Istanbul Highlights from Cruise Pier with Skip-the-Ticket-Line
Description
Make the most of your time in Istanbul with this exceptional private tour of the city’s historic Old Town, designed exclusively for cruise guests. Choose between a half-day or full-day experience to suit your schedule and interests. Explore Istanbul’s most iconic landmarks—including the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the Basilica Cistern—with skip-the-line access, so you can spend more time discovering and less time waiting. For those opting for a full-day tour, you have the option to enhance your experience by adding a visit to the Topkapi Palace or enjoying a scenic Bosphorus boat tour. Your knowledgeable guide will meet you directly at the cruise port and accompany you throughout the tour, sharing fascinating insights and stories that bring Istanbul’s rich history to life. Midway through, enjoy a refreshing break with a complimentary Turkish tea or coffee at a local café. At the end of your day, your guide will escort you back to the cruise pier.
Tour Options
Itinerary
A masterpiece of Byzantine architecture, the Hagia Sophia served as a cathedral, then a mosque, and now a mosque again. Admire its grand dome, golden mosaics, and layers of religious history that span over 1,500 years.
We're going to explore the Basilica Cistern, an ancient water storage system designed to withstand long sieges. With its vast size and 336 columns, it's often referred to as the 'Underground Palace.' It's not only a remarkable historical site but also offers a unique and fascinating experience beneath the streets of Istanbul." Please note that the entry fee is 900 TL per person, and we will purchase the tickets for you to skip the line. Kindly have the amount ready in cash. ( officials share that it will be 1300 TL pp but date is not confirmed yet ).
Famed for its six minarets and stunning blue İznik tiles, the Blue Mosque is an active place of worship and a symbol of Ottoman grandeur. Don’t miss its serene courtyard and majestic interior.
The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire.
At a point during the tour, your guide will choose a stop where you can enjoy a complimentary Turkish coffee or tea.
Visit one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world - Istanbul's Grand Bazaar
Please note: The palace is included in the full-day tour option. If you choose the half-day tour, you will visit the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Hippodrome, and the Grand Bazaar.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Our guides will be waiting for you at the individual exit, holding a sign with your name on it.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- At the Blue Mosque, no one has the right to skip the lines.
- Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays and our guide can show another bazaar instead.
- Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays and Half day tour is available on Tuesdays or will be replaced with Bosphorus Tour for full day tours
- On Religious Fests; Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar are closed.
- Blue Mosque open after 2 pm on Fridays.
Reviews(113)
We had an amazing private tour of the main Istanbul attractions - Blue Mosque, Haga Sofia, and Cisterns - with Ozkan, who was so knowledgeable about all of the rich history of the sites. We went to Istanbul on a cruise and he was right there waiting for us at the port (even when we were a bit late). There were 5 of us so it was so nice to have an intimate tour of the major spots to see. He navigated the city for us (it was so cool taking a tram to the main spots) and coordinated the entrances to the attractions. We were a bit pressed for time and he still managed to get us to see some incredible sights. In addition to the sites, he took us to a ceramic shop where we were able to purchase authentic Turkish ceramics and a cute "mom and pop" store to buy Turkish delights. Because it was a private experience, he was able to accommodate whatever we wanted. This was an awesome experience and I would recommend it to anyone.
Muhammed is an excellent guide. He made our tour personalized with the perfect mix of historical facts and interesting stories while ensuring we were avoiding the crowds. A fantastic day thanks to him!
We had Cumali as our guide and he was amazing. He kept our attention by incorporating questions for us into our tour. We learned a lot about the Turkish culture and the history of the Mosques. We felt like we had a better understanding of the culture by the end of the tour.
It was a very good tour, we managed to see the best of Istanbul in the time that says the app, something tired but it was all seen, it was a private tour, with our guide Bahar, deserves 10/5, took us well in the historical places and took us to the places we asked in the great Bazaar, really recommended
Imran was a great guide, friendly, honest, and thoughtful. He patiently responded to all our questions and also openly taught us about the local life and culture. Thank you for your generosity! We enjoyed doing the half day tour during offseason as we didnt have to wait in queues and instead, had plenty of time to admire the details, ask questions and learn from the history of Turkey.
