Best of Istanbul Tour

$300 $250 per person

The bridge between east and west, Istanbul is a vibrant city with magnificent architecture and a rich history as the former capital of the Ottoman empire. Cover top sites like the Blue Mosque and the Spice Market on this action-packed guided trip, which offers 1-, 2-, or 3-day itineraries to best suit your schedule. Because it’s a private tour, you have plenty of time for questions along the way. Here you can see the flexible daily tour itineraries below (7 hours per day): Day 1 – Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome Square, German Fountain, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar. Day 2 – Bosphorus Cruise by Public Ferry, Dolmabahce Palace, Taksim Square, Istiklal Street, Cicek Passage, Galata Tower (from outside), Spice Market. Day 3 – Suleymaniye Mosque, Fener and Balat Districts, St. Stephen Church (Iron Church), Pierre Lotti Panoramic Hill by Cable Car, Rahmi Koc Museum (or alternative sites).

7 Hours

15+ Age

On Budget

Vacation

Departure

*Tour guide meets you at central Istanbul hotels or Galata Port. If the hotel is not centrally located, the meeting point will be in front of the German Fountain.
Departure Time

Please arrive by 10:15 AM for a prompt departure at 11:00 AM.
Return Time

Approximately 6:30 PM.
Dress Code

Casual, comfortable athletic clothing, hiking shoes, hat and light jacket.
Included

Best of Istanbul Tour

Departure Taxes

Entry Fees

5 Star Accommodation

Personal Guide

Breakfast

FROM OUR GALLERY

The bridge between east and west, Istanbul is a vibrant city with magnificent architecture and a rich history as the former capital of the Ottoman empire. Cover top sites like the Blue Mosque and the Spice Market on this action-packed guided trip, which offers 1-, 2-, or 3-day itineraries to best suit your schedule. Because it’s a private tour, you have plenty of time for questions along the way. Here you can see the flexible daily tour itineraries below (7 hours per day): Day 1 - Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome Square, German Fountain, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar. Day 2 - Bosphorus Cruise by Public Ferry, Dolmabahce Palace, Taksim Square, Istiklal Street, Cicek Passage, Galata Tower (from outside), Spice Market. Day 3 - Suleymaniye Mosque, Fener and Balat Districts, St. Stephen Church (Iron Church), Pierre Lotti Panoramic Hill by Cable Car, Rahmi Koc Museum (or alternative sites).

Sultanahmet District Stop: 15 minutes

Sultanahmet District

Hippodrome Stop: 15 minutes

Hippodrome Square / Atmeydanı Hippodrome; where the chariot races were held in the Roman Empire times, Egyptian Column from Byzantine Empire time and today German Fountain is the main cornerstone of the square of Ottoman Empire.

German Fountain Stop: 15 minutes

Germa Fountain / Alman Çeşmesi

Sultanahmet Square Stop: 15 minutes

Sultanahmet Square

Hagia Sophia Mosque Stop: 60 minutes

Hagia Sophia Museum / Ayasofya / Santa Sofia Built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian, played a very important role in the Christian and Islamic World. After the Ottoman conquest the bells, altar, iconoclastic, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over to convert the church into a mosque then a museum and now it’s a mosque for the second time. The most important stop of an Istanbul tour is operated in Old City Istanbul / Constantinople. *Please note that as it's not a museum anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority there. You may need to wait in the security line, in order to avoid queues we suggest departing at 8:30am or 9:00am.

Blue Mosque Stop: 60 minutes

Blue Mosque / Sultanahmet Camii (TEMPORARILY CLOSED BETWEEN JANUARY 1 - APRIL 1 ON 2023) Built in the early 1600s for Sultan Ahmet I of the Ottoman Empire, the Blue Mosque is truly a magnificent masterpiece of architecture with amazingly delicate proportions for a building of such massive scale.

Basilica Cistern Stop: 60 minutes - Admission excluded

Byzantine Cistern; was the water storage of Byzantine Empire providing clean drinking water to the citizens of city, especially during period of siege. Binbirdirek and Serefiye Cisterns are the options that you can visit by talking with your tour guide on tour day. *Please remember that Basilica Cistern is under restoration until end of 2022 so it's not open to visit.

