Istanbul Private Tour Designed for Layover Flight, Transfer incl.
Description
Enjoy the private layover tour with a pick up service from airport with your licensed English speaking guide who knows the city very well. See and experience a lot of Istanbul during your layover instead wasting for time at the airport. Enjoy ferry ride and the breeze of the Bosporus and experience how easy to go from Europe to Asia. Taste the baklava and kebabs in their homeland. Visit the famous Blue mosque, Hagia Sofia and Basilica Cistern. Relax at a Turkish bath with a scrub and a foam massage. Get lost in the street of the Grand bazaar with four thousand shops and learn how to bargain with the local shopkeepers.
Tour Options
Itinerary
For the morning arrivals, Hagia sofia is an option to visit from inside with paying an admission fee of 60 tl ( 10 USD). This is one of the most visited attraction in Istanbul. Built as a church in 6 c AD, converted to a mosque in 1453 and to museum in 1935. It is a unique building in the wold which embrace Islam and Christianity inside one single building.
The most impressive water reservoir you can ever see. Built in 6th Century AD to preserve drinking water for the city. It was supplied from rain and aqueducts. 336 column, each column 8 m tall, 100.000 ton water capacity. The legendary Medusa heads are here located at the end of the cistern in the far blind corner.
The biggest and most visited mosque in Istanbul. This was built in 1609 by Ottoman sultan Ahmet and still host prayers five times a day. After the praying is conclude it is open to visitors.
This is the hippodrome where the chariots races were held here from 4th century until 15 century. It has been pull down by the Ottoman and its materials been recycled to built mosques and palaces by the Ottoman. There are monuments survived and can be visited. Four live size horse statues in St Mark Basilica are taken from here. One of the head from the serpent column is the British museum.
These ferries carry the locals between Europe and Asia in 20-30 minutes.It is the best way to see Istanbul from the water.
If you feel tired and need a massage then it is time to go to a Hamam ( Turkish bath). You don't need to take anything with you ( towels, shampoo etc. ) as they all provided for you. Here you will be washed with a scrubbed, soap massaged and relax at the lobby of a historic building covered with towels and sip your apple tea.
This is the places where the aromas from the world meet. Spice bazaar was built in 1664 as a part of the New mosque next to it. The complex is built by a lady Turhan Sultan. In this market you can find and taste the best spices, Turkish delights, nuts, herbal teas,dried fruits and vegetables.
This is a non touristy local market where local shop for the daily needs, greengrocers, butchers, fish mongers, restaurants an more..
This a bazaar built in 1461 by Ottomans with 4000 thousands indoor shops. It is an up market offers anything you need but mainly carpets, antiques, jewelries,leader products, textile products.
Enjoy the historic Spice market where spices come from all over the county and the world. Taste the best of Turkish delights, herbal teas, nuts and dried fruits.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please note that, pick up time is 1 ( one) hour after the landing of your flight. We will be monitoring your flight from the flight number you share with us during the booking and we will be aware of early landing and delays so no panic. To meet our Meet&Greet staff at the airport, please read the below instructions carefully and note them with you for the airport as you might not have the internet connection once you land in Istanbul. After you get off of the plane and pass through the passport controls and custom checks, then please walk to the exit GATE 13 ( outside the airport ) where it is Meet & Greet point for the transfer organizations. Right after the exit you will see many signs boards hanging. Please keep your eyes for the board sign as SW 39. There will be a guy standing next to the board sign, tell them your name to the Wellcome & Greeting staff and they will accompany you to the driver. Please note that, the Meet&Greeters are the third party and their english is limited. If you have any issue make them call or WhatsApp Salih. + 90 534 200 55 65 The next step is that they will accompany you to the driver and driver who will bring you to the center where you will meet your guide to start the tour. Driving duration to the center is approximately one hour. Please note that, once you arrive to the center the tour will be walking and using public transportations as tram and ferry depend of your itinerary. The car will be used only for pick up and drop off from and to airport. We will not be touring with the car which is not necessary for Istanbul and can be time wasting in Istanbul traffic jam. Walking is the best way to explore Istanbul and it is easy walk. For those who have walking issues please contact us for the private car which will apply an extra fee. P.S. if you have any luggage with you, we suggest you to store them at the airport while on tour. If that can’t happen for any reason then we will store your luggage at an establishment we work together. Luggage will be stored there while touring and will be picked them up at the end of the tour. For those who require drop off at airport, we will schedule your tour to end three hours before your flight departure time and you will be dropped off at airport two hours prior to your flight departure time. This time is enough for those who have already checked in and have the boarding passes. We look forward to meeting you in Istanbul.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Dress code is smart casual
Reviews(172)
We had the best day in Istanbul, all thanks to our wonderful guide Beyhan. We were able to see a lot in just a few hours and cannot wait to come back! Beyhan was able to work with our requests to see certain sites and skip others and she even took us to a restaurant for lunch! The only thing to note is that the driver on the way back to the airport drove a bit too fast/recklessly so that can be improved upon. But the tour itself was phenomenal and I would highly recommend it if you have a layover in Istanbul.
