Istanbul

Once the seat of global power, Istanbul has always held a unique place in the world's collective imagination. But the city that famously spans two continents practically fell off the map following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Now we see Istanbul rising again in importance and the "city of the world's desire" is again a siren song for the world's travelers, from well-heeled Russians with dubious business purposes, to sun-kissed Scandinavians, to abbayah-clad Arabs touring the locations shown in their favorite Turkish soap operas, wildly popular across the Middle East.

Some say Istanbul is experiencing a "cultural renaissance". But the city was always there in its unique magnificence - the rest of the world just wasn't paying attention.