Experience the 'magical' sights and sounds of an Istanbul morning

Istanbul is a "magical" city, with a mystifying nature that is compounded in the morning, according to a travel expert.

Rose Mulready, a writer who has authored guides about the city, recommends that anyone on a solo holiday in Istanbul should wake up early on at least one day that they are staying there.

"There are few things more magical than getting up on a rooftop before dawn to listen to this city wake," she wrote on the Lonely Planet's website.

"As the mournful cries of the muezzins issuing the call to prayer weave over one another and the sky lightens behind the minarets, you'll be working up an appetite for a sumptuous Turkish breakfast to fuel your perfect Istanbul day."

This "perfect Istanbul day" could include exploring the metropolitan city's shops and its markets, which are ideal places to see the fascinating mixture of European and Asian cultures in the city.