1-Day Private Istanbul Layover Tour
Description
If you have a long layover in Istanbul, take advantage of the time with one of these tour options and see some of the sights of this historic city. The 6-hour tours can be customized to your interests or the guide will take you to see the top attractions.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, one of the most revered masterpieces of the Islamic world, is famous with its blue ceramic tiles and six minarets.
The Church of Holy Wisdom, undoubtedly one of the greatest architectural creations in the world, was used as a mosque during Ottomans and now serves as a museum.
The cistern was known in Byzantium as the basilica Cistern, Justinian was the founder of the largest underground cistern, built after the Nika Revolt in 532.The number of the inhabitants ofConstantinople increased and bring a problem of water supply. Basilica Cistern was used to store water for the Great Palace.
The center for entertainment, amusement and sports in the city during the Roman and Byzantine Empires. The Egyptian Obelisk, the serpentine column and the German fountain of Willhelm II are sites to be visited.
The oldest and the largest covered market place in the world with more almost 4000 shops owing rich collection of handmade carpets, jewelery, leather and souvenirs.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We provide pick-up/drop-off at the airport or at the hotels around the airport
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(7)
We had an 8 hour layover in Istanbul and this was the perfect way to spend the time. The pick-up at the airport was right on time, and in a very comfortable, clean, customized van with reclining captain chairs and a table. Pretty much just slept during the 1 hour drive into the city. Tour guide called as we got into the van to make sure everything was ok. When we met in the city he asked us what we were most interested in and then got us under way. Was very flexible and found us a place to grab a quick snack as we hadn’t had breakfast yet. Showed us around the Hippodrome, then took us past the Blue Mosque (couldn’t go in due to renovation works), then actually into the Sophia, and down into the Basilica Cistern. As we were getting a bit hungry he took us to the “Pudding Shop” for a great local lunch. Finished the Tour off wandering through the Grand Bazaar. All along the way our guide provided interesting information about what we were seeing and answered any questions we had. Trip back to the airport was in the same vehicle and got us back in plenty of time to catch our flight. No hesitation to recommend this tour! Great job.
Had a really good time with our guide Ozlem during our layover in Istanbul. Ozlem was very knowledgeable and flexible about what we wanted to do during our limited time. We definitely recommend to others.
Very grateful to Daily Istanbul tours for the enjoyable time i spent in Istanbul city sightseeing, instead of waiting in the airport for the flight. The service provided was perfect from the beginning of the tour to the end. They picked me up fast, drove in a very comfortable car to the old town where i met the guide and was taken back to the airport on time. I had a great time with my guide, Ozlem, she made my day perfect.
Hey Everyone! Our tour guide, Ozlem, was just perfect. It was complete ease to find our ride from the airport to meeting our guide in the city. We are all the way from Miami and had about a 9 hour layover. We had our tour arranged from about 5 pm to 9 pm. It takes only 30 minutes to get by to IST at night, so if you have time, please use it!
We used this company for transfers to/from the airport and for a walking tour of the city. We were traveling with two kids aged 8 and 11 and two adults. Our guide, Oz, was very knowledgeable and made great use of our time. We hit all of the major sites, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Spice Market, Grand Bazaar and a few other spots. Lunch was very good as well. We were very pleased with this company and will use them again in the future if ever in Istanbul.
Our tour guide Ozlem was one of the best guides we have ever had and we had all travelled around the world. She was knowledgeable, friendly, and so organized. We visited and learned about some of the most beautiful historic sites in Istanbul. She had all of our tickets ready to facilitate entry without standing in line, gave us an extensive historic perspective, and answered all of our questions. The tour had made two restaurant reservations for us. The tables were located in balconies right next to the balcony overlooking the Hagia Sophia and the Bosporus bridge. It was amazing. Thank you so much!!!!s
I had an amazing time on this tour. I was only in Istanbul for a few hours and I was able to cover a lot of ground with my very knowledgeable tour guide. I recommend this to anyone thinking about seeing the sights.