Why cut corners on the Continent when you can still live large for less all over the globe? Our foreign correspondents scout out seven of your favorite spots for sweel hotels, top tables, and plenty of the high life—all for under $250 a day.

Pleasure Domes
Istanbul's glories did not begin and end in a.d. 537 with the completion of Hagia Sophia. Shouldering the weight of 3,000 years of history, the city continues its dynamic evolution: Right now there's a buzzy arts scene going on in the restored nineteenth-century Tünel district. If you want opulence beyond measure, certainly Istanbul can provide it, but the city's true cultural riches are within reach of even the most modest budget.

Typical Day for Two
$115 A Room at Empress Zoe
$15 Lunch at Rumeli Café
$6 Visit to the Istanbul Modern
$50 Souvenir (toga)
$22 Cocktails at 360
$40 Dinner with wine at Sofyali
TOTAL: $248 (including tax and tips)

BED
The faultlessly elegant Ibrahim Pasa has taken a discreet mallet to its nineteenth-century layout and now offers rooms with space enough to sleep, lounge, and whirl like a dervish. The deluxe doubles are a little pricier but worth every cent (90-212-518-0394; www.ibrahimpasha.com; doubles, $145–$197). The bohemian Hotel Empress Zoe has an enchanting garden and lovely city views from every window. The nicest rooms are in the newer section (90-212-518-2504; www.emzoe.com; doubles, $90–$125). Cheaper, chicer, and great fun is Hotel Nomade, with 16 rooms, each with its own color scheme, and a rooftop bar (90-212-513-8172; www.hotelnomade.com; doubles, $98). The Fehmi Bey is an inviting family-run inn that offers free airport transfers and stunning views from its rooftop terrace. Book an executive room or higher category (90-212-638-9083; www.hotelfehmibey.com; doubles, $103–$120). All of these hotels are within a five-minute walk of Hagia Sophia.

BOARD
Sit-down lunches in the Sultan-ahmet historical district tend to be overpriced and underwhelming. The exception is the small, stylish Rumeli Café. Try the avci borek, a fried pastry filled with meat, pine nuts, spices, and currants (90-212-512-0008; entrées, $6–$20). In the evening, head to the fish bazaar in the cosmopolitan neighborhood of Beyoglu and eat in Nevizade Sokak, a narrow street lined with taverns, where Turks come to eat grilled fish and drink raki into the night. (Recommended spots: Kadir'in Yeri and Boncuk.) Sofyali serves superior mezes. Reserve a streetside table (90-212-245-0362; mezes, $2–$4).

LOCAL COLOR
The Istanbul Modern Museum opened this year in an old waterfront warehouse across the Galata Bridge from the Old City (90-212-243-4318; www.istanbulmodern.org; admission, $3). Alternatively, browse the ancient manuscripts in the calligraphy collection at the elegant new Sakip Sabanci Museum, up the Bosphorus in Emirgan (90-212-277-2200; muze.sabanciuniv.edu/english/; admission, $3).