Istanbul Cultural Tour: Explore Galata, Fener, Balat and Golden Horn by Ferry
5.0
8 Ratings
Beyoğlu
Uncover Istanbul's hidden historical treasures on foot. Explore Galata, Fener, Balat, and the Golden Horn by ferry. Discover ancient city walls, churches, mosques, synagogues, and traditional houses.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Galata Tower - We will see great Istanbul panorama from top of this tower. One of the cityâs most distinctive sights, this great fortification dating back to 1348 was erected by Genoese Italians.
What's Included
- Donations
- Professional guide
- Small group experience
- Transport by Ferry, Tram, Bus
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
- Galata Tower Admission (Currently closed for renovation)
Additional Information
We are fervently dedicated to exploring the less visited historical gems of this extraordinary city by foot. Our tour commences at the striking Galata Tower that provides a panoramic view of the enchanting beauty of the Bosphorus and the Old City. We guide you away from the main tourist routes towards multi-cultural areas of Fener, Balat, and Ayvansaray. These are the vintage neighborhoods of Istanbul where the boundary of Constantinople officially ends which indicates exploring the surviving city walls of the Byzantines and revealing historical churches, mosques, synagogues, traditional residences, and even the ruins of a palace. Our tour culminates with a serene ferry trip along the Golden Horn.
- Entrance to Galata Tower is not included in the tour price. ( GALATA TOWER IS CURRENTLY CLOSED DUE TO AN ONGOING RENOVATION, THIS IS WHY VISITED FROM OUTSIDE )
- It is challenging to do the tour along with a stroller, not recommended for families with infants use stroller
- It is a walking tour, so there is a moderate amount of walking involved
Location
Galata Tower
The meeting spot is outside Anemon Hotel. Your guide ( will be wearing a tour guide badge so will be easy to spot ) will meet you outside the entrance to ANEMON HOTEL which is located right next to Galata Tower.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(8 Ratings)
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Marc_s
Feb 23, 2024
Cultural discovery - Discovered the fusion of cultures Roman expansion to Ottoman capture and everything in between. We were also lucky enough to see the patriarch of the Orthodox Church
Review provided by Viator
Kay_g
Oct 4, 2023
Great multi-cultural tour - This was a great tour. Our tour guide Gamze Aksin was awesome. We enjoyed our time so much. I definitely would recommend this tour. Lots of great walking and getting to see the different cultures of the city.
Review provided by Viator
Kara_h
Jul 14, 2023
So many colors - This was the best tour we’ve been on! We got a personalized tour of some off the beaten path neighborhoods in Istanbul. It would have been hard to find these areas on our own. We absolutely loved our tour guide, Gamze and will always think of her as our beautiful Turkish friend. She was so informative and flexible with our family’s needs. We felt like we were walking around with one of our friends.
Review provided by Viator
Tony_l
Mar 27, 2023
Beautiful picturesque adventure - We had a wonderful afternoon with our amazing guide, Can (John). We felt very lucky as our family were the only one's booked in for the afternoon so we had our very own tailred adventure. We started by exploring the Galata tower area then took the ferry across to Fenner and Ballat a very architecturally colourful area. We took lunch at a local restaurant and saw the Iron Church. Can then saw us safely back to our hotel as the weather cancelled our afternoon ferry. Thankyou to our amazing guide who gave us a wonderful experience in Istanbul.
Review provided by Viator
Riddaali
Aug 29, 2022
Galata, Fener and Balat - This was an amazing tour and as there was only 2 of us we felt we had a very personalised experience. Erol our tour guide is amazing at his job and very knowledgeable. There are so many hidden gems in Istanbul and without this tour we would have passed them without knowing. Highly recommend this tour and our guide Erol. Looking forward to booking again in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Darcy_g
Aug 11, 2022
Cultural history and architecture - Erol was an excellent guide. We felt like we were with a professor of Istanbul history. The tour was exactly as we hoped.
Review provided by Viator
Melissa_h
May 17, 2022
Istanbul discovered - A super tour with Erol that gave me a view of Istanbul I might not have discovered on my own. From start to finish this was a wonderful tour of Istanbul, beginning at Galata tower, learning it's history and that of the area surrounding it, seeing the beautiful views from the top of the tower; exploring the charming neighborhoods of Fener and Balat, enjoying delicious Turkish desserts and tea at a local cafe; relaxing on the final leg on the ferry ride home. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone, it was such a pleasure and Erol is incredibly knowledgable and easy to be with.
Review provided by Viator
Selden
May 12, 2022
Wonderful walking tour. You will learn a lot. - If you are looking for something off the beaten path, consider this walking tour from Galata Tower, through backstreets of Galata and Karaköy, then across the Golden Horn to Balat and Fener neighborhoods, two of the most interesting on the old city side of the Golden Horn, followed by a ferry boat ride back to Karaköy. Home to Greek and Jewish communities for centuries, Fener and Balat are fascination places, an area that is largely still "undiscovered" by tourists.
My wife and I took this walking tour in May 2022. Due to Covid and the Russian-Ukrainian war, we were the only two people, so it was *very* personalized. Expect about ~5 miles of walking — bring water. Erol is knowledgeable, an excellent guide, with a passion for sharing what he knows about Istanbul and its neighborhoods.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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