Istanbul Half Day Morning Tour: Explore Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome & Grand Bazaar

Discover Istanbul’s rich culture and history with our experienced guides. Skip the museum ticket queues with your guide.

Visit Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, and enjoy a brief handicraft presentation next to the Grand Bazaar (optional, guests may choose to explore the bazaar on their own) in a half-day tour.

Duration: 3 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 the hotels.

Note: Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.

What's Included
  • Museum Tickets
  • 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
  • Gratuities (optional)
Additional Information
  • Not recommended for travellers with walking difficulties
  • Please note that this tour includes visits to Hagia Sophia & Blue 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
4.7
(34 Ratings)
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1 star
Irooke
Jun 23, 2024
Nice tour to get you started - Enjoyed the tour, was good to gain a better understanding from someone who had a detailed understanding. Unfortunately the Grand Bazaar on the day of my tour, so please check before booking.
Review provided by Viator
Jordan_w
Jun 16, 2024
A journey worth remembering - The tour was amazing. We were shown a large area of historical sights in a short amount of time. Because of that short amount of time, though, the tour was not thorough the information given was helpful. It is not only a tour that adults will enjoy. I enjoyed it and I am 14.
Review provided by Viator
724ninav
Mar 1, 2024
Best tour service in Istanbul - No words I can share online will be good enough to explain my experience with this company. They made it easy to book and pay for services with clear communication. I just got hernia surgery and I couldn't walk. They also assigned a personal english speaking guide named Celal who took me around in a wheelchair through the tour. He was knowledgeable, and friendly. Every spot he took us to was incredible. He listened to what we wanted to do instead of just taking us on a pre determined tour. One of the most excellent tours I have ever had. Thank you....
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kitti2024
Jan 26, 2024
A very fun and easygoing tour! - I had a blast with Mehmet Şakir Karadibek as my guide! Super friendly and helpful. He made the tour a with good infomation about all the places and a great attitude. Shoutout to our driver too (I forgot his name). He's not just a good driver but an honest person. I left my stuff in the car, and he went out of his way to bring it back to me. Big thanks to Mehmet and the team for making my day! Definitely recommend them for a fun and easygoing tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sabine_k
Oct 26, 2023
Excellent tour - Istanbul in a nutshell - A great way to see some me of the beautiful sites of Istanbul if you have only a limited amount of time. From the pickup at the hotel to the end it was very well organized. Our guide Ali was very knowledgeable and pointed out a lot of details I would have missed otherwise. He also gave sound advice how to navigate Istanbul. Already recommended the tour to my colleagues
Review provided by Viator
Brad_o
Jun 19, 2024
Great Stop over tour - The guide was very clear pace was a little faster but you are covering a lot of areas. This is a great stop over tour where you can get to see the main sites while getting info on others in the area. The one thing I will say that prevented the higher review is the sales presentation at the leather store, you have the option of leather or rugs. Remove that nonsense from the tour and you have a full winner it’s a waste of time, maybe offer a shopping tour for those that want to sit and enjoy the part.
Review provided by Viator
Brian_d
Apr 25, 2024
Fast-paced Morning Tour - We had a very limited time to see some of the major sites in the Old Town and Ali led us on a great fast-paced tour. He also provided us great tips and helped us to make wise decisions on where to buy things we were interested in. The Turkish rug demonstration near the end of the tour was very informative was a great opportunity for people to purchase a genuine rug (rather than being ripped off) but it was definitely a little longer than anticipated.
Review provided by Viator
Tonyf64
Oct 24, 2023
Not For The Slow Walkers - Amed was an awesome guide with endless knowledge However plenty of walking and queuing so if your slow maybe not for you We had some elderly in our group which slowed the tour, ran out of time to visit the spice market
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alluri
May 21, 2024
Half day tour - Of the 4 activities only 2 are worth the money, Sofia and Blue mosque. Other two: one is just a square and the second Grand bazaar which doesn’t need any guide service.
Review provided by Viator
Linda_s
Nov 9, 2023
Guide was walking very... - Guide was walking very fast. We got separated from the group many times. I didn't feel like he was invested in his job.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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