Istanbul Half-Day Tour: Explore St. Sophia, Blue Mosque, and The Grand Bazaar

This is a Recommended Half-Day Guided Excursion for Cruise Passengers.

On this Priority Access Expedition, you’ll encounter St. Sophia, the Blue Mosque and The Grand Bazaar.

Discover the native sights of Istanbul, admire some of the most celebrated structures and explore their environs.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Hagia Sophia Mosque - Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya) is a truly awe inspiring, 1,400 years old Byzantine cathedral which houses mosaics, relics and iron work. Hagia Sophia was, for nearly a thousand years, the largest enclosed space in the world, and is still seen as one of the world’s most important architectural monuments. It is one of Turkey’s most…
What's Included
  • Blue Badge guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Lunch
  • Gratuities
  • Museum Entry Tickets
  • Private transportation
Additional Information
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
  • A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be…
Location
Istanbul Sightseeing Tours
Çatalçeşme Sokak
across the ADAMAR HOTEL
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(18 Ratings)
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1 star
Connector02611970533
Nov 11, 2024
Day in istanbul - The views were absolutely amazing,the tournament guide was very informative and we enjoyed thoroughly,would highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
William_c
Oct 16, 2024
±3-1/2 Hours Tour of Blue Mosque/Hagia Sophia/Hipodrom Square - Sait is an excellent guide and a very nice person. I’m glad it was only my wife and me on the tour so we did not inconvenience other tourists with our slow pace. He is extremely knowledgeable and presents every aspect of our tour in fluent English. This is a 5-star tour when Sait leads it. The actual distance of walking required, information about steps without safety handrails, and changes in elevation should be described in detail because older people and those with moderate back/leg/foot problems should carefully consider whether or not this tour is appropriate for their age and health considerations. Sait was very helpful in assisting my wife on hazardous steps without railings and minimum safety aspects. He also used public transportation [the tram] to travel some of the distance between hotel pickup point and the tour area, where the various venues are closely grouped, in order to minimize the amount of walking required. To avoid waiting in extremely long lines to purchase entry tickets to the venues, Sait paid cash out of his pocket at the entrance points and allowed me to reimburse him at the end of the tour. That was extremely thoughtful. It's best not to overlook - as I unfortunately did - the tour conditions that point out that tourists are expected to pay for entrance tickets out-of-pocket in addition to the normal tour guide fee. Ours was a Sunday tour, so the Grand Bazaar was closed. Instead, as a substitute for this particular activity, Sait brought my wife and myself to the shop of an upscale rug dealer who made something akin to a presentation and sales pitch regarding his collection of rugs. It was all very friendly, low-key, and courtesy drinks were provided. Although everybody was very friendly, some people may want to avoid being a captive audience if they have no interest in a program like this. For us it was ok because my wife was interested in the rugs and the process of creating rugs of various quality and the time at the shop provided a good rest break for a day with a fair amount of walking and climbing. The visits to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque were spectacular, with incredible construction and artistry on display in these facilities. Sait's commentary provided intimate details on background and history and made the tour most memorable. Very enjoyable despite our physical limitations, which Sait made every effort to minimize.
Review provided by Viator
O2263icryana
Aug 31, 2024
Go on this tour with Emre! - This was probably the best tour we have ever taken! Emre was so kind and helpful. His knowledge about Istanbul, its history, and his ability to answer all our questions made for an outstanding start to our trip. Would 100% recommend to any and all travelers, especially those who have not been to Istanbul before!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Paradise54966264603
May 7, 2024
Istanbul's must see historical sites - We had am amazing half day tour with Emre, our tour guide. We learned so much about the history and culture of Türkiye in such a short span of time. Emre is very knowledgeable and has a good command of English, French among others. I highly recommend this tour if you are short on time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hubertb894
May 5, 2024
To do absolutely. - Thanks to his knowledge and passion for his city and his profession, our guide, Emre, gave us an exceptional time. We will keep excellent memories of this day. We can only recommend this excursion.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
T2346lrsuec
Mar 20, 2024
Wonderful Istanbul - Amazing day our guy put himself out and delayed start time so we could enjoy breakfast at hotel also walked to us. Highly recommend wonderful experience thank you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gi0rg0cv
Dec 25, 2023
1 day Istanbul Tour with Emre - We had a one day tour with Emre. His kind personality, good willingness to learn us Turkish history and his great experience, made our day very special. We loved Istanbul, even by spending only one day, and we would definitely choose Emre again. Thank you Emre!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leoneparide
Sep 4, 2023
Visit to Istanbul - Very interesting visit, the guide Emre is very professional and prepared. He knows monuments and history very well. We had a great experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jillp4
Jun 10, 2023
Wonderful tour of Old Istanbul - Emre took us on a wonderful tour of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque (and avoided all of the long lines) and several other locations and then gave us time in the Grand Bazaar. It was our favorite day in Istanbul. Emre spoke very good English and was quite knowledgeable and entertaining. He also suggested an excellent restaurant for dinner and dropped us there as we requested. We would definitely recommend Emre as your guide in Istanbul.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marylorna_d
May 11, 2023
Great trip and very knowledgeable guide - We had a great time with Emre, he was very knowledgeable and kept us well informed throughout the tour. The locations we went to were really interesting and would recommend to anyone looking for a tour. Would use his services again
Review provided by Viator
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up to 12 guests
1 Adult
November 2024
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