It’s Official: Istanbul is the Best European Destination 2013

The results are in! If you’re looking for a European City Break, then why not go to the official, Best European Destination 2013: Istanbul. The fabulous city has taken spot in a public vote, with just 439 votes ahead of its nearest rival, the Portuguese capital Lisbon.

The famous city is right on the dividing line between two continents and has an amazing mix of culture, cuisine and good times. Filled with clubs and restaurants, there are live gigs, cafes and street art to impress younger people, and a variety of museums and galleries culture vultures will love, it truly is a city that offers something for everyone.

2013 is set to be a landmark year for the city too, with the Istanbul Biennial, pop concerts, special exhibitions and Orhan Pamuk’s recently opened museum of Innocence. It’s also the 90^th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic by Ataturk, with huge celebrations on the cards. With so much happening and a bit of a reputation as a city that doesn’t sleep, it’s not surprising Istanbul took the top spot with 12.4% of the vote.

 Here are some of the nice comments people shared about Istanbul:

Hatice aus Berlin: Istanbul is the best city of the world and sooo nice i love turkey <3

Otfire: I S T A N B U L – the ONE and ONLY! :))

Mark: If new york was in europe, guess we call it istanbul.

Nikos: Vote for Istanbul, it is the best city in the world!

Mikey: İstanbul is the most beautiful city of the WORLD 😉

Busra: I think Istanbul is the nicest city of Europe because there are many things with History which are very important and there is a big nice blue sea which creature a good atmosphere at nigt but normal days too. You can see different cultures and many other persons of the world. There are many modern buildings too which is interesting too. Everybody have to visit Istanbul it is only perfect !!!

Adam: Istanbul is an unique city and not only in the europe but also in the world. It is the oldest city of the old world. Other cities in the list are new and more or less same cities compare to istanbul.

Susan Gurz: After travelling most of the world, ISTANBUL is my favorite

That list in full is:

1. Istanbul, Turkey
2. Lisbon, Portugal
3. Vienna, Austria,
4. Barcelona, Spain
5. Amsterdam, Netherlands
6. Madrid, Spain
7. Valletta Malta
8. Nice, France
9. Milan, Italy
10. Stockholm, Sweden

All images via @ Best European Destination 2013.