Istanbul: Full Day Private Guided Tour of Iconic Landmarks
Description
See Istanbul’s most important sites in a single day on a private tour, including Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, and the Grand Bazaar. With skip-the-line tickets available for purchase directly from your guide, you’ll avoid the wait and make the most of your time. Explore the city’s rich history with an expert local guide, who can tailor the day to your interests for a truly personalized experience. Wander through the vibrant Grand Bazaar with insider tips to help you navigate its treasures, and dive into the fascinating stories of the Ottoman and Byzantine empires. Walk through the heart of the Sultanahmet district, the oldest part of Istanbul, where ancient monuments stand beside lively neighborhoods and historic streets.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your expert guide and start your private tour to see the top sites in Istanbul. See Sultanahmet with your own eyes as an awe-inspiring hotspot for visitors with prestigious hillside monuments and much more.
Visit the world-famous Blue Mosque, Istanbul’s premier sight. Blue Mosque in Istanbul is an essential part of any Istanbul tour that lets you see mosque architecture and learn the basics of Islam in a very relevant setting.
Walk through the famous Hippodrome of Istanbul seeing the famous Obelisks and the German Fountain. Learn about its history and the public use of this space in Byzantine and Ottoman times.
Visit the inspiring Hagia Sophia, which on its own, justifies a visit to Istanbul. The church of the Divine Wisdom is eternally impressive and important with its extraordinary dimensions and beauty. You can expect to have in-depth explanations of the monument as part of your tour.
Explore the “Subterranean Palace,” where you’ll learn about Byzantine architecture and the area’s intriguing history as you gaze upon underground pillars. Walk on the wooden walkways over the water with an eye out for the famous upside-down Medusa heads.
The Grand Bazaar is a classical example of Ottoman civil architecture in Istanbul and deserves a visit not only for the shopping experience but also to see the way it was built. Grand Bazaar is Turkey’s largest and oldest covered market offering excellent shopping opportunities.
Enjoy skip the line tickets available to purchase from your guide to enter Topkapi Palace without delay. Walk the gardens and courtyards of Topkapı to witness the glory of the Ottomans. Topkapı Palace is a place of opulence, complexity, and mystery that inspires awe and is a must to see on your Istanbul tour. The palace has many sections open for visits.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Women are required to wear a headscarf when entering the mosque.
- Both men and women should wear clothing that covers their shoulders and knees. Shorts, sleeveless tops, and other revealing attire are not permitted inside.
- Wearing or displaying any specific religious symbols or attire is not permitted.
- You are not allowed to bring signs, symbols, banners, flags, documents, drawings, or any materials representing political, ideological, or religious beliefs inside the Hagia Sophia.
- Tips/gratuities (for your guide) are always appreciated.
Reviews(2)
Guzin was very nice, instructive and gave us plenty of useful details on Sainte Sophie, Blue Mosque (under renovation), Topkapi Palace and Suleiman Mosque. She also showed us good kebab places and carpet and ceramics handcraft. It is less useful to have a guide un the Grand Bazar or the Spice market. It was a great weekend thanks to Guzin and Walks in Istanbul !
We booked three tours with Walks InIstanbul and our online contact was the owner Arzu, who communicated in a timely and clear fashion. We requested a female guide and were assigned to Guzin, who was an absolutely terrific guide- friendly, charming, knowledgeable, opinionated (when we asked!!) and passionate. Our initial tour was of the original Jewish and Greek neighborhoods that are now in the midst of a pretty aggressive gentrification campaign. We then did a short Bosphorus cruise at dusk, with the highlights being the different sultans' palaces that were scattered along the straits. The following day, we covered the expansive Topkapi Palace that really had a thorough set of billboards to read about everyday life in the palace kitchen. The humongous Hagia Saphia and the equally sprawling Grand Bazaar rounded out that busy day as well. Istanbul is bursting with a colorful and complicated history, and we were grateful that Guzin really provided an unadulterated perspective of the Ottoman interaction with its minorities. We appreciated her candor. Its important to have a solid guide to provide context and and expertise and we were thrilled with Guzin as our choice.
