For Last minute Istanbul tour inquiry, please call or WhatsApp us at +90 542 591 99 25
Duration: Approx. between 6 - 8 Hours
Tour starting point: Hotel or Istanbul Galataport
Tour ending point: Hotel or Istanbul Galataport
Includes: Private tour, professional tour guide
Excludes: Entrance tickets, lunch, drinks, transportation (unless option booked), tips to guide & driver ( recommended)
Sights to see:
Day 1 - Highlights of Topkapi Palace Museum, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome Square, Grand Bazaar
Day 2 - Spice Market, Bosphorus Cruise, Dolmabahce Palace, Taksim Square, Istiklal Street, Cicek Passage, Galata Tower (from outside)
Day 3 - Suleymaniye Mosque, Fener and Balat Districts, St. Stephen Church (Iron Church), Pierre Lotti Panoramic Hill, Rahmi Koc Museum (or alternative options)
Private Tour
Professional Tour Guide
Museum/Attraction Tickets
Transportation
Lunch, Drinks
Tips to guide & driver
Your tour guide will meet you at your hotel lobby or cruise port and start your Istanbul Old City Tour;
Highlights of Topkapi Palace Museum; (Topkapi Sarayi) More than just an Imperial Residence of Ottoman Sultans. It was seat of Supreme Executive Council for almost 400 years long. Topkapi Palace is a great monument of Oriental architecture which resembles power of Ottoman Empire.
Byzantine Hippodrome / Sultanahmet Square; where chariot races were held in Roman Empire times, Egyptian Column from Byzantine Empire time. Today German Fountain is cornerstone of square.
Hagia Sophia (skip the line service is not available for active mosques – there is a queue for the entrance); (Ayasofya, Santa Sofia) Built in 6th century by Emperor Justinian. It plays a very important role in Christian and Islamic World. After the Ottoman conquest the bells, altar, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many mosaics were covered to convert church into a mosque.
Blue Mosque (skip the line service is not available for active mosques – there is a queue for the entrance); Built in the early 1600s for Sultan Ahmet I of the Ottoman Empire. Blue Mosque is truly a magnificent masterpiece of architecture, with amazingly delicate proportions for a building of such massive scale.
Grand Bazaar; (Kapali Carsi) The largest and oldest covered markets in the world with over 4,000 shops. You can find colorful products of ceramic, leather, rugs, carpets, handicrafts, clothes, silver, and gold.
After completing your private Istanbul tour here, your private guide will accompany you on the way back to your hotel or Istanbul port.
Important Notes:
– This trip can be operated as walking tour because sites of visit are near to each other. But if your hotel is not centrally located, booking private van is recommended from and back to your hotel.
– If one of the mosques are not visited, Basilica Cistern will be visited as a replacement.
– On Fridays, Hagia Sophia or Blue Mosque will be visited from outside because of the worship.
Your Istanbul tour guide will wait you at your hotel lobby or cruise port and start your Istanbul Bosphorus Region Tour;
Spice Market; is a colorful indoor bazaar and has lots of shops offering a variety of products. Some of them are spices, purses, flavored teas, Turkish delight, nuts, as well as ceramics, and small souvenirs. Spice Bazaar is located in Eminonu Square which is the connection place of Bosphorus and Golden Horn.
Bosphorus Cruise; is operated with public ferry to see both Istanbul’s European and Asian side. On the way we see Galata Tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Rumeli Fortress, old Ottoman villas, Bosphorus bridge, mosques. Your best Istanbul tour memories will be in Bosphorus. * Please advise if you prefer Private Yacht Option for Bosphorus Cruise.
Dolmabahce Palace; Elegance and beauty with most luxury decoration, chandeliers, rugs, crystals, ceramic fireplaces. Beautiful palace, right on the Bosphorus with gorgeous furnishings, paintings, porcelains made for Dolmabahce.
Taksim Square; A great place defining modern Turkey which witnessed important historical moments.
Cicek Passage; A combined structure of traditional and modern construction methods and architecture style by Ottoman Empire is reflected here. Cicek Passage has very good food joints, cafes, shops, bars, night clubs around Taksim.
Istiklal Street; (Istiklal Caddesi) and Galata Tower along with embassies of European countries in Taksim.
After finishing your private Istanbul trip here, your private guide can drop you off back to your hotel or Galataport.
Note: Booking private car is suggested for this day as transportation is required between sites of visit.
Your private tour guide can pick you up at your hotel lobby or cruise port and begin your Istanbul Golden Horn Tour;
Suleymaniye Mosque; is the largest mosque in Istanbul and impressive both inside and out. Suleymaniye terrace offers lovely views of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus.
