Istanbul: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia & opt. Cistern Tour
Description
Visit Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Cistern on a 3-hour guided tour. Explore in small groups with skip the line tickets included. Learn about Istanbul’s rich Ottoman and Byzantine history.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The German Fountain in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet Square is a neo-Byzantine style monument, gifted by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1901, famed for its golden mosaic dome.
Sultanahmet Square is the historic heart of Istanbul, once the Hippodrome of Constantinople, today home to iconic landmarks like the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the German Fountain.
The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) is Istanbul’s most famous mosque, built in the 17th century. It’s renowned for its six minarets, grand dome, and stunning blue İznik tiles.
Hagia Sophia is Istanbul’s most iconic monument, originally built as a Byzantine cathedral in 537. It later became an Ottoman mosque, then a museum, and is today a functioning mosque, admired for its massive dome and stunning mosaics.
The Basilica Cistern is an underground wonder in Istanbul, built in the 6th century to store water for the Byzantine Empire. It’s famous for its forest of marble columns, atmospheric lighting, and the mysterious Medusa head bases.
Step beneath Istanbul's streets and discover the ancient Cistern of Theodosius, a hidden Byzantine masterpiece brought to life through immersive lighting and history.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- A headscarf is required for women when visiting the Hagia Sophia Mosque.
- The Blue Mosque is an active place of worship; visitors may need to wait outside during prayer times.
- Please arrive at the meeting point on time. If you are more than 5 minutes late, the guide will not be able to wait. For the sake of the tour’s atmosphere and flow, we cannot allow late arrivals to join once the tour has started.
- Please be aware that once the tour begins, the guide will be fully focused on leading the group and cannot answer phone calls or assist latecomers.
- Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to welcoming you on the tour!
Reviews(441)
Good tour! Egeman was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable and conducted the tour at an appropriate pace! The tour company was really helpful, advising us ahead of time the easiest route to the meeting point. Definitely recommend.
Our guide Tolga was excellent. He was extremely knowledgeable and his English was excellent. He was on time with our small group and had suggestions for other sights to see while we are in Istanbul. Also he offered to show us good restaurants and Hamams in the area. He was also very generous and bought us waters as it was a hot day. Thank you again Tolga
Tour guide was excellent. Very informative. Egemen was our tour guide.. very knowledgeable.
Our tour was amazing. Our guide was very knowledgeable and explained the history of Blue Mosque and Sophie thoroughly.
I had an excellent experience with Furkan Emre from Tourmania. He is a young, knowledgeable guide who clearly knows Istanbul inside and out. Throughout the tour, he shared many insider details and pointed out small things that I would have completely missed on my own, which made the experience much richer. One thing I especially appreciated was that the Hagia Sophia tickets were included in the tour price. Many other tours I considered did not include the tickets, so this added great value and convenience. Furkan was also very helpful beyond the standard tour information. He recommended the best locations and times to take pictures of the Blue Mosque, which helped me get some fantastic photos. Whenever I asked specific questions, he was always willing to answer and provide additional insights. I highly recommend Furkan and Tourmania to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, engaging, and helpful guide in Istanbul.
The positive is that the guide was accommodating and helpful looking for answers when he didn't have them. What could be improved, the tour was like reading labels off of monuments, ie very little story telling. There was a lot of silence where we just stood around the guide with the factoids not leading to questions, normally we would be given time to explore and come back at certain time. Haigia sofia is all under construction, not very interesting. Skipping the line was highlight for me, but unfortunately the content side of things could be improved.
Dear Guest, thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We're sorry the tour didn't fully meet your expectations. Your feedback on the storytelling and pacing is taken seriously and will be addressed with our guides directly. Skip-the-line access aside, we know we can do better and we hope to have the chance to prove it to you. Kind regards 🧿 Tourmania Team
We booked a 3 and a half tour of the Palace. What we got was a 1 hour tour. The 1 hour was excellent and as we had not booked the full day option we remained in the Palace alone for an additional 4 hours as there is so much to see. The harem tour was included in the description but we had to do it alone. Have done loads of yours with Viator, all great so was really surprised and disappointed with this kne
Dear Guest, thank you for your feedback and we're glad the hour you spent with our guide was excellent! We'd like to clarify that this tour covers Hagia Sophia, not Topkapi Palace, so the Harem would not be part of our itinerary. It's possible there may have been a mix-up with another booking. We hope this helps clear things up! Kind regards 🧿 Tourmania Team
Defne was a great tour guide with lots of fun facts and interesting stories! She was super engaging and clear about what we were seeing and the significance the monuments have in both modern and historic Turkish culture!
Dear Guest, thank you for this wonderful review! We're so glad Defne brought the history and culture to life with such enthusiasm and clarity. 😊 Her passion for sharing both modern and historic perspectives is something we're very proud of. We'll make sure she knows how much you appreciated her. Hope to see you back soon! Kind regards 🧿 Tourmania Team
Fulkan was a great guide, very personable and knowledgeable. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Highly recommended!!
Dear Guest, thank you for the kind words! Furkan's warmth and depth of knowledge really do make every tour special. 😊 We're so glad you thoroughly enjoyed the experience and we truly appreciate the recommendation. We'll pass on your feedback to him. Hope to see you back soon! Kind regards 🧿 Tourmania Team
Batuhan was an amazing guide! He took his time to explain every exhibition and answered our queries. He was warm and friendly.
Dear Guest, it's always wonderful to hear when a guide truly makes the difference! 😊 Batuhan's warmth and patience in walking you through every exhibition is something we're very proud of. We'll make sure he knows how much you appreciated him. Hope to see you back soon! Kind regards 🧿 Tourmania Team
