Private Guided Istanbul Tour
Description
Have your own private guide to discover Istanbul’s magnificent architecture, rich history, eclectic bazaars and the unmissable highlights of the Old City. Flexiable daily itinerary that can be customized according to your schedule. AVOID THE TICKET LINES for HAGIA SOPHIA, TOPKAPI PALACE and BASILICA CISTERN * Enjoy the flexibility of your day * Discover the city and learn about everything from Expert Guides * Enjoy the Turkish Cuisine * Explore the Bazaars and local streets and more.... Recommended Itinerary; Day 1 - Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, St Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar
Tour Options
Itinerary
Hippodrome was the arena for chariot races back in the Roman time. Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Coloum, Obelisk of Constantinople will be seen.
Blue Mosque is the most decorative mosque built by Ottomans in 1616AD. Its name was derived from almost 20k blue colored, imperial tiles that decorates the interior.
Hagia Sophia was the greatest catedrel of medival age and it is such a structure where you can see the islamic and christian icons side by side. Upper Galleries are open to the visitors as museum and main ground is being used as mosque. Entrance fee is 25 Euros. *Please note that as it's not a museum anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority there. You may need to wait in the security line, in order to avoid queues we suggest departing at 8:30am or 9:00am.
Topkapi Palace was the main palace of Ottoman Empire for almost 400 years. You will see one of the best treaury collection in the world including 86 carats spoonmakers" diamond. Holly Relics, Kitchen, Clock and some other sections will be visited too. Closed on Tuesdays - Entrance fee is about 50usd
Basilica cistern was built in 6th century as an underground water reservuar for the city. As the pagan temples were recyled for the cunstraction, it houses the head of medusa from 3rd century AD. Entrance fee is about 30usd pp
Grand Bazaar is the biggest and oldest shopping mall in the world. It was built in 1461 and has more than 4000 shops in there. You can shop for good quality carpets, leather products, souveniours and more. Closed on Sundays
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We meet with the travelers at the lobby of their hotel and we complete the tour by walking.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Skip the line service is not available for active mosques - there is a line for the entrance.
- Ladies needs to cover their head with a scarf during mosque visits
- Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays. Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Mondays. Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays
- Our Tour guides can provide Hagia Sophia QR tickets to skip the ticket line in Hagia Sophia. You may need to wait in the security line, in order to avoid queues we suggest departing at 8:30am or 9:00am.
- For the tours that start after 10:30 am, kindly note that you may have to skip one/ couple of sites as the sites are closed by 5 pm in winters and 7pm in Summers. Your guide will adjust the program according to your priorities.
- Blue Mosque is closed on Fridays till 2:30pm
Reviews(7)
Evren was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. He was flexible with our schedule when weather impacted our tour and when we asked for a slightly different start time. I highly recommend Evren!
Thank you very much for your comments. Hope to meet you again. Regards, Evren
We had an amazing private tour with Evren. He had our tickets for the attractions ready so we seemed to always be able to go to a short line and spend more time at the attractions. He gave us great information and went above and beyond for us. Instead of just taking a taxi back to our hotel, he made it possible to take the metro to the Asian side of the city and ferry back. He used his metro pass when our credit cards didn’t work and got us on the ferry before leaving us. It was a fabulous experience and we will book a tour with him if we get to Turkey again. Thank you for an unforgettable experience!
Thank you very much for your comment. 🙏 Hope to meet again 👋
Evren guided us on an 8 hour tour of the Istanbul highlights including the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome, Palace, Cistern, Grand Bazaar, rug maker, Traditional lunch, reservation for a Turkish Bath and the Spice Market. 7 miles and lots of education. Excellent English speaker, intelligent and shapes tour to our speed and expectations.
Thank you very much for your comment. Hope to meet you again. Regards, Evren
Evren was amazing! He is so knowledgible and explains everything so clearly... We learned so much more than we anticipated and i already have a broard knowledge of the history. Plus, he was so pleasant and fin to be with. We had a full day tour with Evren and saw so much more than we would have on our own. I highly reccomend Bosphorus Gate and score Evren a 6 out of 5.
Thank you very much for your kind words. Lookinig forward to seeing you again. Kind Regards, Evren Bozan
Evren is a researched and dedicated historian who knows his subject inside out! Being a well traveled man himself he has a much wider knowledge than of just the Istanbul sites themselves, and connects the complete history across the world imparting a much broader understanding of what we saw, how it came to be and why… it’s been many years since I have learned so much in one day! Evren, is very nice and thoroughly decent man. It was such a pleasure for my wife and I to meet him and spend 8 hours with him today. We only had this one day in Istanbul and we are so delighted that we got Evren as our guide. If you’re coming to Istanbul and want to learn something of it’s magic, spend less on trinkets from the Bizzar and book with Bosphorus Gate!
Dear Grant, It was my pleasure of being your guide. Thanks for your kind words. Looking forward to meeting you again. Kind Regards, Evren
This company is absolutely amazing, and not only because of the quality of the tour. It is hard to overstate how professional -- and flexible -- our guide Evren was during our time in Istanbul. In addition to nailing the right sights for us and ensuring that we had a relaxed, personalized experience, Evren handled a medical issue that required a hospital visit with unbelievable creativity and kindness. Absolute A+ experience and made Istanbul one of the best travel experiences of our lives.
Dear John, Thanks for your feedback. It is always our pleasure to welcome you again.
We were 6 of us and I had Evren as my private guide just a month ago before our embarktion to our cruise. He was like a walking library - his knowledge of the city's history and culture was amazing. It is more like spending the day with a friend. He made our short visit to Istanbul unforgettable. I cannot recommend him highly enough!
Thanks for your feedback. I am glad that you had enjoyed your time. Hope to see you again.