Istanbul Private Old City Tour from Cruise Ship & Hotels
5.0
2 Ratings
Istanbul
Discover Istanbul's Old City with a flexible private tour. Customize your itinerary and explore with a licensed guide. Book your adventure today!
Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Hagia Sophia Mosque - Hagia Sophia Museum, a one-time mosque converted from a 6th-century Christian basilica built by Emperor Justinian I. Marvel at the incredible building and admire the interior’s glimmering, handcrafted mosaics and rich decoration.

  • Blue Mosque - Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque). Take in the immense, flat dome and famous minarets, and explore inside with your guide. Absorb the ocean of over 20,000 Iznik tiles that lend the mosque its name, and behold the magnificent, rich carpets and windows.

  • Hippodrome - The Constantinople Hippodrome (nowadays Sultanahmet Square) is a place where different cultures converge, showcasing the rich history of several great eras. It has always been a favorite center for entertainment, sports, and cultural events in the old city of Istanbul. The elite of society used to hold meetings and communicate with each other in this place. Local attractions include the Obelisk of Theodosius, a pink granite column from Egypt, one of the city’s oldest monuments., Serpentine Column, and a unique fountain gifted to the city by the German Kaiser Wilhelm II.

  • Basilica Cistern - The cistern was built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I was connected to the Hadrian Aqueducts, supplying water to the areas between the first and second hills of the city. After the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul, it served as a water distribution center. Although it was no longer in use after the Ottomans established their own water facilities in the city, it became a physical symbol representing the neighborhood it was located in. The cistern was named after the palace, the grand vizier’s stables, the street, and the neighborhood it represented.
    The Basilica Cistern is a rectangular structure made of bricks, resting on rocky ground. It has a water storage capacity of approximately 100,000 tons. The cistern is supported by 336 columns that carry its brick-vaulted ceiling. The building features reused materials, such as decorated columns, Corinthian column capitals, and Medusa head sculptures that have been turned upside down.

  • Misir Carsisi (Spice Market) - The Spice Bazaar, also known as the Egyptian Bazaar, was built in the 1660s as part of the New Mosque complex and is one of Istanbul’s oldest covered markets. The bazaar was named after the exotic spices, medicinal herbs, and other products that were brought from Egypt and sold here.

The Spice Bazaar has an L-shaped design and consists of 88 vaulted rooms. The part of the bazaar situated at the Haseki Gate has two floors. During Ottoman times, the upper floors were used as a court, where the merchants resolved their disputes with customers and amongst themselves.

In the past, the Spice Bazaar was known for preparing and selling herbal medicines according to old prescriptions. Today, the bazaar offers traditional flavors such as spices, herbal teas, dried fruits, pastes, and Turkish delight, as well as jewelry, textiles, baskets, and various souvenirs.

  • Grand Bazaar Jewelers - The Grand Bazaar, also known as Kapalıçarşı in Turkish, is a historic covered market located in Istanbul. It is considered to be one of the largest and oldest markets in the world, featuring 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops. Interestingly, the Grand Bazaar is known to be one of the earliest shopping centers in the world. The construction of the core of the Grand Bazaar took started in 1961, shortly after the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople. Sultan Mehmed II ordered the construction of a trading center for textiles and jewels near his palace in Constantinople.
    In addition to the valuable belongings of the former rich people, such as jewelry, precious metals, furs, and bespoke weapons, most of the state treasury was also kept in safes here.

  • Topkapi Palace - Topkapi Palace was home to the Ottoman court from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Now a museum, this grandiose palace is a testament to the lavish lifestyles of the sultans. Stroll through the ornate chambers, courts, and gardens, and behold some of the imperial treasures, ranging from precious Chinese porcelain to jewels and relics of the Prophet Mohammed. Your tour then concludes with a hotel drop-off.

What's Included
  • Hotel & Cruise pickup and drop-off
  • Professional guide
What's Not Included
  • Food & Drinks
  • Entrance fees for the Museums
Additional Information

If you don’t like to be too organized and dependent on fixed itineraries then read on! You can book a private tour of Istanbul using one of our professional licensed guides. The itinerary will be fully flexible. Our Guides know every corner of the city and our professional guide will give you detailed information about places that you want to visit. This is true flexibility, this is freedom! You choose what to see and how long to stay there.

An experienced private local tour guide, who is licensed by the Turkish Ministry of Tourism and Culture will be at your service from 8:30 am until 5:30 pm in Istanbul to show you around.

This will be an 8-hour-long private tour with your personal tour guide in Istanbul. It is the best solution if you would like to explore Istanbul in your way.

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
5.0
(2 Ratings)
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1 star
Aygun2024
Feb 16, 2024
Excellent 👌 - Amazing If you want to experience what Istanbul was like in the ancient times, then this tour is perfect for you. I would describe this walk as an interactive immersion into Istanbul's past. You can imagine how the Sultans lived. The Topkapı, Hague Sophia, mosque, the Cistern are incredibly impressive, I highly recommend visiting these places. Especially thanks a lot to the guide for interesting information.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carolinabv_1
Oct 26, 2021
Worried about NOTHING but enjoying my vacation - A friend recommended using them for my trip to Turkey and they not only didn't disappoint but exceeded EVERY expectation. I told them which were the places in Turkey i was interested in visiting, the time i had for my trip and they customized a package for me and a friend: From Istanbul to Pamukkale, Ephesus, Cappadocia (the hot air balloon is a must!), Urfa (Gobeklitepe and Mount Nemrut) back to Istanbul. Perfectly organized, Mahmut did a great job fixing all of our domestic flights / transportation. We were always picked up on time by really friendly drivers and tour guides who showed us around the most amazing places, sharing the history in a pretty interesting way. They were keen to let us enjoy the place and always offered to snap some pics for my friend and I (perfect!). The hotels we stayed at were all so nice we wished we had had a bit more time to enjoy them (clean, well centered and really friendly staff). The food was delicious and always plentiful. We didn't have to worry about anything, it was all included in our package. If you plan on doing a trip to Turkey I highly recommend them and advise you to listen to them if they tell you it "would be good to have a few more days" (I was stubborn and now I wish I had given myself more than 9 days. So much to see!). Daroute Travel is definitely a company for you to have a vacation where you won't be worrying about anything but enjoying Turkey! Bring comfy shoes and prepare to be amazed!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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