Half Day Walking Tour of Old Istanbul
Description
Walking tour of Old Istanbul” will help travelers to discover ‘hard – to find’ secret spots and pay visits to the highlights of the old city of Istanbul with an experienced tour guide. Combine off the beaten tracks of old city with the highlights of Istanbul during less crowded times and experience a real city adventure. - Hear the stories of the Greeks, Romans and the Ottomans in and around Sultanahmet - Visit to Hagia Sophia once a church, mosque, museum and mosque again - Walk through the streets of the Grand Bazaar, which is the largest covered souk in the world - Explore Süleymaniye mosque and learn about Islam from a local eye - Visit the beautiful Rüstempaşa mosque being famous for its size and the Iznik tiles - Taste the spices and lokum (Turkish delight) in a must visit Space Market
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour guide will meet you in front of the German Fountain and then will introduce the historical Sultanahmet Square. Your tour guide will introduce you the deep Turkish history. You will see The Egyptian Obelisk, the Serpentine Column, Colossus and Column of Costantine Porphyrgenitus.
You pay a visit to the famous Blue Mosque famous for its 6 minarets and the tiles inside. It wasn't built only as a mosque, it is a 'complex' building where people used to get socialized as well. There is nothing 'blue' from outside but once you get inside of the mosque, you will be amazed seeing beautiful blue tiles which were specially prepared for this mosque in 17th century.
After visiting the Blue Mosque, we will continue our tour with a visit to Hagia Sophia that consists of both Christian and Islamic elements.
After Hagia Sophia, we will head to Grand Bazaar walking on the Divanyolu street which was originally mapped by Constantine the Great. Wandering through the backstreets of Grand Bazaar, you will see the goods sold there and hear about the bargaining culture from your tour leader.
You will be stopping at the Old Book Bazaar where the first books printed in Turkey, Beside historical books, there are modern books to be sold for students - there is one of the oldest university next door - Istanbul University.
Your guide will take you to the Süleymaniye Mosque complex that offers the view of Bosphorus and Golden Horn river. The mosque and its surrounding buildings were designed by Mimar Sinan, the most famous and talented of all imperial architects. Construction occurred between 1550 and 1557. You will have a chance to sit on the beautiful carpet inside of the mosque and learn about Islamic history.
We will then continue to the tiny Rüstempaşa mosque where you see its famous Iznik tiles up close. Mosque is famous for its large quantities of İznik tiles, set in a very wide variety of floral and geometric designs, which cover not only the façade of the porch but also the mihrab, minbar and walls. There are around 80 different patterns.
We end the tour at Spice Market where you can taste some Turkish delights and the spices. Spice Market is still one of the center of shopping for locals in Eminönü suburb. There are different sections for different products inside and outside of the bazaar - such as fish market, cheese market, coffee section and Turkish delight section.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(22)
Caglar and his team are extremely professional ! He created a tour for me and my mum and tailored according to our expectations We had an accident prior coming to Istanbul and he helped us to navigate the issue Im very grateful with his support Best tour agency ever!
We had a great time! SGA put together a great package of comfortable, well situated accommodations, convenient transport, and wonderful guides to see all the sights and have all the experiences we wanted to have. The guides were incredibly knowledgeable, attentive, friendly, and all around great people to hang out with as we explored Istanbul and various towns in Kapadokia. Çağlar, our SGA representative, was communicative and available throughout the months leading up to the trip and during the trip itself. We really appreciated working with him. We definitely recommend SGA and would use them again in the future.
Furkan was an absolutely incredible guide during our time in Turkey. His knowledge of the history, culture, food, and hidden gems made every day so much more meaningful. Beyond that, he was genuinely warm, friendly, and fun to spend time with. He made everything feel effortless and personalized, and we left feeling like we experienced Turkey in a way we never could have on our own. Highly recommend booking with him — truly one of the highlights of our trip.
The tour may be changed, depending on what is open as Friday prayers had to be worked around for my particular tour. Also, some of the sites are under construction. Sila is knowledgeable, energetic and knows the city well and is highly recommended for solo or a larger group if needed.
Turkey proved to be a pleasant discovery, thanks to its interesting history, which our guide Kamil managed to recount in a simple and comprehensive manner, without omitting anecdotes and curiosities. His way of interacting with us, allowing us to discover the authentic and traditional reality of Istanbul and beyond, was one of the highlights of this trip. Sga Travel is an excellent agency that organised a truly interesting and carefree trip for us. We recommend them and their talented guides to anyone who wants to discover Turkey.
This activity provided an amazing day in Istanbul learning about its history, spending time shopping and eating amazing food. Highly recommend
Huseyin was a great guide and flexible in adapting the tour to my interests. Lots of great historical stories.
The half day highlights tour with Sila was wonderful. She was very knowledgeable and personable. My husband wears a medical device which cannot go through the scanners at the Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar. She happily explained the situation to security and he was able to go through. As well as the Blue Mosque, we also visited a couple of other mosques which were very impressive and not as crowded, and the Spice Bazaar which I think is better than the Grand Bazaar. She also helped us get back to Pera via the Tunel which was extremely helpful. Saved this older couple a 500m walk up a very steep hill to our hotel. Very much recommend this tour.
Eser was extremely knowledgeable about the history of Turkiye and Istanbul. We enjoyed our day with him so much - touring the top sights as well as a food tour, and we would do another tour with him anytime! SGA did a great job taking care of all of our travel in a country where it’s tricky to arrange reliable drivers.
We had a fantastic, multi-day tour with SGA Travel. The trip was customized for our interests and we could easily make changes along the way. The guides were both personable and very knowledgeable and made us feel like old friends. When we ran into an issue with one of our flights (that we booked ourselves, NOT through the tour company), SGA jumped in to solve the problem right away. Great experience, highly recommend!
