Istanbul Ottoman Tour: Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque
Description
Spend the morning exploring Istanbul's Ottoman past at the enchanting Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Please note: On Fridays the Blue Mosque will be closed until 2.30pm for prayer, entry will not be permitted. One of the most famous monuments in both the Turkish and Islamic worlds, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque (also known as the Blue Mosque) is a superb creation in the classical Ottoman style. The mosque has six towering minarets and 260 windows illuminating its vast main chamber, which is decorated with more than 20,000 Iznik tiles.
The Hippodrome was once the heart of Constantinople’s political and sporting life, and the scene of games and riots through 500 years of Ottoman history. Today it is a city park called the At Meydanı (Horse Grounds) because of its function in Ottoman times. The Hippodrome includes the 3500-year-old Egyptian granite Obelisk, brought to Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius in 390 AD.
The largest and oldest palace in the world, Topkapi was the crown jewel of the Ottoman Empire. With its treasury and exotic buildings overlooking the Golden Horn, your visit to Topkapi promises to be a truly fascinating experience. Note, the Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays.
It was built in Germany and moved by ships and its construction was completed in Istanbul.
The Obelisk of Theodosius was one of the monuments on the spina of the Hippodrome of Constantinople during the reign of Theodosius I in 390.
The Hagia Irene located in the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palace is the oldest church of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine).
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Confirmation for this tour will be received at the time of booking
- In the event of any museum closures, an alternative similar museum will be visited
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Reviews(34)
We took this tour on our first day in Istanbul (a few days ago). Our guide was kind, informative, and so funny! Very easy to talk to. She answered all of our questions, even my irrelevant ones (how to say “thank you” in Turkish, safety tips, etc). I really enjoyed her company and she made the tour so much fun! The order we did things in was perfect in my opinion, and the hand-knotted rug demonstration was such a cool unique experience that I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own. Loved it!!
Dear Guest, we are very happy to hear that you were satisfied with our service. Your feedback is very helpful to us in improving our service. We hope that your entire trip to Turkey was wonderful and that you leave our country with beautiful memories. We would be delighted to see you in our country again. Thank you.
The highlight of my trip to Istanbul. Our tour guide, Seckin D. Was beyond our expectations. He knew every answer to our questions and went way beyond any guide we’ve ever had. He spoke perfect English and understood very well. I told him “I think you’re American”! Yes, that perfect! He knew more about Americans than most American do! You won’t be disappointed.
Dear Guest, we are very happy to hear that you were satisfied with our service. Your feedback is very helpful to us in improving our service. We hope that your entire trip to Turkey was wonderful and that you leave our country with beautiful memories. We would be delighted to see you in our country again. Thank you.
The location of the palace so close to the mosque and the exhibits were great! Our guide was very knowledgeable and shared very interesting information.
Amazing tour of the main attractions in Istanbul. The tour guide Ali was exceptional and very informative
Very well planned and executed tour. The guide was very well spoken and friendly. Would do this tour again - a must for anyone with only a few hours on their hands!
We had a great guide that showed us the ins and outs of the city. He hit on a lot of historical points but did not bore us one bit!
<p>Excellent. It was pouring the rain that day, but was still a very nice and excellent tour.</p>
<p>Tour guide could have been more engaging. Tour was an average standard, have been on better tours.</p>
<p>Excellent guide providing very good information all along the tour</p>
<p>Great experience. This was a small group of 10, picked up on time and spent a half day in Istanbul. Great service from our guide gudyi and very interesting to visit the mosque and palace. Have a guide and tickets got us through the long lines easily. We would recommend this for anyone visiting Turkey.</p>