Topkapi Palace Stop: 2 hours - Admission excluded

Topkapi Palace Museum / Topkapı Sarayı More than just an Imperial Residence of Ottoman Sultans, it was the seat of the Supreme Executive and Judiciary Council for almost 400 years long. Topkapi Palace is a great monument of Oriental architecture which resembles the power of the Ottoman Empire.

Grand Bazaar Stop: 60 minutes

Grand Bazaar / Kapalı Çarşı One of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world with over 4,000 shops with colorful products of ceramic, leather, rugs, carpets, handicrafts, clothes, silver, and gold.

Bosphorus Strait Stop: 2 hours - Admission excluded

Bosphorus Cruise by Public Ferry or Private Cruise ( if option is chosen) Take the public ferry for Bosphorus Cruise to see both Istanbul’s European and Asian sides, Galata Tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, the Rumeli Fortress, old Ottoman villas, Bosphorus bridges, mosques. Your best Istanbul tour memories will definitely include the Bosphorus.

Dolmabahce Palace Stop: 60 minutes - Admission excluded

Dolmabahce Palace / Dolmabahçe Sarayı Elegance and beauty with the most luxury decoration, chandeliers, rugs, crystals, ceramic fireplaces. Beautiful palace, right on the Bosphorus with gorgeous furnishings, paintings, porcelains made in particular to Dolmabahce.

Taksim Square Stop: 60 minutes

Taksim Square / Taksim Meydanı A great place defining modern Turkey which witnessed important historical moments. Close to Istiklal Street (Istiklal Caddesi) and Galata Tower along with embassies of European countries in Taxim. Cicek Passage has very good food joints, cafes, shops, bars, night clubs around Taksim.

Istiklal Caddesi Stop: 45 minutes

Istiklal Street is the modern and colorful face of Turkey with churches, modern art galeries, embassies, pubs, cafes and shops selling different kind of products.

Cicek Pasaji Stop: 10 minutes

Cicek Passage / Flower Passage Originally named as Cite de Pera, a combined structure of traditional and modern construction methods and architectural style by Ottoman Empire is reflected and today we see the small shops and cafes here.

Galata Tower Stop: 10 minutes - Admission excluded

We will see the tower FROM OUTSIDE, due to the regulations unfortunately tour guides don't have skip the line priority here so it takes long time to wait queue. Your tour guide will make you explanation about tower.

Misir Carsisi (Spice Market) Stop: 45 minutes

Spice Market / Mısır Çarşısı Egyptian Bazaar is a colorful indoor bazaar and has lots of shops offering a variety of spices, purses, flavored teas, Turkish delight, nuts, as well as ceramics, and small souvenirs. Spice Bazaar is located in Eminonu Square which is the connection point of Bosphorus and Golden Horn.

Historic Areas of Istanbul Stop: 10 minutes

Historic Areas of Istanbul

Suleymaniye Mosque Stop: 60 minutes

Suleymaniye Mosque / Süleymaniye Camii is the largest mosque in Istanbul and is as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside. In the garden behind the mosque, the Suleymaniye terrace offers lovely views of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus.

Balat Stop: 2 hours

Fener-Balat Neighborhood backstreet walk Continue exploring Istanbul’s rich religious history with a stop at the Church of St. George. Since the 1600s, the church has been the location of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and is recognized as the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Religion. Balat District; lines of drying laundry stretch across steep, winding streets. Century-old Ottoman houses lean against each other in a combination of reds, blues, and greens. And art galleries and design shops dot the area along the water.

Fener Rum Patrikhanesi Stop: 45 minutes

Orthodox Patriarch

Bulgarian Orthodox Church Stop: 45 minutes

St. Stephen Church; Located on the shore of the Golden Horn, the church is also known as the Iron Church due to the fact that it’s made entirely of prefabricated cast iron in 19th century.

Pierre Loti Tepesi Stop: 30 minutes - Admission excluded

Pierre Loti Hill and Cable Car are some of the most popular sights to visit since it offers great views for visitors. Take the cable car to reach the top and enjoy the beautiful scenery while sipping your Turkish coffee or tea.

