Strolling Through Istanbul

First published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Long acknowledged to be the "best travel guide to Istanbul" ("Times" of London) this classic work shows Istanbul the way it is seen at its best -on foot. An informative guide and ideal companion, it describes major monuments in detail with reference to history and architecture. Although the main emphasis of the book is on Byzantine and Ottoman antiquities, Istanbul is not treated as a museum but as a living city, full of delights. Detailed walking itineraries are provided.

Athens, city of the gods, birthplace of modern democracy, artistic and cultural center of the ancient world, is steeped in myth and legend. Now, in this newly reissued book publishing just in time for the 2004 Olympics being held in Athans, travel writer John Freely guides readers on a series of walks to the city's most vibrant and historic areas, from the magnificent Parthenon, center of Athens for four thousand years, to the winding streets of Plaka, the crumbling ruins of the Agora and the color and bustle of Monastiraki. We are led to the theatre of Dionysus, scene of the tragic plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles and to the spot where Phidippides ended his legendary run from Marathon. Vivid descriptions of Athens' most famous monuments and archeological sites are interwoven with mythology and anecdote; secret gems are discovered and the past resurrected with every step. This guide, more than any other available, reveals how the heart of ancient Athens still beats beneath the living, modern city.

There is perhaps no other European city quite as romantic, as exquisitely beautiful or as enigmatic as Venice. 'La Serenissima' floats on a hundred islets in a crescent-shaped lagoon, ribboned with canals, its labyrinth shadowed with ghosts of the past. This seemingly fragile city was the birthplace and inspiration for some of the greatest artists in history and was also, for a thousand years, the strongest sea-faring and mercantile power in the world. In Strolling Through Venice, John Freely brings Venice - her past and her present - alive. Beginning at Piazza San Marco, Freely guides the reader on a series of carefully planned and unique walks radiating from the iconic Grand Canal into each of the city's sestieri. Through streets and squares, along canals, into churches, galleries, museums and palazzi; every major place of interest that the visitor could hope to see is illuminated. At each spot Freely peels back the layers of history to reveal the stories of Venice. Practical and informative, richly coloured and bursting with history, myth and legend, Strolling Through Venice is the perfect guide for anyone who has fallen under the spell of this most enchanting city.