Full Day Highlights of Istanbul Old City incl Lunch & Tickets

based on 44 reviews

Duration:7 hours (approx.)
Location: Istanbul, Turkey

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Discover Istanbul's rich Culture and history with our experienced guides. Skip the Museum Ticket Queues with your guide.

Visit Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Brief Handicraft Presentation next to Grand Bazaar (Optional, guest may opt to explore the bazaar on their own) and Topkapı Palace. Lunch included.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Hagia Sophia Mosque
Pick up from the hotel and join the group. We begin our tour with a visit to Hagia Sophia Museum, which is considered one of the Eight Wonders of the World, occupies a unique place in the history of architectures one of the rare works of this size and age that still survives.
2. Blue Mosque
Our next visit will be The Blue Mosque, which takes its name from the world famous exquisite blue Iznik tiles decorating its interior. Also it is the only imperial mosque in the world that was originally built with six minarets. Note: Blue Mosque is reserved for Prayer on Fridays. On Fridays, we visit the mosque from the exterior.
3. Hippodrome
We continue to the Hippodrome Square, the sporting and social center of old Byzantium, held 100,000 spectators and featured objects from all corners of the empire such as the Egyptian Obelisk, and the Serpent Column.
4. Grand Bazaar
Brief Handicrafts Presentation & Lecture (Optional Attendance) next to the Grand Bazaar. Guest may opt to skip the presentation and explore Grand Bazaar on their own. Meeting back and drive to Lunch. Note: Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.
5. Istanbul
3 Course Lunch (Beverages under your own expenses) *Vegetarian menu is also available
6. Topkapi Palace
Then we visit the Topkapı Palace, the residence of early and mid-era Ottoman Sultans. It was principal residence of the Ottoman Sultans and the center of administration of the Ottoman Empire from 15th to 19th century. During our visit we will see the fabulous Imperial Treasury, the Baghdad Kiosk, Holy Relics and the Kitchen Section including one of the world’s finest collections of Chinese celadon ceramics. The Harem is also located inside the palace which was forbidden to anyone except the Sultan. Drive back to the hotel at the end of the tour. Note: Harem Section not included on the tour
7. Hagia Irene Museum
Our next stop, Hagia Eirene, the Church of the Holy Peace, is one of the few churches in Istanbul that was never converted into a mosque. Hagia Eirene reputedly stands on the site of a pre-Christian temple and has the distinction of being the first church built in Byzantium as it was converted into the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.

ADDITIONAL INFO

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Posted By : wb706
Shakir and Celal were fantastic tour guides with extensive knowledge of the history of the city, as well as warm personalities and great senses of humor. You will likely be taken to bonus places that are not listed in the description of the tour. Highly recommend this tour to anyone that wants to tour Old City with a bout ride.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-23 16:44:59

Posted By : james_a
Covered all the important sites, not the basilica cistern. We started out at a sprint and never stopped. Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace, lunch. Tour gives you quick over view of these sites. I was tired when i got to the Topkapi Palace.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-23 13:26:50

Posted By : Quest629213
What a fabulous day! Our guide was so lovely and knowledgeable and even arranged for me to be picked up from my hotel which was nearby, but not on the official pick up route. It was delightful to connect with other your group members from around the world and take in some of the most incredible, historic sights in the entire world! 10/10 experience!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-21 04:00:42

Posted By : K9880GVsueb
Our guide, Oella, was terrific! The lunch was tasty and quick. They were very prompt and stayed on schedule, and we barely stood in lines at any of our sites: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, or the Palace. It also covered the cost of all entry tickets.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-08 09:30:05

Posted By : Akidat_G
It was a great tour and the guide was excellent his knowledge was really good. I definitely recommend this tour.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-04-22 12:46:30

Posted By : Lmcateer
The visit to the underground Cisterns was incredible and unexpectedly beautiful. The Topkapi Palace was educational and the many exhibits gave a detailed feel of the culture.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-04-16 08:22:05

Posted By : 850noorh
This tour was a really amazing experience and a really perfect way to capture the highlights of Istanbul! The tour guides were very sweet and very knowledgeable about the history of Istanbul, we learned a lot. They are very organized and punctual and accommodate very well. We had two tour guides. one of them was Celal and we forgot the others name, but both were fantastic and were very personable people! Definitely recommend and will never forget this tour
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-26 10:44:29

Posted By : Laura-5280
Where do I begin? First of all Istanbul Popular Travel literally MADE our families trip to Istanbul. I contacted Aras Tarpinyan initially to set up airport transportation to the hotel and from there he helped me book a half day tour for shopping, a full day tour to see the sights and a private yacht sail on the Bosphorus. We were set up with the same lovely driver each day who deftly navigate the crowded streets of Istanbul and was very patient with our group of 10 including a baby and a toddler. Always on time he was super reliable and the sprinter van we had was spotless, had charging ports and we could leave any personal objects safely on board while we explored our destinations. Our bus driver Kemal even went out of his way to purchase a birthday cake for my sister. He was truly the best! The company set us up with Sakir who was a true professional (he is a professional licensed guide and has lead around dignitaries from other countries). Sakir was kind, generous and extremely knowledgeable about Istanbul. Sakir took us shopping at the Grand Bazaar and several shops outside. We were expertly guided thru shops and helped in pricing negotiations. As a professional tour guide, Sakir knows most of the shop owners in Istanbul. My favorite experience was when Sakir took us to the most amazing leather shop and we had a personal shopper and assistance from the amazing manager Mustafa. The second full day tour Sakir took us to The Blue Mosque, Haga Sophia, the Cisterns and the Spice Market. We ended the evening with a private yacht tour of the Bosphorus in which we snacked, drank and danced to tunes thanks to the wifi and Bluetooth speakers. It was the MOST EPIC way to end our visit. Hugs all around to the crew, guide and driver. Was a “Once in a Lifetime” experience. I am sure this adventure sounds super expensive but it was VERY competitively priced. Thank you to all the wonderful staff, you will all be part of my family’s life long memories.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-03-13 14:33:19

Posted By : carlosdG6948PC
Very nice experience. Our tourist guide Ali Riza Ozdemir was amazing. Very knowledgeable. Great advise to buy with reasonable prices
This tour and the Ali are Highly recommended. Great day!!!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-02-18 09:32:31

Posted By : Amina_Chaallal
Best city tour I had. Started on time as planned driver was at my Hotel right at 8:20am as promised.
Our Guide was Ali, in addition to Ali’s amazing story telling skills and knowledge about history of the city, he has managed our little crowd perfectly and so all areas planned in the trip were visited. I highly recommend Ali as a guide and Istanbul Popular Travel as company.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-04 09:15:21