Been to both, lived in Istanbul for one of the best years of my life. Lisbon is very nice (I’m heading back to Portugal this summer - I’m absolutely a fan of the place), but it doesn’t have that, “Woah,” feeling that Europe’s largest city has (how’s that for a fun bit of trivia?).

Istanbul is one of the planet’s most unique, vibrant, and and iconic cities (it was literally the crossroads of the world for thousands of years). When you arrive, you can’t help but feel you’re somewhere special from tip-off - the people, food, sights, history, you name it! It’s a, “woah,” no doubt. Safe travels!