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Full Day Istanbul Old City & Asian Side Visit incl Lunch & Tickets
4.8
12 Ratings
Istanbul
Istanbul stands alone in the world as a city spanning both Europe and Asia simultaneously. Embark on a day’s adventure to first explore the historical Ottoman and Byzantine landmarks in the ancient quarters, followed by lunch and a trip to the Asian portion of the city.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Hagia Sophia Mosque - Pick up from the hotel and join the group. We begin our tour with a visit to Hagia Sophia Museum, which is considered one of the Eight Wonders of the World, occupies a unique place in the history of architectures one of the rare works of this size and age that still survives.
- Blue Mosque - Our next visit will be The Blue Mosque, which takes its name from the world famous exquisite blue Iznik tiles decorating its interior. Also it is the only imperial mosque in the world that was originally built with six minarets.
Note: Blue Mosque is reserved for Prayer on Fridays. On Fridays, we visit the mosque from the exterior.
- Hippodrome - We continue to the Hippodrome Square, the sporting and social center of old Byzantium, held 100,000 spectators and featured objects from all corners of the empire such as the Egyptian Obelisk, and the Serpent Column.
- Grand Bazaar - Brief Handicrafts Presentation & Lecture (Optional Attendance) next to the Grand Bazaar. Guest may opt to skip the presentation and explore Grand Bazaar on their own.
Meeting back and drive to Lunch.
Note: Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.
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Istanbul - 3 Course Lunch (Beverages under your own expenses)
*Vegetarian menu is also available - Camlica Hill - After the lunch, we will drive across the Bosphorus Bridge, which was firstly built to link the Asian and European Continents. Than we proceed to Camlica Hill, the highest point of Istanbul, for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Bosphorus, Prince’ Islands and Istanbul.
- CamlIca Mosque - Our next stop is the Grand Camlica Mosque, opened in 2019 it is the largest mosque in Turkey.
- Beylerbeyi Palace - Our last visit will be the Beylerbeyi Palace, the summer palace of Ottoman Sultans. The interior and exterior decoration of this palace is a rare specimen of a blend of Eastern, Turkish and Western motifs. The original furniture, carpets and the other fixtures have been preserved very well. Drive back to the hotel at the end of the tour.
What's Included
- Museum Tickets
- Lunch
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- All fees and/or taxes
- Professional Licensed Guiding
- Pick up & Drop Off from centrally located hotels on the European Side
What's Not Included
- Drinks
- Gratuities (optional)
Additional Information
- Not recommended for travellers with walking difficulties
- Please note that this tour includes visits to Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Camlica Mosque. You will be required to have a dress covering the shoulders and above the knees during these visits (for both man & women). Guests whose dress doesn’t cover the shoulders or above the knees, can purchase a single use dress from these sites.
- Our vehicles are disinfected daily at the end of each tour
Location
Hagia Sophia Mosque
Sultan Ahmet, Ayasofya MeydanI No:1
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(12 Ratings)
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Longhaultraveller328
Nov 22, 2023
Fantastic tour of Asian Istanbul provided by an excellent Guide - We had an excellent time on this tour on 20 November, where we were a family group of 12 people. The guide allocated to us Mr Mehmet really was fantastic and full of knowledge. The booking process was really easy and Aras kept us informed and responded very quickly. A thorough enjoyable experience The tour was really good, informative and we tasted various delicacies. Unfortunately a Palace was shut on the day unexpectedly but Mr Mehmet quickly reorganised and made the day even better.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Janine_t
Oct 30, 2023
Incredible Istanbul - Wow! This is a great way to see a lot of Istanbul if you are short on time. We saw so much and were able to get a real overview of the main highlights of Istanbul. The Blue Mosque is stunning. The next we day we were able to independently wander around Istanbul, as now we had our bearings. The guide was knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. We even enjoyed lots of free tastings. Thank you for a wonderful day.
Review provided by Viator
Gnatanel
Jan 31, 2023
An Insightful and Fun Tour with Sakir - There were many Istanbul tours available and I selected Popular Tour due to their 5 star rating. The tour also included a local lunch with is unique. Among all the tours I've had in Turkey, this particular tour left the deepest impression, in a very positive way. Below are the pros, and I cannot think of any cons.
