Istanbul City Tour Half Day

On this tour we visit the highlights of the old town of Istanbul, except Topkapi Palace. Being a half day excursion it is suitable for people who want to visit the old town in a light way.  

Tour Plan

Breakfast. Your guide will pick you up from your hotel to start discovering the wonderful old city of Istanbul. We start the tour by visiting the Roman Hippodrome to see the symbolic monuments such as the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpent Column and the German Fountain. Then, we visit the Blue Mosque called Sultanahmet in Turkish; one of the most important and famous Ottoman mosques in the city for its thousands of beautiful tiles. The mosque was built between 1609 – 1616 by Sultan Ahmet I and is the first mosque with 6 minarets (towers) in the history of the Ottoman Empire. The tour continues with the visit of Hagia Sophia where you can see the mixture of 2 religions that was for more than 900 years the Orthodox Cathedral and for almost 500 years the Mosque. As the last stop of the half day tour, we walk about 15 minutes to reach the famous Grand Bazaar which is one of the largest and oldest in the world with more than 4000 shops, where you can see many kinds of Turkish handicrafts. Transfer to the hotel. Free time.  

Istanbul City Tour Full Day

On this tour, we visit the highlights of Istanbul’s old town, including the Ottoman palace of Topkapi and we have an authentic Turkish lunch. As it is a full day excursion, it is suitable for people who wish to have a complete view of the historic center.

Tour Plan

Breakfast. Your guide will pick you up from your hotel to start discovering the wonderful old city of Istanbul. We start the tour by visiting the Roman Hippodrome to see the symbolic monuments such as the Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpent Column and the German Fountain. Then, we visit the Blue Mosque called Sultanahmet in Turkish; one of the most important and famous Ottoman mosques in the city for its thousands of beautiful tiles. The mosque was built between 1609 – 1616 by Sultan Ahmet I and is the first mosque with 6 minarets (towers) in the history of the Ottoman Empire. The tour continues with the visit of Hagia Sophia where you can see the mixture of 2 religions that was for more than 900 years the Orthodox Cathedral and for almost 500 years the Mosque. Lunch in a restaurant to eat typical Turkish food. In the afternoon, we continue with a visit to the Topkapi Palace, which for centuries was the second largest palace in the world. After the conquest of the city by the Ottomans in 1453, it was the main palace until the end of the 19th century. The next stop of the day is a wonderful 1,500-year-old underground treasure, the Basílica Cistern. Commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532, the cistern is the largest preserved in Istanbul; It was built with 336 columns, many of which were rescued from ruined temples. As the last stop of the tour, we walk about 15 minutes to reach the famous Grand Bazaar which is one of the largest and oldest in the world with more than 4000 shops, where you can see many kinds of Turkish handicrafts. Transfer to the hotel.