Istanbul Combo Tour: Private Old City & Bosphorus Cruise
Description
Explore Istanbul’s Old City before cruising the Bosphorus between Europe and Asia. Visit Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, then sail past Ottoman palaces. You'll see the Hagia Sophia or Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, and Spice Market, and take a cruise along the Bosphorus Strait where Europe meets Asia, either by public ferry or your own private yacht. Our family-friendly tour service will make it more charming for families with young kids. Skip the line service is available for Hagia Sophia. On Fridays, Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque will be visited from outside because of the worship.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Sultanahmet District
Hippodrome
(TEMPORARILY CLOSED BETWEEN JANUARY 1 - APRIL 1 ON 2023) Built in the early 1600s for Sultan Ahmet I, Blue Mosque is truly a magnificent masterpiece of architecture with amazingly delicate proportions for a building of such massive scale. The blue shade of the 27.000 pieces of Iznik quart tiles give the mosque it’s popular name and 6 towering minarets give its uniquely recognizable structure.
Sultanahmet Square
Hagia Sophia Musuem
Grand Bazaar
Spice Market
Bosphorus Cruise by Public Ferry or Private Yacht ( If option is chosen)
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
*If van service is not booked your guide will pick you up ONLY at centrally located hotels or Galataport ON FOOT. The meeting point will be the German Fountain if the hotel is not centrally located and not accessible by public transportation. **If private van service is booked, we pick up from all central hotels, please note that there will be a surcharge if your hotel is outside the city center or on the Asian Side. ***Tours that are booked without van service could easily be operated by tram, funicular and ferries. ****Tours starting from the airports should be booked with van service and additional payment is required as the airports are outside the pick-up zone.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia are closed until 2pm on Fridays, will be visited in the afternoon. Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays
- Guests located in Sultanahmet will be near the museums so if you book van service, it will not be used effectively
- Informative, kid-friendly and professional guide
Reviews(30)
We had an amazing time with Ekrem , he used his excellent local know-how, brilliant historical knowledge and charismatic personality to guide us around the city. If you book this, you will not be disappointed. He was flexible to change to our needs if necessary but we relied on his wealth of experience to see an authentic Istanbul. Thank you so much for making our stay special!
Şebne was a great tour guide who was extremely knowledgeable about the major sites and the best ways to get around Istanbul. She was also very flexible in her approach to the tour and the order in which we visited the sites to ensure we maximised our time with her.
We would highly recommend this tour and, in particular, our tour guide Songul. She was extremely knowledgeable and personable. Due to her experience she was able to maximize our time at each site while helping us avoid long lines and wait times. She answered all our questions and provided great insight into the life and culture of Istanbul beyond the sites of interest we visited.
We had a wonderful tour of Istanbul last week. Our guide, Numan was very informed and professional and helpful. We took a Bosporous cruise and Numan pointed all of the sites out to us. We enjoyed the Reservoir. What a unique structure! Lunch was at a local place in the old city that was so amazing. We had a “5 star” day and Numan was a big part of that
This was a great way to see Istanbul and cruise the Bosphorus. Numan Tasdogan was a very knowledgeable guide and kept us so well informed every step of the way. Highly recommend this tour and guide!
Ümran Aslan showed us an amazing time on this tour. She was extremely knowledgeable, friendly and so interesting to talk to. She took us on the local transit system and public ferry which was an experience that we never would have tried on our own. We also went to a great diner for lunch which was delicious and to her favourite place to buy Turkish delight at the spice market. We highly recommend this tour and especially the experience we had with Ümran. Thanks so much!
Ozan Ercan made our tour magnificent! He was very informative, pleasant, professional and extremely accommodating. Highly recommend!
We had a great city tour of Istanbul with Ayla and saw all the main sights of the city. We also had a nice boat trip on the Bosphorus. Ayla responded to our wishes, was punctual, informative and generally a great, German speaking city guide! Thank you so much!
The combo guided tour with Fatma was more than I could have ever expected. She was very knowledgeable and great at explaining the history of everything we saw, clearly tying it all together. Fatma was early at my hotel and was very considerate at every point of the tour. I never felt rushed, which gave the tour the relaxed pace I was looking for. Fatma pointed out the best spots for pictures, helped with purchases in the bazaar, and gave me local recommendations for my activities post-tour. I highly recommend Guided Istanbul Tours and Fatma as a guide!! She was amazing.
We had another great experience with Sercan as our Istanbul tour guide. I brought my family to Turkey after visiting it myself in November of 2021 and specifically requested Sercan since we really enjoyed his tour the last time. He is was amazing at providing a lot of information about the history of the city, the Ottoman Empire and the specific sites that we visited. Our guide was very knowledgeable, engaging and ensured that we got the best experience possible. He made sure that the information was also tailored to our kids and that they were interested in the tour. He took us to the cisterns that had a fun laser show, which the kids absolutely loved. Sercan’s attention to detail in describing the historical and social significance of the historical sites was truly impressive. His English was perfect and easy to follow. He took us to a very good restaurant that serves traditional Turkish dishes for lunch and made sure we had time to do some gift shopping as well. We will definitely request Sercan for our future tours in Istanbul and other areas of Turkey.
