It is where most of the key historical buildings are, and I’ve always had accommodation there (my uncle lived there too). If you are flying in, you’ll usually arrive at the main airport, which is also on the European side. If you are foolish to use EasyJet they use an airport on the Asian side which is an awful long way out of the city and involves driving through mile after mile of new tower blocks that are a worry in an earthquake zone (earthquakes are moving westward along the North Anatolian Fault and Istanbul will likely be hit next - it’ll be horrific).
And this is the European bit of Istanbul:
https://istanbul.tips/guide-about-european-side-of-istanbul-things-to-do-see-how-to-get-around/
It is where most of the key historical buildings are, and I’ve always had accommodation there (my uncle lived there too). If you are flying in, you’ll usually arrive at the main airport, which is also on the European side. If you are foolish to use EasyJet they use an airport on the Asian side which is an awful long way out of the city and involves driving through mile after mile of new tower blocks that are a worry in an earthquake zone (earthquakes are moving westward along the North Anatolian Fault and Istanbul will likely be hit next - it’ll be horrific).