Best of Istanbul: private guided tour of the Old City-Sultanahmet
Activities

Best of Istanbul: private guided tour of the Old City-Sultanahmet

Free cancellation
Language: English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese
Mobile voucher accepted
Duration: 7 hours
Do this because
  • Discover the highlights of the Old City of Istanbul with a local guide
  • Expand your knowledge with the explanations of your private guide
  • Customize your itinerary as you wish and set your pace accordingly
What to expect

Meet your guide at your hotel and start your private tour of the highlights of Istanbul! Expand your knowledge with the explanations of a private local guide, who will tell you all you need to know about the highlights of the Old City of Istanbul, including Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar.

Hagia Sophia was built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian and played a very important role in both the Christian and Islamic worlds. After the Ottoman conquest, the bells, the altar, the iconostasis, and the sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over to convert the church into a mosque.

Then visit the Hippodrome, where the chariot races were held during the Roman Empire, and a subterranean wonder: the Basilica Cistern, a former water storage chamber and one of Istanbul's greatest surviving Byzantine sites.

The tour also includes the Blue Mosque. Built in the early 1600s for Sultan Ahmet I, it is a truly magnificent masterpiece of architecture with amazingly delicate proportions for a building of such massive scale.

Marvel at Topkapi Palace, the former imperial residence of Ottoman sultans and a great monument of Oriental architecture, and see the houses of high council members of the Ottoman Empire along Sogukcesme Street.

Your Istanbul tour will end with a pleasant stroll at the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world with over 4,000 shops selling colorful ceramic products, leather, rugs, carpets, handicrafts, clothes, silver, and gold.

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What's included
  • check Private tour
  • check Pick-up and drop-off from designated areas
What's not included
  • x_not_included Entrance fees
  • x_not_included Roundtrip transportation
Where

Basilica Cistern, Alemdar, Yerebatan Cd. 1/3, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey

Meeting point:
If you're staying in the areas of Sultanahmet, Taksim, Beyoglu, Ortakoy, Laleli, Sisli and Besiktas, you'll meet your guide directly at your hotel and start the tour from there. Please provide your pick-up location at checkout. If your accommodation is outside these areas, you will have to meet your guide at: Basilica Cistern, Alemdar, Yerebatan Cd. 1/3, İstanbul. Please confirm the meeting point with the local operator after booking.
What to remember
  • If you're staying in the areas of Sultanahmet, Taksim, Beyoglu, Ortakoy, Laleli, Sisli and Besiktas, you'll meet your guide directly at your hotel and start the tour from there. Please provide your pick-up location at checkout
  • If your accommodation is outside these areas, you will have to meet your guide at: Basilica Cistern, Alemdar, Yerebatan Cd. 1/3, İstanbul. Please confirm the meeting point with the local operator after booking
  • Museum tickets are not included in the price of this tour. Children under 7 can get free entrance tickets in museums. Please make sure that you have the passport of children as museums will verify their ages for free tickets
  • Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays, Hagia Sophia entrance will be restricted during praying time, the Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays and the Blue Mosque is closed until 2pm on Fridays
  • Your tour guide will make necessary changes such as switching/swapping sites when the museums are closed
  • This tour is available in English, Italian, French, Spanish, German and Portuguese
  • Please note that Basilica Cistern will be under restoration until the end of 2022
  • Prices are per group (1-8 people) and not per person
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Provider
GIT - Guided Istanbul Tours
Booking fee
Good news! No extra fees are applied to this booking.
Cancellation policy
Receive a 100% refund if you cancel up to 24 hours before the experience begins.

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