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Private Istanbul Tour: 8 Hour Exploration from Istanbul Cruise Port with No Hidden Costs
4.8
73 Ratings
Beyoğlu
Experience a private Istanbul tour with no hidden costs. Enjoy special discounts, flexible itinerary, skip-the-line tickets, and delicious Turkish food. Book now!
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Galataport Istanbul - Your private guide will meet you at Istanbul port Terminal Building with a sign displaying “Your Name“ at the pre-arranged time (usually 30 minutes after your cruise docks at the port).
- Galata Koprusu - Pass by the Galata bridge over the Golden Horn.
- Hippodrome - After greeting, walk to our air-conditioned van and begin your tour of Istanbul, the only city in the world located on two continents, and the capital of three great empires – Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman – for over 2000 years.
Our first stop is Hippodrome Square, which was the site of chariot races and Byzantine riots during the Roman and Byzantine periods.
- Blue Mosque - Our second stop is the Blue Mosque, located just a few meters from the Ancient Hippodrome. The Blue Mosque is renowned for its stunning blue Iznik tiles.
- Topkapi Palace - Continue walking approximately 300 meters to Topkapi Palace, which served as the residence of the Ottoman sultans and the administrative and educational center of the state. It was built between 1460 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople. We will visit the Topkapi Palace, including the weapons section.
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - A short walk away is Hagia Sophia, built in 532 AD by Roman Emperor Justinian I.
Update for St. Sophia interior visit:
Live guiding is not allowed in St. Sophia after January 15, 2024. Guests must have their smartphones and headphones during their visit. If guests do not have headphones, they can purchase them at the entrance for 3.5 USD. The system is similar to an audio guide system. Guests without smartphones will follow the signs and the information provided on them.
- Kapali Carsi - After a brief lunch break at famous local restaurants like the Pudding Shop, we will walk to visit the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. Opened in 1461, it is famous for its jewelry, pottery, spices, and carpet shops.
- Galataport Istanbul - After visiting the Grand Bazaar, we will walk back to our van and drive to the port through Galata, where you will see locals taking ferries, enjoying street food, and fishing. Arrival back at the port marks the end of our services.
What's Included
- Professional Licenced Tour guide
- Entrance fees with Pre-Paid tickets to skip the lines
- Port pickup and drop-off
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Tips
- Entrance Fees ( Our guide will have pre-paid tickets )
Additional Information
Why Private Tours with Us?
- Special discounts
- You will decide on departure time.
- Our tour guide will meet you at the port with your name sign,
- Our professional tour guide and A/C vehicle will be with you from arrival till departure,
- Our professional guide will be with you in the sites
- Our guide will have pre-paid tickets to skip the lines
- You will have flexibilty to spend how much time you want in each site and make small changes on the itinerary,
- You do not have to wait for other group members
- You will have a chance to make stops to have pictues during the tour.
- Our Private tour rates are more reasonable than cruise shore tours,
- You will have several alternatives to taste famous Turkish Delicious foods, if you want to have lunch during your trip
INCLUDED : Private professional tour guide, Private Air Conditioned Transportation and ENTRANCE FEES ( Our tour guide will have pre-paid entrance tickets to skip the lines )
- Dress code is smart casual
- In the event of any museum closures, an alternative similar museum will be visited. On Tuesdays : Topkapi Palace replaced by Underground Cistern, On Sundays: Grand Bazaar will be replaced by Spice Market. Grand Bazaar on religious holidays will be replaced by Arasta Bazaar. On Fridays: Blue Mosque is open from 14.30 to 16.30
- Private tour for your family and friends
Location
Galataport Istanbul
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(73 Ratings)
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Kelly_a
May 29, 2024
Perfect private tour - I enjoyed my tour guide and he did exactly what I wanted. I was done in about 4 hours and that was perfect. The large groups would have been too hectic. Highly recommend this private tour.