Rahmi M. Koc Museum Stop: 90 minutes - Admission excluded

Rahmi Koc Museum is on the northern part of Golden Horn, here we visit industrial and cultural museum built by famous family of Koc who were the leading power of Turkish Republic in industrial field since early period of 20th century.

Haliç Stop: 30 minutes - Admission excluded

Golden Horn region which is one of the oldest settlements of the city of Constantinople.

You'll return to the starting point

Returns to original departure point

TOUR LOCATION

Galataport Istanbul, Kılıçali Paşa Mah. Meclis-i Mebusan Cad. No: 8 İç Kapı No: 102, Kılıçali Paşa, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye

History of the Istanbul

Day one begins with a visit to the Hagia Sophia, a 6th-century Byzantine cathedral adorned in spectacular gold mosaics. From there, cover attractions like the ancient Basilica Cistern in the heritage district of Sultanahmet, and learn how the Blue Mosque got its nickname. You also have time to explore the treasures of Topkapi Palace, once home to the Ottoman sultans and their famous harems. If you opt for a 2-day tour, begin with a visit to the bustling Spice Market, where you can haggle for saffron alongside shoppers. Cruise down the famous Bosphorus, where you might catch sight of river dolphins, explore the vibrant pedestrian street of Istiklal, and make a stop at Galata Tower, a medieval stone monument with incredible panoramas over the city. The third day covers the Suleymaniye Mosque, the most beautiful of the Ottoman mosques, as well as the Byzantine frescoes in Chora Church. You also enjoy sweeping city views on a cable car ride on Pierre Loti Hill.

Departure details

Traveler pickup is offered.
*FOR LAST MINUTE BOOKINGS AND LATE DEPARTURES, as museums and some sites will be closed around 17:30 pm, alternative tour sites will be advised by the tour guide during the tour. *Tour guide meets you at central Istanbul hotels or Galata Port. If the hotel is not centrally located, the meeting point will be in front of the German Fountain. If van service is not chosen your guide will pick you up at centrally located hotels on foot. If private van service is booked, please note that there will be a surcharge if your hotel is located outside of the city center or on the Asian Side.
Ports:
Istanbul Cruise Port
Galataport Istanbul, Kılıçali Paşa Mah. Meclis-i Mebusan Cad. No: 8 İç Kapı No: 102, Kılıçali Paşa, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye
Hotel pickup is offered. View the hotel list on our checkout page to see if yours is included among the pickup points.

Return details

Returns to original departure point

Comments:

TASHA STEWART

November 4, 2016 at 2:02 pm

I cannot speak highly enough about our 3 week trip to this place and the services provided by this travel company. Everything was seamless. The private guides were interesting and knowledgable. We felt that they were more than just guides. It was like we had a friend in each city.
JUDITH BROWN

November 4, 2016 at 2:14 pm

My fiance and I had never been to Europe, but wanted to plan a unique elopement trip to this place. We had no idea where to start, and turned to some internet research to find the services of this agency and eventually connect with the team at this travel agency. From the first email exchange, we knew that our travel consultant and her team would be our travel company.

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ADDITIONAL INFO

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
For last minute bookings, tour starting time can be flexible.
Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays can be replaced with Spice Market.
Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays can be replaced with alternatives.
Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia closed until 2pm on Fridays, will be visited in the afternoon.
For multiple day booking, private van service will be advised according to your hotel location and size of your group.
Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Mondays. Due to museum regulations, live guide service is not available at Dolmabahce Palace.
Galata Tower will be visited from outside unless you would like to pay entrance fee there.
When booking the tour with van, if your hotel is located in Sultanahmet you will be steps away from the museums, so the van will not be used as much.
Annual Closing Dates of museums and bazaars in Istanbul are; January 1 – New Year April 21, 22, 23 – Ramadan Celebrations June 28, 29, 30, July 1 – Eid al-Fitr Celebrations October 29 – Republic Day
Most travelers can participate
*As Hagia Sophia is not a museum anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority there. You may need to wait in the security line, in order to avoid queues we suggest departing at 8:30am or 9:00am.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate