Private Guided Tour: Discovering Istanbul

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. After your guide picks you up from your accommodations, the tour will open with the magnificent Hippodrome, once the site of chariot races during the Roman and Byzantine times. See the ancient monuments which stand here to this day, such as the Obelisk of the Theodosius, the Serpentine Column, and the Column of Constantine.

   1 h

2. Then, visit the most photographed site in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque. Famous for its beautiful courtyard and impressive minarets, the mosque gets its nickname from the splendid blue tiles that cover its interior walls.

   1 h

3. Next, visit Topkapi Palace, home to the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Today, Topkapi Palace is a spectacular museum that houses the Muslim world’s holiest relics, including the cloak and sword of the Prophet Mohammed.

   1 h

4. Break for lunch, then continue to the Hagia Sophia, one of the world's architectural gems. An ancient basilica dating back to the 4th century, the Hagia Sophia stood as the Cathedral of Constantinople for over a thousand years before being converted into a mosque in 1453, it serves as a museum today.

   1 h

5. Spend time in Istanbul's famous Grand Bazaar, the largest and the oldest covered marketplace in the world, where you may find all kinds of gifts, leather, clothing, rugs (carpets), antiques, and jewelry in an authentic Oriental atmosphere. Experience the sights, sounds, and aromas. At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel or cruise port.

   2 h

Cancellation

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

Reviews

Ratings come from 13 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 34% below the median of the 3649 experiences we list in Istanbul.
• It is longer than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 893 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