Ottoman Istanbul Tour: History and Myths Unveiled

Explore the Topkapi Palace and Harem on a small-group guided tour with priority admission. Discover the history and myths of Ottoman Istanbul, see the Holy Relics and Imperial Kitchens, and admire stunning views of the Bosphorus.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Sultanahmet District - Meet your expert guide and join your small group for a walking tour of Topkapi Palace and see its Harem, too.
    Visit the top site in Istanbul with priority admission tickets.
  • Topkapi Palace - Start your tour after you pass Sultanahmet Square.
    Enjoy your guide’s commentary about Topkapi and the Ottoman Sultans who…
What's Included
  • Small group tour
  • Expert local guides
  • Headsets to hear the guide better
  • Skip-the-line tickets for Topkapi Palace
  • Skip-the-line tickets for the Harem
  • Starting from Galata Port (If this option is selected)
Additional Information

Explore the rich history and legends of Ottoman Istanbul on an intimate guided tour.
Enjoy priority access tickets to skip the queues, accompanied by a knowledgeable guide.
Experience the Harem firsthand, the secluded residence of the Sultans.
Discover the Holy Relics, Imperial Kitchens, Royal Court, and the terraced gardens adorned with tulips.
Take in…

Location
Ersoy Bufe
At Meydanı Caddesi
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(141 Ratings)
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Harjinder_s
Nov 20, 2024
A great guide - Boy our tour guide was very knowledgeable concerning the Palace and ottoman history. I learned so much regarding the palace and intrigue in the palace.
Review provided by Viator
Georgeross_b
Oct 28, 2024
A great experience with a knowledgeable guide - We had a wonderful tour of Topkapi Palace. Our guide, Murat, was well informed and his quick summariesl of the historical background and family dynamics helped to illuminate the drama of the many centuries of palace life. The details on the palace architecture were also insightful. We highly recommend this experience.
Review provided by Viator
Charles_c
Oct 27, 2024
Mert is a great tour guide - Mert was a fantastic guide, well informed, friendly, interesting, and he has great English skills. Topkapi is huge and well worth the visit.
Review provided by Viator
Dorothy_k
Oct 25, 2024
Great experience! - Excellent and detailed tour. Guide was engaging and informative. Definitely recommend. Haram was fascinating and treasury was dazzling.
Review provided by Viator
5kathrynp
Oct 24, 2024
Worth Every Penny! - We used these folks for this and the Blue and Haga Sophia mosques tours. Both guides were fun and knew a ton. We did as they suggested and took their first tours of the day and wee very thankful. By the time e left the lines and the coloreds were enormous. Very glad we went with them in smaller group. Headsets helped us hear our guide and her English was excellent. We'd use them again any time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mary_v
Oct 23, 2024
Excellent tour—rich and friendly informative. - Our guide gave us a full and fascinating picture of life in the palace. She really helped us to engage with what we were seeing.
Review provided by Viator
Shalenak2024
Oct 20, 2024
Wonderful Tour - I came to Turkey specifically for Topkapi Palace. Our guide was wonderful and had so much historical information and experience. The lines were short to get in but when we finished there were HOARDS of people so make sure you book a morning tour. Overall I give it a 10/10 and would definitely recommend 😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Johng_k
Oct 15, 2024
Great efficient tour avoiding the cruise ships congrststion - Topski palace is a nightmare when te cruise ships dump hunded of passengers at the site. You need a knowledgeable tour guide to avoid bottlenecks and redirect the flow of the tour so you are not stuck in hour long lines. Our tour guide Kurba was very efficient and extremely delightful and knowledgeable about all of the exhibits snd them history of Istanbul and turkey
Review provided by Viator
Raphael_b
Oct 14, 2024
More then we expected - We had an almost private tour. Buket did an outstanding job not only explaining the Sultan Palace and its history, she offered a better insight into Islam as well. Very worth the money - Thank you!
Review provided by Viator
Nehan_n
Oct 30, 2024
Good tour guide, way too rushed - Your guide had a lot of information but was a little rude when you asked him questions (i find a lot of people in Turkey to be rude thou). He explained everything so well and I learned so much. The worst part of the tour, and probably hey I wouldn't encourage people to use this package is it was WAY TOO FAST. We had to rush to fit everything in 3 hours and even then we had to do lot on our own. Our tour guide did set expectations before our tour started and said we could visit anything we wanted on our own but who's gonna go walk around the entire complex again? This tour should be 5 hours WITH the tour guide for everything.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 14 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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