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Istanbul Private Tour: Explore Top Sites with Excellence Awarded Guide
4.9
505 Ratings
Istanbul
Experience an award-winning private tour of Istanbul’s top sites, including the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Grand Bazaar. Skip the long ticket lines at the Underground Cistern and enjoy the expertise of our highly-rated guides.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Blue Mosque - The Sultan Ahmed Mosque also known as Blue Mosque, one of the most revered masterpieces of the Islamic world, is famous with its blue ceramic tiles and six minarets.
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - The Hagia Sophia, also known as Ayasofya in Turkish, is a famous historic building located in the old city. It was originally built as the biggest cathedral in the world by Byzantine Empire in the 6th century and later converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire after the conquest of Istanbul in 1453. The building is renowned for its massive dome and beautiful mosaics that reflect its rich history and architectural significance. In 1935, it was converted into a museum and in 2020, it was converted into a mosque again.
We will prepurchase the tickets for Hagia Sophia for you not to wait at the long ticket lines.
- Basilica Cistern - The cistern was known in Byzantium as thebasilica Cistern, Justinian was the founder of the largest underground cistern, built after the Nika Revolt in 532.The number of the inhabitants of Constantinople increased and bring a problem of water supply. Basilica Cistern was used to store water for the Great Palace.
- Hippodrome - The center for entertainment, amusement and sports in the city during the Roman and Byzantine Empires. The Egyptian Obelisk, the serpentine column and the German fountain of Willhelm II are sites to be visited.
- Grand Bazaar - The oldest and the largest covered market place in the world with more almost 4000 shops owing rich collection of handmade carpets, jewelery, leather and souvenirs. Here’s the last stop of
What's Included
- Expert local guide for personalized experience
- Convenient private driver at your service
- Comfortable travel in a new model Mercedes van with AC
- Customizable private pick-up and drop-off at your hotel or cruise port
What's Not Included
- Local Payment: Entrance Fees and Lunch
- Gratuities to the guide and driver
- Basilica Cistern entrance fee is about 18 usd per person
- Hagia Sophia entrance fee is 25 Euros per person (about 27 usd)
Additional Information
Our tours have been rewarded with Certificate of Excellence by Tripadvisor 15 times succesively for the years of 2009-2024. We are the most reviewed tour agent on Tripadvisor for Istanbul Tours, you can check more than 1.600 Excellent reviews of ours on Tripadvisor.
Tick all the top sites of Istanbul off your bucket list with our private guided tour covering the Hagia Sophia, Underground Cistern, Blue Mosque, Roman Hippodrome and the Grand Bazaar.
*Please note that we will arrange tickets for the Cistern without waiting at the public ticket line, so you will skip long public ticket lines there.
*We will purchase the Hagia Sophia Tickets for you not to wait at the long tickets lines on the tour day.
There are no skip the line for Blue Mosque visits (since mosques are not museums), so everybody has to wait at the line to enter.
- Please note that we are boutique small family run tour company and have limited guides, during the summer months and special holidays our tours do fill up quickly. We suggest you try to book as soon as you can, once your plans are firm.
- The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, We will visit the Spice Market instead.
- While visiting a mosque in Istanbul, women need to cover their heads, shoulders, knees. You can carry your own scarf to cover your head but please note scarves are provided at the entrance of every mosque (available at a charge). If you are wearing leggings, tights or skirts, wraps will be provided at the entrance (available at a charge).
- Men also need to cover the knees if the shorts or bermudas are over the knees.
- * WE ALSO DO PRIVATE EPHESUS SHORE EXCURSION. IF YOU BOOK YOUR PRIVATE EPHESUS SHORE EXCURSION WITH US AS WELL YOU WILL GET A SPECIAL PRICE FOR PRIVATE EPHESUS TOUR. SO PLEASE MENTION IN THE NOTES IF YOU ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN PRIVATE EPHESUS SHORE EXCURSION.
- *Please note that we will arrange tickets for the Cistern without waiting at the public tickeet line, so you will skip long public ticket lines there.
