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Private Half-day Tour: Imperial Istanbul - Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and Grand Bazaar
4.4
24 Ratings
Fatih
Embark on a private tour of majestic Istanbul for half a day. Explore Hagia Sophia, a museum of unparalleled magnificence in today’s world, and seek out a good deal at the Grand Bazaar. Delve into the Basillica Cistern, a historical monument of Istanbul situated 500 feet beneath the ground, which has also made an appearance in a James Bond film.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Kapali Carsi - In operation since the 14th century, the Grand Bazaar is one of the world’s largest covered markets, with 58 streets and over 4,000 shops. The bazaar is specially known for its jewelry, leather, pottery, spices and carpets. (Closed on Sundays; additional time will be spent at the at the other locations.)
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - Now a museum, the Hagia Sophia was built in the 6th century by the Roman Emperor Justinian, and was one of the largest basilicas in the Christian world. After the Ottoman conquest, it was converted to a mosque, and is today one of the most magnificent musseums in the world. Take a moment to linger here to admire the fine Byzantine mosaics. (Closed on Mondays, this will be replaced with Chora Museum.)
- Basilica Cistern - (Might be replaced with Serefiye Cistern) The Basilica Cistern (Turkish: Yerebatan Sarayı - “Sunken Palace”), is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul The cistern, located 500 feet (150 m) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
What's Included
- Local guide
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Transport by private vehicle
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Additional Information
- In the event of any museum closures, an alternative similar museum will be visited
- Not recommended for children aged 4 and under
- Children 18 years and under must be accompanied by an adult
- During religious holidays (September 1-4, 2017) the spice market and Grand Bazaar are closed
Location
Ottoman Hotel Imperial
Caferiye Sokak
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.4
(24 Ratings)
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Ringrove
May 18, 2023
Turkey over the Ages - Our tour guide Gerhan was friendly, knowledgeable, and so informative, making us feel special. Our introduction to the history, culture and religion of Turkey over the centuries was outstanding
Review provided by Viator
Farrellai
Aug 3, 2019
Private half day tour imperial istanbul - Sevi gave us a thorough explanation of the amazing sights of ancient Constantinople. From Roman, ottoman and moderna eras, I Finally feel I have grasp of its history.!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Connector39762919837
Jul 20, 2019
Wonderful tour - Tour was fantastic and the guide was very knowledgeable on everything. Spoke great english and also gave us time to look around.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Naomi
Nov 9, 2017
We have a wonderful private tour of... - <p>We have a wonderful private tour of Istanbul with Ilker. We visited the stunning Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern and the Bazaar. Ilker was great - knowledgable and professional as well as personalising our tour to suit our interests. Highly recommend. We will be back!!</p>
Review provided by Viator
Alex
Jul 23, 2015
Really great tour - our tour guide... - <p>Really great tour - our tour guide was highly knowledgeable and very friendly - I even got a lovely bracelet from her which she got from a local street artisan, which was so sweet and thoughtful. She answered all of our questions and made the entrance into the sites visited very smooth. It was a great introduction to Istanbul as we were only there for a limited amount of time. Highly recommend!</p>
Review provided by Viator
Sallym_m
Sep 19, 2016
Good tour except grand bazaar... - <p>Good tour except grand bazaar closed. Cut short due to potential issues in front of our hotel. Would do again</p>
Review provided by Viator
Vanessa
Nov 30, 2015
Our guide was extremely informative... - <p>Our guide was extremely informative and down-to-earth. Highly recommend this tour especially because it gives you time in the Grand Bazaar with someone that can assist you in the immense size of this place. The only negative is that we were taken to a vendor that specialized in Turkish rugs without being asked if we were interested. This vendor provided a detailed explanation of the variety of rugs available for sale and proceeded to pitch a sale. It would've been very uncomfortable if we hadn't bought one. They were beautiful rugs.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Michael
Aug 27, 2015
Guide gave us good tour and suggested... - <p>Guide gave us good tour and suggested lunch place was perfect</p>
Review provided by Viator
Mrs
Jun 12, 2015
Knowledgeable and experienced guide... - <p>Knowledgeable and experienced guide. Wasted no time in getting into the sights. All sights well worth visiting. Needed more time at the Grand Bazaar so requested that we did not return to our hotel but remain in town.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Jeanette
Aug 4, 2019
Tour - We signed up to go o n a tour l. In the beginning it went well and the churches were beautiful and at the last stop of our tour we went to somewhat of a flea market where we were brought into a carpet store for some someone to teach us about carpets. Our tour guide left us there for 30 minutes, and then we were asked if we wanted to buy a carpet as a souvenir which was very akward, we then visited other stores with the tour guide were clearly she knew it was for them to ask us to purchase items. Was extremely packed and full of cigarette smoke. She walked so fast and was so disturbing for us considering we knew nothing about this country and was more of a way to have us purchase items we did not ask or wanted
Review provided by Tripadvisor
