Istanbul Kick Start Tour First Time Visitor Essentials
- 2 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Just arrived in Istanbul? Start your trip on the right foot with the Istanbul Kick Start Tour — a friendly 2-hour walking orientation designed for first-time visitors. You’ll discover the heart of the historic peninsula while learning everything you need to navigate, enjoy, and understand this complex and beautiful city. This is more than a walking tour — it’s your personal Istanbul briefing. Your local expert will share tips on transportation, customs, safety, language, and food, while giving you a brief historical overview of key landmarks like Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque (from the outside). By the end, you’ll feel like you belong here. We finish the tour at the legendary Puding Shop (Lale Restaurant) — a 1960s traveler hub once loved by overland backpackers and Beat Generation writers — where you can rest, eat, and plan the rest of your journey with confidence.
Inclusions
What's included
- Friendly local guide with insider tips
- End-of-tour local advice over tea (optional)
- Walking orientation with live Q&A
- Overview of historical and modern Istanbul
- City Map
What's not
- Entrance to any monuments (exterior visit only)
- Food or drinks at the Puding Shop
- Transportation or public transit tickets
- Gratuities (recommended)
Itinerary
Walk through the Hippodrome: Obelisks, Roman history
Exterior views of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia Orientation around Sultanahmet tram area and transport systems Walk through the local lanes and hidden corners Tour ends at the Puding Shop (Lale Restaurant) — time to relax or grab a bite!
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Go to the end of the Hippodrome and next to The Museum of Islamic Art.
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 8 travellers
- Operated by
- Tematique Tours
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How it compares in Istanbul
- Its from-price is 62% below the median of the 3649 experiences we list in Istanbul.
- It is shorter than most of them.
- 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).
Special offers in Istanbul
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