- There are no skip the line for mosque visits (since mosques are not museums), so everybody has to wait at the line to enter.
- *This is not a tour for those with mobility issues
- * WE ACCOMMODATE MORE THAN 14 PEOPLE. If there are more than 14 people in your group, you can book it as 14 people then we can update the number of travelers by messages on viator.
- Mosques are closed until 2.30pm on Fridays due to the Friday Services.
- This is not a tour for those with mobility issues
Location
Blue Mosque
Sultanahmet Mah At Meydani Cad No 7
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(505 Ratings)
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Shannon_m
Aug 30, 2024
Fun in instanbul. - We enjoyed everything. Lucy was very knowledgeable and helpful. We had a great time. Beautiful city.
Review provided by Viator
Bailey_p
Aug 24, 2024
Istanbul Tour - We had a great day with our guide. We saw the highlights of Istanbul and even had an authentic lunch which really immersed us into the culture and experience of the day. We enjoyed the shops and every part of our day!
Review provided by Viator
Tami_p
Aug 22, 2024
Best tour EVER!!!!! - Best tour ever! Our guide, Hazal, was the best guide! We were a group of four. She was super knowledgeable, gave great suggestions, patient, and friendly! The van was new and very comfortable (party bus). Hazal had an itinerary for us to follow but let us customize it also. She met us as soon as we exited the cruise terminal (was holding a sign w/our name) and led us to the driver. If you are able, I would highly recommend requesting Hazal!!!
Review provided by Viator
Peter_k
Aug 13, 2024
Fun day!! - Wonderful tour guide. Comfortable ride. Beautiful city.
Stay out of the bazaar. There is better shopping outside.
Review provided by Viator
George_j
Jul 25, 2024
Dress appropriately, consider adding a Hamam - Istanbul’s a great city. Make sure you have good walking shoes and are dressed appropriately for the attractions you are visiting. If you have additional time try to also do a Hamam. Walking is faster than driving for short distances. Traffic is crazy on the European side.
Review provided by Viator
Jason_n
Jul 16, 2024
Easy pickup from cruise port with really knowledgeable guide - Our guide OZ was amazing! She was so knowledgeable about Turkey and was extremely patient with us and our 2 daughters. We got picked up at the port on time and received detailed instructions on how to find her. If you’re on a cruise, I highly recommend this company.
Review provided by Viator
Trail20703299362
Jul 16, 2024
Istanbul from the Inside - Diana, our tour guide, provided us with rich Turkish experiences and memories which we would not have if not for her. Ice cream with a show, kebabs on the street, Turkish coffee in the bazaar, rich history lessons of the Roman and Ottoman Empires, and an appreciation for the art and architecture of Istanbul are etched in our memory banks now. All the while, Diana kindly concerned herself with our needs for refreshment, shade from the sun, and finding specific gift items to take home. We would not know Istanbul without her.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sonet_j
Jul 8, 2024
Best way to see Istanbul - Our guide was great! It was so much better going with a private guide rather than in a giant tour bus. It’s worth the money! We went into the Hagia Sophia, the blue mosque, spice, bizarre, and learned tons of history that we may not have known about Istanbul. I definitely recommend going with a private guide. It’s the way to see the city!
Review provided by Viator
Traci_r
Jul 7, 2024
Awesome tour! - Our guide, Husniye, was awesome!! She took us to the places we wanted to see and was a wealth of knowledge. We had the best time!
Review provided by Viator
Justin_r
Jul 15, 2024
Solid tour...no "extras" - Guide was very knowledgeable and patient with our group which was critical because several in our group had poor walking abilities. This tour is an intense walking experience with almost no place to sit and rest during the tours.
The guide worked their best but had a hard time balancing the good and the bad walkers. Tough job for sure.
Parts of it we felt a little rushed but that was probably because we were "behind" schedule.
She was great in recommending good group pictures.
Overall the your was about what I expected. Very good but not amazing.
Review provided by Viator
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