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Private Tour: Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace Exploration with Fast-Track Entry

5.0

18 Ratings

Fatih

Embark on a private tour of Istanbul's Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace. Explore the underground marvel of the cistern and delve into the opulent world of Ottoman sultans at the palace. Fast-track entry included!

Duration: 3 hours

Cancellation: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Basilica Cistern - After you meet your tour guide at the entrance of Basilica Cistern where Privileged Entry. Start to explore the ancient underground world of the Basilica Cistern on this private guided tour. Built in the 6th century, this mysterious subterranean chamber once held water for the city’s palaces and gardens. Now, you can wander through its dimly lit passages and marvel at the stunning Byzantine architecture, including the rows of marble columns and the eerie Medusa heads at the base of two pillars. Your guide will share fascinating stories and historical facts about the cistern, bringing this hidden gem of Istanbul to life.

What's Included

Guided tour of the Basilica Cistern
Services of a professional licensed tour guide
Topkapi Palace guided tour

What's Not Included

Hotel pickup
Entry fee of the Basilica Cistern ( 800 TL per person)
Entry fee of the Topkapi Palace ( 1500 TL per person)

Additional Information

Discover the captivating history and architectural wonders of Istanbul with our tour that takes you on a journey through the mysterious Basilica Cistern and the opulent Topkapi Palace. Our tour begins at the breathtaking Basilica Cistern, an underground marvel that dates back to the 6th century. Discover the ingenuity of Byzantine engineers who constructed this colossal subterranean reservoir, capable of holding over 80,000 tons of water. Our next stop transports you to the magnificent Topkapi Palace, the former residence of Ottoman sultans for almost 400 years. Admire the palace’s distinctive architecture, lush gardens, and stunning views of the Bosphorus Strait. Explore the Harem, the most intimate and secluded part of the palace, where sultans and their families resided. Discover the secrets, intrigues, and luxurious lifestyles of the Ottoman royalty as you wander through these opulent chambers.

Location

Basilica Cistern

Yerebatan Caddesi

Meet your tour guide at the entrance of Basilica Cistern ( We will contact to you before your starts for more information )

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

5.0

(18 Ratings)

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Abc123doerayme

May 30, 2024

Inspiring, Informative and Adventurous - Erdem made my visit to Istanbul inspiring, informative and adventurous, plus little-to-no line-ups. His English was excellent and his knowledge about the sites and history was mindboggling. He adapted to some of my more offbeat request gave me the experience I was looking for.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Global47393095083

May 27, 2024

Excellent experience Istanbul - Excellent!! Very professional, Our guide Ezgi Uygun is a very nice and knowledgeable person, he accompanied us on a wonderful day.

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Paulm305

May 25, 2024

Great guide in a fab city - Erdem was a great guide. He was very knowledgable and walked my wife and I around at a pace that suited us. He clearly knew when to go to what sites and everything was made easy for us. Would highly recommend him.

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Suemerve

May 13, 2024

Topkapi Palace area - Our guide was Erdim. He was very knowledgeable about the history of the Topkapi Palace & Cistern Basilica. He spent time making sure we understood what we were seeing & the history of the area Erdams English was excellent & we had no problems understanding what he told us We would recommend him to others looking to have a great guide Sue, Linda & Merv

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Goplaces554112

May 13, 2024

Private Guided Istanbul Tour for 2 - Look no further! Murat gave us an excellent all-day tour of Istanbul’s most important historic sites: Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Basilica Cistern, Tokopi Palace, and a bonus carpet house near the Grand Bazaar. He clearly has a passion for history of Turkey and Istanbul and enjoys sharing his knowledge. It was a lot to see and do in one day and Murat was very attuned to our needs and adjusted as we needed to make sure we were comfortable and happy while also insisting we don’t miss this or that. We fully enjoyed our time with Murat; he is very professional and we also had a lot of fun. Highly recommended Murat and Eyewitness Travel and would work with him again for additional travel itineraries in Istanbul and Turkey.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Joseph_g

May 10, 2024

Easy operation - Very good! Erdem was a great guide and had a lot of interesting stories. Very communicative. Took great pics too.

Review provided by Viator

Miguelaj8517dn

May 3, 2024

The best guide - Great experience very well prepare and corteus, we recommend him without reservation, the best experience. Thanks so much

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Elizabeth_b

Apr 30, 2024

Fantastic - Erdem Was an amazing guide . Very knowledgeable and extremely patient . Punctual and curious . Understanding of history was exemplary

Review provided by Viator

Timct3834wc

Apr 5, 2024

Couldn’t have asked for a better tour guide! - We saw every important structure in Istanbul. We came here with an idea of what we wanted to see and Huseyin accomplished all of it in one day. Most amazing views of every tour and just the right amount of information. Also, we skipped every line! Highly recommend!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Luke_g