It was by far the best tour ever!! We booked it on the last moment and it was the best choice we have made since we arrived in Istanbul:) Our guide , Ozge, came 30mins earlier than the pick up time and waited for us at the lobby, and stayed professional throughout the journey:) Her knowledge of the history of all the monuments and historic remains are outstanding , we couldn't have had a better guide. I 100% recommend her for a group or a private tour, she is sensitive to details while also having a great sense of leadership:) Thank you for the tour, Ozge:)
Took this tour together with my fiancée. We visited Istanbul before but never took this side and we were really impressed with all the sites visited and the knowledgeable tour guide . The tour was private and I have to admit a bit expensive but we wanted to have the best so we booked it . First thing is there is no pick up (nobody contacted us to ask where to pick us up ), we received a message at 9:59 from the company about the pick up and the tour started at 10 so 1 star here ( we paid our own taxi ). Than the meeting point also one star as it was a name of a street so when we arrived there we were going up and down the street not knowing where the guide was waiting for us since we didn’t even receive a message about a cafe name or restaurant. We stopped a guide who was doing his tour and he went asking to find our guide sitting at a cafe so really bad organization on that part . Towards the end of the tour we could see the guide was already tired which was understandable on a hot day but he left us at the bazaar before 4 pm bidding us farewell 2 hours before the tour ended just explaining to us how to go to the nearest metro station to return to our hotel . We only spent 30 min in the bazaar exactly where the guide left us to buy a chess set but took us more than 1 hour to get an Uber at the location and the taxis are all trying to rip you off asking 3 ,4 times the price of an Uber . So the tour itself was nice as it was private and we chose the itinerary however the pickup was a failure, meeting point failure and cut short 2 hrs so overall if it wasn’t for the experience guide I would give 1 star. Overall I recommend you to look elsewhere for a tour that will offer pickup and drop off and someone not in a hurry to end the tour ( even if we said it was ok the professional thing to do would’ve been to wait for us from the bazaar and take us to the nearest train station and still it would’ve been before 6 pm the specified time ending in the brochure).
I booked this tour for a stopover that we had by way of Turkish Airlines. Our plane was a little over an hour late in its departure, and I kept the company abreast. When we finally got to our hotel, our tour guide Muhammed was already waiting. My wife and I quickly refreshed and met him back in the lobby. First things, he was extremely patient! Secondly, he adjusted the tour to ensure that we hit every point. As we went from place to place, Muhammed's knowledge was vast, and he did an excellent job at explaining the history of every stop. He was excellent at presenting the information in a concise way without it coming off as overwhelming. He welcomed questions and answered them. We stopped by a local spot that he suggested for a quick bite, and it was very flavorful and piqued our interest in other Turkish restaurants. He also made sure that we got back to our hotel using public forms of transportation and not gotten swindled by cab drivers. His care and interpreter skills were key in that and we greatly appreciate his care and concern for my wife and I in another country for such a short stint. Muhammed Salih is an excellent guide and should be requested should you select this tour!
Jason, our tour guide did an awesome job with our tour. First, make sure you start at 9am! Less crowd and a more personal experience. 2nd, do a private tour….. This way, you get to ask questions, your guide will take pictures at the right place, right time, and get an insider and important history that you don’t read in magazines or tour books. The time we spent during our private tour was well spent. We learned important details about each mosque, basilica, and got to enjoy shopping at the Grand Bazaar with no hassles! We even had a short stop for snacks - - tasted the most popular desserts and yogurt drink. Make sure you ask for Jason as your tour guide!
Jason brought Istanbul to life! Our family had a wonderful time. Highly recommended this tour. We learned about the history of the city. Great way to start our vacation