Review provided by Viator
Maria_m
May 25, 2024
It was exactly what we signed for - Confortable van. Tour guide very helpful and knowledgable. He took us to visit the places we asked for. Very confortable van
We have used Viator tours in other occasion and always had an excellent experience. I had recommend it to other people. Thanks
Review provided by Viator
Sherryl_s
May 24, 2024
Amazing tour! - Ozge was a wonderful guide. She ensured we visited all the places we wanted to see in the limited time we had. She offered a wealth of information! We were able to visit the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace, the Hippodrome, the Grand Bazaar AND we had a delicious lunch in a restaurant that served Ottoman cuisine. All in 7 hours! Think, visiting New York in that time frame! Actually it was a small miracle that we got to see so much in so little time. And she made sure we returned to the ship in ample time! I wish we had more time but that was our schedule. Highly recommend this tour. When we return to Türkiye we will make sure it’s for an extended stay. So much more to experience in such a large city with such storied history!
Review provided by Viator
James_m
May 11, 2024
Experience Matters! - Our guide was Zekiye. Because of her experience and connections we were able to see much more by avoiding long, long lines thereby saving valuable viewing time. She was extremely knowledgeable, communicated very well, helpful and pleasant. We could not have had a better guide.
Review provided by Viator
Doreen_b
May 11, 2024
Don’t miss Istanbul ! - We saw all the main sites and heard the history of Turkey and Istanbul
Our guide was knowledgeable and obviously very experienced in reading where to go to avoid the queues. Towards the end of the day she spent time giving us options and help with shopping . Istanbul is one massive shopping opportunity if that is your thing . A great guide and lovely with it
Review provided by Viator
Lynne_l
May 8, 2024
An Amazing Day in Istanbul - Being in Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque were unforgettable experiences. They are true wonders of architecture and engineering, exceptional works of art! Walking around the park like area was delightful too. We enjoy seeing Topkapi and our guide was excellent in getting us around to see the highlights of the area in a very compressed time frame. The absolute best part of the day was our Hamam and massage at the Ayasophia spa, another beautiful place.
Review provided by Viator
Nancy_m
Apr 30, 2024
Perfect for Us - Our private tour with Leyla was absolutely terrific and worth every penny. We decided to book a private tour because my husband tires easily and we were afraid that it would be a problem trying to keep up with a group tour. They can be very exhausting. Leyla was very caring and considerate. We saw everything that we wanted to but my husband wasn't exhausted at the end. We highly recommend Leyla!
Review provided by Viator
Dennis_c
Apr 28, 2024
Another good experience with Viator - Guide was on time and extremely knowledgeable and accommodating. The tour went very well throughout the day.
Review provided by Viator
Donald_f
Dec 3, 2023
Ideal experience for those with limited abilities - Erkan was not only knowledgeable, but since my wife had a knee replacement her walking pace and duration was limited and he was most gracious and understanding. Even with the limitations we were able to take in all the sites we expected plus a great lunch place he knew about to give us a break when needed. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
T
Nov 25, 2023
Fantastic Tour guide. Beautiful City - I chose this tour because it was all inclusive. Our guide took care of obtaining all entry tickets for us before the tour began. No downloads. No lines. The pre tour communication was excellent. The pick up at the Cruise Port was seamless.
Ceren was our private guide for the day. She is the consummate professional. Not only does she know her historical material, but she managed our group expertly. Istanbul is a walking city, especially in the Historic Section. All of the sites have a lot of steps and not a lot of ramps. No elevators. We were a group of 9 with varying walking ability. The tour date was complicated by a marathon being run through the Historic Section which led to numerous road closures. There were no open roads that morning for a van and a lot of crowds.
Ceren was very careful about keeping an eye on the group. The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays so we pre-arranged to see the Basilica Cistern instead and she obtained these tickets for us as well. It was fabulous! She picked a great spot for coffee mid morning and an excellent restaurant for a well deserved lunch. We were able to take the van back to the port in the afternoon as the race was completed and the roads reopened.
I give this tour 5 STARS because of how good a job the company, and especially Ceren managed a diverse group on a busy all day walking tour during an international marathon.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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