1. The hotel we stayed was not among the regular tour pick up points. As we were unfamiliar with the route to get to the meeting place, we were late. The bus driver was very accomodating and he was also very friendly when he finally sees us; i was concerned that he may be upset but that was not the case👍
2. Our tour guide Sakir (Mehmet Karadibek) was also the best guide we had in Turkey. He is knowledgeable, chill and friendly. He even brought us to a credible money changer when we needed one, and the exchange rate turned out to be the best we had come across. Sakir also conducted himself very professionally, and yet he is very approachable. He made us feel at ease and we enjoyed the tour a great deal.
3. Part of the tour include a visit to an expensive souvenir shop. It was really fun as there were catwalk models showing you the collection. The quality is very good but there is absolutely no pressure to purchase if you do not wish to.
4. The local lunch while was a simple meal, included salad, main course, drinks, dessert and tea. It was delicious and a meaningful way to experience Turkish cuisine.
Overall, i would definitely recommend this tour, and I hope you get to have Sakir as your tour guide 😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
94abrarq
Dec 5, 2022
Dont miss it! - Was nice comprehensive and nice experience specially the guide mehmet sakir he was good and explaine everything with excellent background about historical stories
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Taufique
Dec 4, 2022
Highly, HIGHLY recommend! - Absolutely amazing, the tour was hands down the highlight of our Istanbul trip. Ali Riza, our guide, was so authentic, engaging and funny. It didn't feel like this was his job, he felt like a friend giving us a tour with interesting facts and stories the whole way through. I loved being able to taste Simit, Kocorec, Turkish Yoghurt, Mussels, Turkish Chocolates. The flow of the tour was so easy, there's absolutely nothing I would change about it. Highly, HIGHLY recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mram1031
Sep 11, 2022
Great Tour, Great Guide - M.Sakir - Istanbul is a fascinating city. We were on a cruise and only had a day to spend in Istanbul. Eight hours is truly not enough to spend in a city full of history, culture, and beauty. The good thing was we were in good hands. Mehmet Sakir was our tour guide. He was very knowledgeable about Turkey and beyond. Our family learned a lot about Turkey, plus more.
We visited Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome Square, Grand Bazar, Spice Bazar, and many more. This tour includes a sumptuous local Turkish lunch. Sakir indulges us with great lunch in a traditional local Turkish restaurant. It was a lot and was so delicious. This was our first time having a genuinely Turkish meal, and our lunch was amazingly delicious.
Besides giving us great insight about Turkey, Sakir took us to the best shopping places for souvenirs. The best souvenir food we took home was the Turkish delights. It was out of this world.
Istanbul is still on my bucket list as we were not able to see many other interesting places due to time constraints. And I will definitely contact Istanbul Pupolar Travel, highly recommended.
Thank you, Mehmet Sakir, for your kindness and hospitality!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Superwariobros
Sep 11, 2022
Istanbul City Tour - We are a family of 8 and I'm the youngest in the family.
My mom booked this for in Viator. I'm so glad that she found this company. My favorite part of our experience was the Hagia Sophia. Sakur, our very talented tour guide truly explained the history of this historical building. I highly recommend this tour and this company, well worth the money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zohra
Jun 29, 2022
Beautiful sites to visit and the tour was well organised and hassle free. - The entire booking experience from the time I booked with popular tour on viator was excellent. Got a prompt response on mail, text and follow-up call as well. The tour started on time despite traffic in Istanbul and special mention of our tour guides - Ali and Ahmad who shared some great info about the sites we visited as well as were fun to interact with and helpful. An enjoyable experience indeed with a nice, small group of fellow tourists. Besides, loved the Asia side of Istanbul.. beautiful and scenic. The berlerbeyi palace and camilca mosque were exquisite. Hagia Sofia is a marvel indeed but the blue mosque is undergoing restoration work - so couldn't really see much of it. Overall, a great experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
100iramr
Jun 13, 2022
Old city/Asia tour - This is my third tour while in Turkey and it was the most organized on time one. Ali the tour guide was very informative as well as helpful. Will definitely use the service again if I have Ali as the tour guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sabinayachmin
Oct 11, 2023
A lot of walking - Erm it was ok, far too much walking which wasn’t on the description.
I went with my mum, if I knew we was walking pretty much for several hours, I wouldn’t have booked it as it’s not for the elderly.
Great knowledge etc but the walking around was exhausting.
Review provided by Viator
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