Private: Topkapi Palace, St. Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Hipodromme
Description
PRIVATE Full Day tour includes 5 highlights (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Hippodrome Square, Grand Bazaar) in Istanbul. Your personal guide and A/C Van will be at your service from meeting till the end of the tour. • Private Tour for your family and friends • You will decide on departure time • Our tour guide will meet you at the Port/Hotel with your name sign, • Our professional tour guide will be with you from arrival till departure, • You will have flexibilty to spend how much time you want in each site and customize the itinerary, • You do not have to wait for other group members • You may stop to have pictures during your tour. • You may stop for lunch in a local restaurant to taste famous Turkish Kebaps.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our Professional Tour guide will meet guests at Hotel or port Pick up time will be given during your confirmation. Then walk or drive to Hippodrome Square where used to take place for chariot races and the Byzantine riots during Roman & Byzantine period
Blue Mosque, has its fame from its beautiful blue Iznik tiles
Hagia Sophia built in 532 AD by Roman Emperor Justinian I. Update for St. Sophia interior visit : Live guiding is not allowed in St. Sophia after the 15th January 2024. Guests have to have their smart phones and headphones during their visit. If guests do not have a headphone, they can buy at the entrance at the cost of 3,5-USD The system is similar to audio guide system. Guests who does not have smart phones will follow the signs and the given informations on the signs .
Topkapi Palace, was not only the residence of the Ottoman sultans, but also the administrative and educational center of the state. It was constructed between 1460 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople. We will visit the Topkapi Palace including weapons section.
We will visit Grand Bazaar where is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. Opened in 1461, it is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Drive back to Istanbul port or to your hotel. The end of our services
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick up Places Hotel Guests : Your Hotel's Lobby in selected hotels only Cruise guests : Istanbul Cruise Terminal Suggested pick up time will be given on your confirmation message.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- At time of booking, Hotels guests must provide hotel name
- At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- Visit to holy places of worship such as churches, monasteries, mosques, synagogues bare shoulders are not permitted, nor shoes in mosques.
- In the event of any museum closures, an alternative similar museum will be visited. On Tuesdays : Topkapi Palace replaced by Underground Cistern, On Sundays : Grand Bazaar will be replaced by Spice Market. Grand Bazaar will be closed on Public holidays, it will be replaced by Arasta Bazaar. Because, Spice Market will also be closed.
- Blue Mosque is open from 14.30 to 16.30 on Fridays
Reviews(41)
We had an excellent private tour of Istanbul with our guide Leyla. The hotel pickup was on time and Leyla really took the time to explain the history of each location we visited. We had visited some of the locations previously but having a well-informed and friendly guide made all the difference! I would highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to better understand the history of this beautiful city!
Dear Angela, Your kind words will be shared with our entire team, who will be thrilled to know they helped create this memorable experience. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderfull country again. Curio Travel Team
Tour guide Elgi chatted with driver during our "custom, private tour" (did not point out sites or provide any history). She became increasingly disinterested when we informed her that we were more interested in sites/learning about her beautiful country's history than being brought to stores she clearly had arrangements with to shop. The owner of one of the shops made an antisemitic comment.
Day well spent. Though it rained the entire day. We did end up seeing all sites. Tour guide was quite knowledgable and knew the history well…
Hello, We don't know how to thank you enough for your comment. Your feedback is precious and has been proudly share with the entire team. Our colleagues' dedication to our guests is fully rewarded when we received such wonderful comments. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of her/him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team
Our long anticipated private tour of several sites in Istanbul started off in grand style when we met our personal guide Emel, a very stylish and attractive young Turkish woman. She was just delightful! Her English was perfect and with one of us having hearing difficulty, she was so easy to understand. We met our driver and proceeded to our first stop. Hagia Sophia. The area was very crowded with tourists, but Emel knew just how to maneuver through the crowd and quickly get us in. In addition to sharing lots of historical details of the site, she was also crowd-savvy and watched to see that our little three-some didn’t get engulfed in larger tour groups that were swarming everywhere. This was very much appreciated. Our next destination was the Topkapi Palace. We toured the various parts of the palace including the harem area and the palace treasury. Emel explained what life was like for those that were part of the Ottoman collective family. Very interesting. Then she was able to adjust our day to find time to see the Blue Mosque instead of the grand bazaar. By early afternoon the lines to get into the Blue Mosque were daunting, but Emel worked her magic and we were able to enter the mosque and see the beauty inside. Our last stop was a walk through the old Roman hippodrome where chariot races and other sporting events were held back in the day. Emel arranged for our driver to meets us there and take us back to Galataport where we reboarded our ship. All in all, we could not have asked for a better experience. It was difficult to say goodbye since we felt we were now dear friends and not just tourists and guide. We counted ourselves so very fortunate to have shared the day with Emel. We highly recommend Emel at Curio Travel. She’s the best!
Hello, Thank you very much for taking the time to share your kind words. We are delighted to hear that your experience with us exceeded your expectations, and your compliments have been shared with our team with great pleasure. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderfull country again. Curio Travel Team
Private guide to see the Istanbul major attractions is the way to go. We skipped long lines and many crowds. All of the sights were amazing; so glad we saw them this way. Our guide, Onur, was very good!
Dear Amy, Your kind words will be shared with our entire team, who will be thrilled to know they helped create this memorable experience. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team
Four of us and our guide. She was great. Showed us great little areas. Friendly, funny all round a great tour of the areas. Wou I d highly recommend again. Only 4 of us and our guide. Nice and personal.
Hello, Thank you very much for taking the time to share your kind words. We are delighted to hear that your experience with us exceeded your expectations, and your compliments have been shared with our team with great pleasure. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team
First class service very attentive and caring guide who was di knowledgeable about the city Fantastic tour
Dear Steve, Thank you again for your loyalty and thoughtful insights. We look forward to welcoming you back on your next trip to Ephesus and will do everything we can to ensure another wonderful travel. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of her/him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team
Our guide was fantastic. She had great suggestions and was patient and kind with my mother who has difficulty walking. The history she related while on the tours positively added to the experience
Dear Christy, Please rest assured that your kind words have been passed on to the entire Team. We look forward to welcoming you back for more memorable moments. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team
Very experienced guide, well looked after. Very knowledgeable and helpful. Enjoyable day. Took into account what we all wanted to see, 6 in our group.
Dear Kim, Your kind words will be shared with our entire team, who will be thrilled to know they helped create this memorable experience. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of her/him. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team
Eda was a fantastic guide and very knowledgeable. We had a great half day exploring and taking in the sights. Thank you so much.
Hello, We don't know how to thank you enough for your comment. Your feedback is precious and has been proudly share with the entire team. Our colleagues' dedication to our guests is fully rewarded when we received such wonderful comments. We will share your kind message and opinions with your guide. Thank you on behalf of her. We would be delighted to see you in our wonderful country again. Curio Travel Team
