"Classic Wonders" Tour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Saint Sophia "Haghia Sophia" in Greek means "divine wisdom", is an extraordinary architectural achievement from the 6th century. Built by Anthémios de Tralles and Isodore de Millet, it was inaugurated by Justinien and his wife Théodora (537). This Byzantine masterpiece has splendid mosaics with a gold background and colored marbles. Justinian for the construction of the dome had ordered from Rhodes bricks of earth so light that twelve of them weighed no more than an ordinary brick, they bore the following inscription: "It is God who founded, God will help him. " The Ottomans had transformed it into a mosque, then in 1935 it became a museum.

   2 h

2. The Blue Mosque (1609-1616) is one of the most famous mosques in the world with six minarets, it owes its name to the ceramic tiles (around 20,000) from Iznik (Nicea) predominantly blue which line its interior walls. .

   30 min

3. The Palace of TOPKAPI has 4 different courtyards, it settled on 70ha before the construction of the railway network and was the residence of the sultans until the 19th century. For 4 centuries it was the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire. The Palace housed the headquarters of DIVAN, the main body of power. Its huge kitchen fed between 4 and 5 thousand people a day. Today the kitchen hosts a collection of Chinese and Japanese porcelain. Its famous treasure, with the 86-carat "kasikçi" diamond, the gold chandeliers decorated with diamonds, the sultan's thrones are witnesses to the rich history of the empire. In the 3rd courtyard of the palace is the hall of the relics of the prophet Mohammed, it is a holy place for Muslims. The kiosks in the 4th courtyard complete this architectural beauty of the palace. On these terraces, you have a breathtaking view of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.

   3 h

4. A sixth century water reserve with 336 columns and a volume DE 90 000 m3.

   30 min

5. The racecourse DE the Byzantine Empire by Constantine the Great, the obelisk, the serpentine column

   15 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 46 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Istanbul

• Its from-price is 24% below the median of the 3649 experiences we list in Istanbul.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 428 of 3649.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Istanbul

Istanbul straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus, with Byzantine and Ottoman monuments, busy bazaars and ferries crossing between continents.

The historic peninsula holds the greatest landmarks. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Hippodrome face each other in Sultanahmet, the Basilica Cistern lies beneath the streets, and Topkapı Palace spreads across the hill above the Golden Horn. A short walk away, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar have traded for centuries, and Süleymaniye Mosque, built by the great Ottoman architect Sinan, crowns one of the city's seven hills.

Top-ranked sights in Istanbul: Dolmabahce Palace (Dolmabahce Sarayi), Bosphorus, Bosphorus Bridge (Bogazici Koprusu).

See all 3649 experiences in Istanbul