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Historic Istanbul Old City Tour: Visit Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar
4.8
89 Ratings
Fatih
Immerse yourself in the rich history of Istanbul’s old town on this guided tour. Explore iconic landmarks, indulge in Turkish delights, and marvel at the breathtaking views from the Blue Mosque.
Immerse yourself in the rich history of Istanbul’s old town on this guided tour. Explore iconic landmarks, indulge in Turkish delights, and marvel at the breathtaking views from the Blue Mosque.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Basilica Cistern - Largest of several hundred ancient Byzantine cisterns built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527-565). Huge underground Roman water source held up with 336 marble columns covering 9,800 sq. meters.
- Basilica Cistern - Largest of several hundred ancient Byzantine cisterns built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527-565). Huge underground Roman water source held up with 336 marble columns covering 9,800 sq. meters.
What's Included
- Professional Guide
- Small Group
- Professional Guide
- Small Group
What's Not Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Explore the historic ‘old town’ of vibrant Istanbul on this tour. Capture stunning photos at Sultanahmet’s renowned religious landmarks, including the Underground Basilica Cistern and the Blue Mosque. Stroll through fragrant spice markets after delving into the Byzantine history of the Hippodrome. Experience the influences of the Roman, Byzantine, and…
Explore the historic ‘old town’ of vibrant Istanbul on this tour. Capture stunning photos at Sultanahmet’s renowned religious landmarks, including the Underground Basilica Cistern and the Blue Mosque. Stroll through fragrant spice markets after delving into the Byzantine history of the Hippodrome. Experience the influences of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires in this remarkable part of Turkey’s bustling city.
⦿ Discover the historic landmarks of the old town with an English-speaking tour guide
⦿ Enjoy a smaller, customizable tour group tailored to your interests
⦿ Taste Turkish delights in the Grand Bazaar and visit a local carpet workshop
⦿ Take in the breathtaking views of Istanbul from the Blue Mosque
- Modest clothing should be preferred when visiting the Sultanahmet Blue Mosque. Shorts for men or women should be below the knee. Women cover their heads and exposed shoulders with a scarf or shawl, skirt should be below the knee.
- It may be challenging to do the tour with a stroller, not recommended.
- Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday
- It is a walking tour, so there is a moderate amount of walking involved
- IF ALL INCLUSIVE OPTION IS NOT SELECTED: Entrance to Basilica Cistern (900TL per person) is not included in the tour price. Once you pay your entrance fee to your tour guide, you will have the privilege of skipping the ticket queue. You can pay the tour guide preferably cash in TRY (or in equivalent to USD or EURO).
Location
Foodie-ist Cafe and Brasserie
Muhterem Efendi Sokak
Meet your guide outside 'FOODIE-IST CAFE AND BRASSERIE,' just a 2-minute walk from the (T1) Sultanahmet tram stop. Your guide, easily identifiable by their tour guide badge, will be waiting for you at the cafe entrance.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(89 Ratings)
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Christophermy3284dg
Feb 17, 2025
Great Tour guide - Erol was a fantastic tour guide and he was very knowledgeable. He gave us many great recommendations for food and other places to see. Erol gave us plenty of time at each location to walk around and was happy to answer all of our questions.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Flyer570128
Jan 29, 2025
Erol for the win! - Tour was great. Erol Utgen was an absolute professional and very knowledgeable. He had a great personality and was filled with information.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Krystal_s
Jan 19, 2025
Erol is the perfect mix of fun and facts - Erol is a true gem. I basically booked this tour to do Basilica Cistern (with a guide) and had no interest in the other sights as we'd seen them before. Not only was Erol early to our meeting point , he was able to think on his feet and planned a different itinerary according to our needs that was still interesting and helped us end where we wanted. Erol gave us loads of interesting facts and was a cool guy to hang with who was really funny and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed our time with him and he made sure that we were okay throughout the day. Highly recommend him!
Review provided by Viator
Marcosarro
Jan 5, 2025
Excellent guide, very interesting and good pace tour! - Excellent tour with Ozturk, very enjoyable and dedicated person. He made our tour not only interesting touching all the key points but also not too heavy with right pace and breaks. We had a very cold rainy day during our tour and we had the opportunity to warm up with traditional turkish coffee offered to us. We could share also some archeological and historical knowledge on the Roman empire time, as we come originally from Italy, and this made our tour more interesting! Thank you Ozturk for your time and we do recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_h
Dec 20, 2024
Insightful, engaging, and highly recommended tour of Istanbul’s Old City - We had an incredible experience exploring Istanbul Old City with our expert guide, Tolga Kinas. Tolga’s deep knowledge, engaging storytelling, and ability to answer all our questions about Istanbul’s rich and fascinating history made the tour truly exceptional. We cannot recommend Tolga highly enough!
Review provided by Viator
Luigipenagos
Dec 15, 2024
This was the absolute highlight at Istanbul 🍾🥂 - Me and my wife were in Istanbul for the first time, and we decided to book this tour to see the Basílica Cistern. Tolga was our tour guide. He made this tour very interesting, being so knowledgeable in the history of Istanbul and telling us every detail of it on our walking tour, that we thought was only to the Cistern, but it turned out to be much more than that, even taking us to a hidden city market that dates back hundreds of years and even contacting a local carpet maker and dealer that has done this for four generations. This was a wonderful unexpected visit where the owner himself showed us in detail how natural silk is extracted from the cocoon and proceeding to show us how it is died naturally and finally how a silk carpet is made by hand in house. Don't miss this wonderful tour with Tolga... I would like to reassure you that you will be surprised how this tour is much more than just a Cistern guided tour. Thank you, Tolga, for being so nice, professional, and friendly to us and for an unforgettable tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Liliahelen_d
Nov 19, 2024
Our guide was fantastic!... - Our guide was fantastic! Mohammed is very knowledgeable and made sure we had a great experience during our tour.
Loved it!
Review provided by Viator
Ludo_v
Nov 19, 2024
The right tour with the right guide - We really liked this tour around the blue mosque. Our tour guide Tolga was very good and adapted to our level of knowledge and interest. The group was small and the pace was well adapted and timely. We LOVED the cistern which the guide had “cut the line” access to. The grand bazar was closed on Sunday but we were taken (by tram!) to the Egyptian bazar instead. We also liked that there were no unnecessary “sales pitches” from unwanted stores. All in all a great experience. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Viator
Robson1804
Nov 13, 2024
Not necessary to make it with a guide - It is not necessary to take this tour with a guide. Blue Mosque is free and you have to pay extra for the sunken palace anyway. So if you are self-employed, you can do it without a guide and save yourself money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trail297790
Nov 24, 2024
Adventure in the Basilica Cistern: Mysteries and Underground Magic. - The Basilica Cistern is about 100 meters from Hagia Sophia, so you can visit both in one day. We crossed the street and voilà!, there it was, like a portal to another world.
When you go down to the Cistern, you enter a mega-subsoil with twelve rows of 28 colonnades, totaling 336 in total, separated by about five meters or so between them. It's like being in an underground cathedral, but with a touch of mystery. Two of those columns have Medusa's heads as their base, and yes, the other way around! Who would think Medusa would be making the pine tree in Istanbul?
And beware, there is the “column of tears”, which they say brings good luck. To make a wish, you stick your thumb in the hole and give it a complete twist, and boom!, it's supposed to fulfill what you asked for. It's like an old version of throwing a coin into a fountain, but in more style!
In case you dare to visit the “Submerged Palace”, the entrance for outsiders comes from 16 euros and opens from 9 to 7 every day of the week. Take a look and immerse yourself in the story!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