Fener District; Continue exploring Istanbul’s rich religious history with a stop at Church of St. George. Since 1600s, the church has been the location of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It is recognized as the religious center of Eastern Orthodox Religion.
Balat District; lines of drying laundry stretch across steep, winding streets. Century-old Ottoman houses lean against each other in a combination of reds, blues, and greens. And art galleries and design shops along water.
St. Stephen Church; Located on the shore of Golden Horn. Known as Iron Church because it’s made entirely of iron in 19th century.
Pierre Lotti Hill & Cable Car; offers great view of Golden Horn for visitors. Take cable car to reach the top and enjoy beautiful scenery while drinking Turkish coffee or tea.
Rahmi Koc Museum; here we visit industrial and cultural museum built by famous family of Koc. The family were leading power of Turkish Republic in industrial field since early period of 20th century.
Alternative sites for Rahmi Koc Museum; Kadikoy Neighborhood by public ferry or Istanbul Archaeological Museum (requires 340 TL entrance fee per person)
After ending your private Istanbul tour here, your private guide can drop you off back to your hotel or port.
Note: Booking private vehicle is suggested for this day as transportation is required between sites of visit.
Your Best of Istanbul 3 days tour ends here, for an additional day or customized Istanbul tour program, please Contact Us.
*As museums and some sites are closed around 17:30 pm, alternative tour sites will be advised by tour guide.
*Tour guide meets you at central Istanbul hotels or Istanbul Galata Port. If hotel is not centrally located, meeting point will be German Fountain.
*If van service is not chosen your guide meet you at centrally located hotels on foot.
*Please note that there will be an additional charge if your hotel is located outside of city center.
Please Note:
Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.
Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays.
Blue Mosque is closed until 2 pm on Fridays.
Hagia Sophia entrance is restricted during praying time.
Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Mondays. Due to regulations, a live guide service is not available at Dolmabahce Palace.
Rahmi Koc Museum is closed on Mondays, can be replaced with alternative sites.
Annual Closing Dates of museums and bazaars in Istanbul are;
January 1-New Year
April 9, 10 and 11, 2024 – Ramadan Celebrations (Eid Al Fitr 2024)
June 16, 17, 18 and 19, 2024 – Eid Celebrations (Eid AL Adha 2024)
Q: How to meet my tour guide?
A: Your Istanbul tour guide will wait you at your hotel lobby to meet you at a determined time.
Q: Can I state departure time for my tour?
A: Yes! We operate tours on a private basis, so you can customize departure time.
Q: Can I choose sights to visit on my own?
A: Sure! You can choose sights and museums along with all sorts of criteria you like in accordance with your tour guide.
Q: How to buy museum tickets?
A: No need to buy tickets in advance, during trip your tour guide will help you to purchase them. Official tour guides have priority at museum ticket offices.
Q: Am I traveling with a group on tour?
A: No. We provide Private Guided Istanbul Tours for your best experience. So you will have a private professional tour guide in your preferred language.
Q: How about transportation?
A: When you book your tour with a van, you will be picked up from hotel. Then transferred to the sights, then back to hotel. Otherwise, your tour guide will meet you at your hotel. Then advise the best option for transportation like cab or tram.
Q: How about shopping in Istanbul?
A: We do not include any shopping stops. Unless you wish to visit one of the traditional workshops for handmade rugs, tiles, jewelry. If you have any interest in workshops, please indicate while booking.
Q: How do I book this Private Guided Istanbul Tour?
A: Easy! You need to fill in the 'Booking' form where you can put your full details. We will need personal information, date, hotel or cruise name, arrival/departure times. Once you complete your booking, there will be a payment button to complete your deposit payment. After completing payment, we will get back to you with a confirmation email within 24 hours.
Q: How do I pay?
A: After filling the Book Now form, there will be a payment button to complete your deposit payment. When you complete payment and secure the booking, we will confirm your tour details with email. Balance payment will be in cash directly to the tour guide during the tour. You can choose to pay in USD, Euro or Turkish Lira.
Q: Does the status of Hagia Sophia affect our tour?
A: After conversion to mosque entrance is restricted during praying times. But your tour guide can revise your tour route accordingly and entrance is free of charge. Please note that as it's not a museum anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority, so you may need to wait in the security line.
Q: What should I know to visiting Mosques in Istanbul?
A: You can check the dress codes that must be followed while visiting mosques. Here
Q: Are there any suggested activities in Istanbul?
A: Yes, Istanbul offers many activities to do after your tour. Dinner Cruise on Bosphorus Strait with traditional Turkish belly dancers, Turkish Bath (Hamam), whirling dervish show. You can choose activities on Booking Form. Our team can arrange it for you.
Q: What is the cancellation policy for Bets of Istanbul tour?
A: You can check the following link to see our cancellation policy for this tour.
