Private Tour: Istanbul's Famous Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace in One Day

Experience a stress-free exploration of Istanbul’s renowned landmarks under the guidance of your exclusive private guide. Benefit from one-on-one attention on your private journey through enchanting Istanbul and its iconic sites, including the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Blue Mosque - Just across from the Hippodrome, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque (also known as the Blue Mosque) is a superb creation in the classical Ottoman style. The mosque has six towering minarets and 260 windows illuminating its vast main chamber, which is decorated with more than 20,000 Iznik tiles.

  • 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 other locations.)

  • Hagia Sophia Mosque - One of the finest and largest architectural works of art in the world, this former basilica and mosque is now the Saint Sophia Museum. Many historians have nominated it as the 8th wonder of the world. Take a moment to linger here to admire the fine Byzantine mosaics.

  • Topkapi Palace - The largest and oldest palace in the world, Topkapi is the crown jewel of the Ottoman Empire. With its treasury and exotic buildings overlooking the Golden Horn, your visit to Topkapi promises to be a truly fascinating experience. (Closed on Tuesdays; will be replaced with Istanbul Archaeology Museum)

  • Basilica Cistern - The Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarayı), is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. The cistern, located 500 feet (150m) 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.

  • Hagia Irene Museum - The Hagia Irene located in the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palace is the oldest church of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine).

  • German Fountain - It was built in Germany and moved by ships and its construction was completed in Istanbul.

  • Obelisk of Theodosius - Obelisk of Theodosius: obelisk, originally erected for king Thutmose III of Egypt but transferred to Constantinople,

  • Hippodrome - Byzantine Hippodrome

  • Divanyolu Street - Divan Yolu, the “Road to the Imperial Council,” was once the imperial road from Constantinople to Rome (map). It takes its Turkish name from Ottoman times, when it was in fact the “Road to the Imperial Council” (Divan) in Topkapı Palace.

What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop off
  • Transport by private vehicle
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Lunch
Additional Information
  • Not recommended for children aged 4 and under
  • In the event of any museum closures, an alternative similar museum will be visited
  • Customers booking this tour for shore excursions will not have time to visit the Basilica Cistern, due to the limited time in Istanbul
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
4.4
(220 Ratings)
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Navigator37530062425
Sep 27, 2023
A professional and brilliant experience from beginning to the end,guided by a very informative tour guide named Sevilay - Did several stops exploring historical buildings with a rich history of Istambul.Ended with an epic and nostalgic Bosphorus cruise which passed near magnificent palaces,mosques ,through the Bosphorus bridge with beautiful sights on both the Asian and European sides.Taking home good memoirs and a gooth story to tell.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jefftychol
Sep 9, 2023
We recommend Sevilay! - Sevilay did an incredible job as our tour guide. Adjusted itinerary order to help us minimize time in the sun and in lines, explained things very well and was extremely knowledgeable
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Edward_k
Aug 4, 2023
Amazing tour! - Guide was very patient with us, as I had a muscle problem in my leg, and he waited for us! And gave us time to rest!
Review provided by Viator
Ananth_d
Apr 10, 2023
Wonderful experience... - Wonderful experience thanks to Gur Kan who was our guide for the day. Enjoyed the history and the unique insights that helped us bring history to life.
Review provided by Viator
Curts603
Mar 11, 2023
The best one day private tour available to see Istanbul - Seckin was a fabulous guide and we learned so much. We did the one day private tour and saw all the top historical items in istanbul. Our experience was fabulous and I would highly recommend this company and definitely Seckin as your tourist guide if he is available.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jesse_h
Dec 5, 2022
Good Tour - It was a very private tour. I get to see what I needled to see. The tour guy was knowledgeable and friendly.
Review provided by Viator
Ravindercrone
Nov 15, 2022
Fabulous 1 Day Sightseeing Tour - Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace - We had an amazing day with our guide (Seçkin Demirok) and his driver they picked up four of us from our hotel and took us sightseeing to Hagia Sophia, topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque and the Vasilica Cistern. Seçkin is a very knowledge, professional and excellent tour guide, he ensure we could all keep up as it was a full day of walking. It was great to have a small group so we could ask questions and discuss the history of Istanbul. He took us to lunch at Deraliye Terrace, that had a panoramic view (photo attached). Highly recommend the tour, but especially our guide. Thank you again for an amazing time!
Review provided by Viator
128elizabethj
Nov 5, 2022
Istanbul Jewel - The whole trip was excellent, our guide Gurdahan was very knowledgable, going to great lengths to explain all the various locations we visited,highly recommend this excursion not to be missed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Orrdin
Oct 23, 2022
Excellent tour - The tour was everything we expected and more. We got picked up from our hotel in a spacious van and then embarked on the main tour. Our guide Engin was knowledgeable and friendly and he organized our day to perfection to make sure we minimize waiting in long lines and maximize our time. He had great commentary and spoke fluent English. He gave us tips for lunch and for the rest of our stay in Istanbul. While we were left alone to wander around a couple of times it was actually good because sometimes you don’t need constant commentary and it’s good to just wander and absorb the sights on your own. I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Deeirish
Nov 28, 2022
Viator Needs to Remove this Vendor! - The tour guide was very personable and the tour started great with a hotel pickup. During our drive to the old city, he was a wealth of information, and we were given water as we departed the van at Blue Mosque. Unfortunately, this was where the positive experience ended. Our guide advised us that we wouldn’t be able to enter Hagia Sofia until after 2pm. We were fine with that and advised him that we were happy to view in the afternoon. Not only did not take us to see Hagia Sofia, but we only viewed the Blue Mosque from the outside as well. We were also not taken to the cisterns either. I brought up this up multiple times to which the guide deflected or changed the subject every time. The only place we did have entrance to was the palace. The guide of the palace and the pieces that we did see were amazing. After an extremely long lunch, we were taken today view a rug shop and to be shown how Turkish rugs were made. The initial part was very interesting, however this quickly turned into a high pressure sales in which we were kept for hours, wasting our day. We finally bought a rug to be able to leave. We were then taken to the world bazaar, where we were taken to a “secret” shop that was “frequented by celebrities such as Dr. Oz”, again the same thing as the rug shop. I was so upset not to be able to see 80% of what we paid to see on this tour. It was evident that this is only a mechanism for tourists to be pulled into shops rather than a tour as advertised. I would highly encourage Viator from banning this vendor! Stay Away!!
Review provided by Viator
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up to 9 guests
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September 2024
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