While there were some hiccups in the initial meetup instructions, Beyhan more than made up for it. She made it feel like a friend was showing you around Istanbul. The walking tour was a wonderful experience because you got to see the beautiful city from the perspective of a local who knows her stuff.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We appreciate your patience with the initial meeting instructions and are delighted to hear that Beyhan turned your layover into such an enjoyable experience. Making our guests feel like they’re exploring Istanbul with a local friend is exactly what we strive for. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with Beyhan—they’ll mean a lot to her. We hope to welcome you back to Istanbul for a longer visit and show you even more of our beautiful city!
This was my second experience with this company. Beyhan was such a lovely tour guide. Sweet, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I had a great time at Hagia Sophia, both Bazaars, loved the Bosphorus ferry ride and experiencing the city on both sides. Very happy with pick up/drop off at airport. Highly recommend.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review and, even more importantly, for choosing to tour with us again! It means a great deal to us to welcome returning guests. We’re delighted to hear that you had such a memorable experience with Beyhan. She will be thrilled to know that her warmth, enthusiasm, and knowledge made your time in Istanbul so enjoyable. It’s wonderful that you loved exploring Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar, taking the Bosphorus ferry, and experiencing both the European and Asian sides of the city. We’re also pleased that the airport transfers helped make your trip smooth and stress-free. Thank you for your kind recommendation. We truly appreciate your continued support and look forward to welcoming you back to Istanbul for a third adventure!
After purchasing, the tour operator contacted me right away via Whatsapp. The pickup at the airport was quick and efficient. I was dropped off and met by my guide at the city center for the walking tour. Omar was excellent, with a wealth of knowledge of history of Istanbul. Overall a great experience and definitely recommend
Amazing guide who was extremely knowledgeable. He made it easy to customise my trip around my timeframe and location. Everything was very easy to book and get sorted. I just had to show up at the designated time. Highly recommend!
A great tour by a very knowledgeable guide! Omer helped customize our tour to see as much as possible during our 7 hour layover. Highly recommend!
Very good tour, well scheduled and planned for a 12-hour layover. Omar was a fantastic and very friendly guide!
Ömer did an absolutely fantastic job showing my son and myself Istanbul. From pick up at the airport to drop off everything was perfect. We got a great feel for the amazing city of Istanbul.
Great Experience!! Very easy and practical. Alp, our guide very professional, caring, and friendly. My wife and I enjoyed the tour to Hagia Sofia, we had little time for our next flight but Alp managed so that we could have a complete experience, a little taste to come back to Stambul. I recommend it very much.
My Local Guide Istanbul provided an exceptional tour by a knowledgeable and friendly guide that was individualized to my needs and preferences and in doing so far exceeded my expectations! I’ve taken other “layover tours” in different cities but never had such an incredible experience. I learned more and had more fun than on any other tour during an experience that made me feel like I was a local for the day. I cannot emphasize enough how highly I recommend booking this tour!
