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Old Istanbul Highlights: Top Sites Half-Day Tour
4.9
241 Ratings
Fatih
The best choice for any first timer, Top sites of Old Istanbul, is a half-day, small group tour. Discover what has made Istanbul such a majestic and historically significant city by hitting all of the hot spots and then some!
We will skip the ticket line at Cistern and Hagia Sophia
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Blue Mosque - Blue Mosque is closed for 3 months starting from 2nd January 2023 and will be replaced with Nuri Osmaniye Mosque or Suleymaniye Mosque.
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - Hagia Sophia is one of the most impressive museums of Istanbul; built as a Christian church, then converted into a mosque, now serving as a museum.
- Hippodrome - The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire.
- Basilica Cistern - This subterranean structure was commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532. The largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul, it was constructed using 336 columns, many of which were salvaged from ruined temples and feature fine carved capitals
Entry fee is 800 TL and not included in the small group tours.
- Grand Bazaar Jewelers - Visit one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world - Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar
- Real Istanbul Tours - Small Group Tours
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Tea or Turkish Coffee
What's Not Included
- Entry fee to Basilica Cistern ( 900 TRY per person )
- Entry Fee of Hagia Sophia is 25 Euros per person.
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Additional Information
- Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays and will be replaced with Spice Bazaars
- On Religious Fests Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar are closed and your guides can show alternative sites
- Meeting Time for the small group tours are 10 am ( 2 pm on fridays ) and if you book private option, meeting time is up to you.
- Tours Ends near Grand Bazaar
- Comfortable walking shoes are recommended
- None has right the skip the lines in Blue Mosque
- Entry fee of Basilica Cistern is 800 TL per person and 25 Euros per person for Hagia Sophia not included with the tour price.
Location
Pudding Shop Lale Restaurant
Divan Yolu Caddesi
The restaurant is located on the street where the tram lines run through Sultanahmet, approximately 1-minute walk from the Sultanahmet tram stop.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(241 Ratings)
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Noah_s
Aug 9, 2024
Nice way to see the big spots in one morning - Very good experience and a perfect way to see the big sites of Istanbul all at once. Our guide explained the history of each place and had to pictures to help us visualize what it looked like back in those times. He took to take pics of us in the different places too which was nice. Overall, a good tour.
Review provided by Viator
Nicole_b
Aug 1, 2024
Amazing sites, amazing guide! - What an amazing guided tour of Istanbul by our amazing guide Salih. He was incredibly knowledgeable, professional, and friendly, and got us into all of the sites very quickly and efficiently, maximizing our time inside. I would highly recommend this tour, this company, and especially this guide to anyone. Thank you Salih for a wonderful day!
Review provided by Viator
Ashwin_m
Jul 30, 2024
Great introduction to Istanbul - Very knowledgeable and friendly tour guide. would recommend this tour for anybody visiting Istanbul.
Review provided by Viator
Mario_j
Jul 17, 2024
Istanbul 101 - I was only in Istanbul for one full day. This tour hit the highlights that I was interested in seeing. The guide was phenomenal, and the experience overall was very pleasing!
Review provided by Viator
Y1371hzcraigs
Jul 16, 2024
Great way to see the key sights and learn about the history behind it all - If you have limited time but want to see the key sights and learn about the history along the way, then I highly recommend this tour. The guide Mohammed was very friendly and entertaining.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bearcat1824
Jul 16, 2024
Great half day tour - Yasin was a fantastic guide. We met right at the cruise port and took tram to the sights, very knowledgeable and even explained to us what was happening within the mosques during prayer services. Whole family (6 of us) thoroughly enjoyed our visit and the amazing things Istanbul has to offer.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stacey_t
Jul 6, 2024
Great half day tour, thoroughly recommended:-) - Salih was an excellent guide. very knowledgeable and couldn’t have been more accommodating when we were late!
Review provided by Viator
Julie_c
Jul 5, 2024
Great tour. Highly recommend. - We had a wonderful time on the walking tour and learned so much about the places we visited. Our guide was very knowledgeable. Loved it.
Review provided by Viator
Aubrey_a
Jul 4, 2024
100% recommend - Book this tour! More than worth the price. Salih was incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of Turkish history and the sights he guided us to. Skipping the lines was great, and Salih made sure we saw them in the most efficient order to avoid the crowds. We stopped for a drink and ended at the bazaar for a speedy walkthrough and more great info.
Review provided by Viator
Sandi_g
Aug 19, 2024
Enjoyed the tour and visited some of the key sites of Istanbul. - Enjoyed the tour and visited some of the key sites of Istanbul. One issue would be that the charge to enter some of these sites were quite expensive, and were not inclusive of the tour charge.
Review provided by Viator
