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Must See Places in Istanbul
It's always a good idea to see the highlights of the city during the first day of your visit to Istanbul for a good introduction accompanied by the stories of this stunning city blended with history, culture, mythology, geography and cuisine. For someone who is visiting a new city for the first time it's a place people are just passing by. When it comes to the exploring the hidden gems you may need a company.
Meeting Point
Adamar Hotel in the old town
Sultan Ahmet district
Meeting at the hotel, railway station, port or by any monumental building
Hagia Sophia Mosque
The best of the best in the city, called Hagia Sophia. The church of the holy wisdom, which was originally built as an Eastern Orthodox church, was later converted into a mosque by the Ottomans. Hagia Sophia still continues to surprise with its unique architecture. This amazing building is 1500 years old and it has a lot of stories to be narrated.
Topkapı Palace
Main palace of Ottoman Empire, the Topkapi Palace, which was the main residence for Ottoman Sultans for over four hundred years. In the palace, you will have a chance to see its beautiful courtyards and unique collections of weapons, clocks, jewelries and holy relics. The highlight of the palace is definitely the 86 carat Spoonmaker's diamond.
Blue Mosque
The most popular mosque in Turkey, also known by foreign visitors as the Blue Mosque -- to see Ottoman architecture and splendid blue tiles on the walls.
Lunch
It's time to enjoy some local food and relax for a while.
Basilica Cistern
Basilica Cistern (also called Sunken Palace by the locals), because of its architecture. There, we will see medusa heads and beautiful ionic and Doric columns. This place is an underground water storage area, which is hard to believe when you see how beautiful it looks for a water reservoir.
Hippodrome
No baseball no basketball what was there to entertain the residents of Constantinople? It was of course the Hippodrome just like in many other Roman cities. I have always been amazed by the thinking of those people watching the chariot races at the time.
Grand Bazaar
After a long day it is time to relax and have fun in the Grand Bazaar, where you can literally find anything in more than 4000 shops. I will accompany you in the bazaar with some recommendations, and will be ready to help you with bargaining, if needed.
End of the tour
You can spend more time in the bazaar or I can drop you back to the meeting point.
Ending Point
Old Town
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Inclusions & Exclusions
Guiding fee
Transportation, lunch, entrance fees, personal expenses.
* You will need about 75 USD pp for the admission fees.
Tour Important Information
This is a walking tour as all the sights are within a walking distance. However if the hotel you are staying is far from the old city transportation could be arranged upon your request. I recommend to wear comfartable shoes and a had scarf for the ladies.
Important message from the supplier
I can work each day of the week as long as I'm available
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Istanbul Tour Reviews
“Great tour”
Excellent guide. Quite pleasant and very informative. Really good way for someone with a mobility issue to see the city. Rather than me having to keep up with a ship’s tour, she was able to adapt to my slow speed.
Duygu G.
(3 reviews)Thank you very much Kevin. I really enjoyed guiding for you and Mary and I'm hoping to see you again some day. Please take care and stay well
“Great tour of Istanbul”
Excellent guide
Duygu G.
(3 reviews)Thank you Robert. Hope to see you again. Stay well
“Duygu was amazing!!!”
Duygu, our guide for 2 days, knew the city intimately, and offered modern information to go alongside her historical knowledge. She took us to less popular sites, such as Suleimans mosque, which were beautiful, and bigger sites like the Hagia Sophia where she told us exciting details about objects while expertly avoiding crowds. Her patience with our waking pace and constant need for snacks, and flexibility with our special requests to add museum stops made her an incredible guide. We were very happy with our experience.
Duygu G.
(3 reviews)Thank you Wendy. It was a great pleasure to meet you. Pls say hi to everybody from me. I hope to see you again. Pls take care and stay well
