out this website for this perfectly feasible way of making a spectacular journey. http://www.seat61.com/Turkey.htm