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Istanbul Old City Historical Walking Tour: Visit Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and More
4.7
74 Ratings
Fatih
Immerse yourself in the rich history of Istanbul's Old City on this historical walking tour. Explore iconic landmarks like Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and discover the beauty of the Topkapi Palace. Don't miss the chance to witness the city walls and visit a Leather atelier workshop. Join us for an unforgettable journey through Istanbul's past.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - Officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque and formerly the Church of Hagia Sophia, is a Late Antique place of worship in Istanbul. Built in 537 as the patriarchal cathedral of the imperial capital of Constantinople, it was the largest Christian church of the eastern Roman Empire (the Byzantine Empire) and the Eastern Orthodox Church, except during the Latin Empire from 1204 to 1261, when it became the city’s Roman Catholic cathedral. In 1453, after the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire, it was converted into a mosque. In 1935 the secular Turkish Republic established it as a museum. In 2020, it re-opened as a mosque
What's Included
- Guidance by an English-speaking tour guide
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Entrance Fees of Topkapi Palace Museum - (750 Turkish Liras)
- Entrance Fee of Basilica Cistern - 450 Turkish Lira
Additional Information
We will be meeting with our guests at the gate of the Hagia Sophia and will start our walking tour with visiting Hagia Sophia, officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque and formerly the Church of Hagia Sophia is a Late Antique place of worship in Istanbul.
Afterward, we will visit Blue Mosque, A functioning mosque, it also attracts large numbers of tourist visitors. It was constructed between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I. Its Külliye contains Ahmed’s tomb, a madrasah and a hospice. Hand-painted blue tiles adorn the mosque’s interior walls, and at night the mosque is bathed in blue as lights frame the mosque’s five main domes, six minarets, and eight secondary domes.
Then we walk to the Hippodrome square and see the city walls and the Leather atelier workshop. You will be seeing each part of the production. After the lunch break, we will visit Topkapi Palace, it served as the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans.
- Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays and exchanged with Underground cistern visit on Tuesdays
Location
Ayasofya Muvakkithanesi
At Meydanı Caddesi
Our guide will be waiting for you at the gate of the Hagia Sophia Mosque at 09:30 a.m with Istanbul on Tour signed white umbrella .
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(74 Ratings)
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Mbowen340
Nov 21, 2023
Beautiful Hagia Sophia - The Hagia Sophia mosque was spectacular. We did a lot of walking but it was all worth it. Guide was supposed to meet us at the entrance of the building. We could not find anyone holding an umbrella. After about 15 minutes, we received a call from the guide that he was in the garden past the entrance area and waiting for us. This was the only problem. Otherwise, it was a fantastic tour and we enjoyed it thoroughly. Love to go back to Istanbul, Michael B.
Review provided by Viator
Karen_s
May 12, 2023
A wonderful day! - We had a great day, led by our guide Unal. We saw most of the major historical sites in Sultanahmet. Unal was so informative and patient.
Review provided by Viator
310veronikat
Apr 14, 2023
Intensive and professional - It was one of the best experinces of us in Istanbul. Our day started early morning with visiting Hagia Sophia, and our very professional guide Unal Cakmak made us to feel comfortable within international group of tourists, and even more excited about our next tour sights. We appreciated a lot Unal's attention to every small detail during all the day. As for tour organization, everything was on time, the itinerary plan was ideal and private transfer car was pretty nice. For next Istanbul trip we have to book Bosphorus and Camlica tour at the same agency. Looking forward to joining that soon. Recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joanne_h
Jan 19, 2023
Highlights in a day - Good++ guide lots of info avoided masses for most part ok lunch worth the money for quick take on hightligts
Review provided by Viator
Deepika_s
Nov 29, 2023
Good time! - The Guide Omer Karaman was very kind and luckily for us there were only 3 of us. We could set our pace. He was good and knowledgeable. We just had a bit of trouble with the accent but was not a problem.
Had a great time!
Review provided by Viator
C9022zjroseb
Jun 27, 2023
Walking tour of Old Istanbul - Tour was very informative and covered a lot of the major highlights. However the description said the guide would take us around the Grand Bazaar but we were given an hour to navigate it ourselves. We also didn’t appreciate the ‘fashion show’ in the leather shop which got added during the tour. Having said that the guide was very knowledgeable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Phil592013
May 18, 2023
Communication breakdown but OK in the end - Disorganised communication as meeting place changed. Guide diid rescue us (Ugo) thankfully. He was friendly a nd patient . Some humour. OK overall. Persistent heavy rain but cleared by afternoon.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aneeta_b
May 8, 2024
Not great and time wasted - Unfortunately a very poor experience.
Omer karaman was dull, not loud enough, and didn't excite or make the tour interesting. At lunch he sat smoking while we were done eating and I had to goto him and complain about this situation.
I accept a few people wanted to leave the tour and wanted to change plans but at the end of the day, we were still there.
This tour didn't include the Basilica Cistern even though it's stated and also the prices were double for the Topkapi Palace advertised at 750 was actually 1500. The others were also priced differently. I will discuss this element with Viator.
A very poor start to our Istanbul trip but luckily we have another two days.
Review provided by Viator
Sen_b
Jul 7, 2023
Poor service overall - The guide didn’t show up so I didn’t go on the tour.
I have a requested a refund and have yet to hear back.
Review provided by Viator
Sinisa
Jun 5, 2023
Walking tour that didn’t happen !!! - We booked our tour yesterday. It was supposed to start at 10:00 today in front of Hagia Sophia. They sent an e-mail last night that pick up time was moved 45 minutes earlier. We certainly don’t keep on checking our mail continuously on holiday. We were waiting from 9:45 to 10:30 for our guide in huge crowd and approaching all the other guides to clarify the matter. Only to discover later during the day about the late e-mail and different pick up time. So we haven’t had our tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor