Easy 3 hours(Approx.)
The former capital of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul is a vibrant city filled with magnificent architecture and a rich history as the bridge between east and west. Perfect for first-time visitors, this in-depth guided walking tour visits the main attractions like the Hagia Sophia (does not include touring inside) while also venturing to hard-to-find secret spots. Leave the navigation to your guide, who also provides illuminating commentary.
After meeting your guide and small group at Sultanahmet Square, head off on a scenic stroll through one of the world’s most spectacular cities. Your guide tells stories from the heyday of Byzantine and Ottoman rule as you wander the picturesque streets. Make your way through all the main historical highlights, from the 6th-century Byzantine cathedral of Hagia Sophia—famous for its stunning gold mosaics—to the Spice Market, which boasts more than 100 shops.
But your guide also shows you local haunts and learn where residents of the diverse, sprawling city go for the best Turkish coffee.
What’s Included
Professional Guide
Small Group
Exclusions
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Gratuities (Recommended)
Additional Information
Pricing Details:
Adults Age (18-99): 1 Person: €30.00 | 2 Person: €40.00 | 3 Person: €54.00 | 4 Person: €68.00 | 5 Person: €80.00 | 6 Person: €90.00
Childeren Age (10-17): €10.00
This spacious Roman built cistern shows off impressive Roman engineering was commissioned by Emperor Justinian and built in 532. The largest surviving Byzantine cistern in İstanbul has been backdrop for many movies over time. Its cavernous depths make a great retreat on hot summer days.
This is a small street with beautiful historic houses which are leaning against the wall of Topkapi Palace.
The Caferağa Medresseh is a former medrese and now recognised as an important centre of Turkish classical arts where traditional Turkish handicrafts such as calligraphy, ceramics, jewelry and so forth are taught, made and sold.
Began its life as a church in 532 AD, converted into a mosque after the Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453 and now a museum since 1935. By general consensus, it is the most important Byzantine structure and one of the world’s great monuments built under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. Part of the UNESCO World Heritage site in Istanbul and famous for its lofty interior, stunning surviving mosaics and the massive dome…
Imperial residence of Ottoman sultans is the subject of more colorful stories than most of the world’s museums put together. Libidinous sultans, ambitious courtiers, beautiful concubines and scheming eunuchs lived and worked here between the 15th and 19th centuries when it was the court of the Ottoman empire. About 24 sultans ruled from the Topkapı Palace for nearly four centuries during the Ottoman Empire’s 600-year reign
The Walled Obelisk or Masonry Obelisk (Turkish: Örme Dikilitaş) is a Roman monument in the form of an obelisk. It is situated at the southern end of the ancient chariot-racing track of Constantinople’s central barrier, beside the Obelisk of Theodosius and the Serpentine Column.
Constructed as a present from German Emperor Wilhelm II in 1898, it represents one of the most beautiful monuments in Istanbul.
The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social center of Constantinople. Today it is a square with a few fragments of the original structure surviving. Monuments decorating the Hippodrome include the 3500-year-old Egyptian Obelisk, Serpentine Column…
Sultan Ahmed Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque by many tourists because of its bluish interior decoration( blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design), is the most important mosque of Istanbul standing next to the Byzantine Hippodrome in the old city center..
Also known as the Serpentine Column, Plataean Tripod or Delphi Tripod, is an ancient bronze column at the Hippodrome of Constantinople (known as Atmeydanı “Horse Square” in the Ottoman period). It is part of an ancient Greek sacrificial tripod, originally in Delphi and relocated to Constantinople by Constantine the Great in 324.
This beautiful square and a great place to make a stop, relax and take photos of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
“Shop till you drop” in Tahtakale, a sub-district of Istanbul’s Eminönü, where you can find anything and everything you are looking for, all for resonable prices.
No visit to Istanbul is complete without stopping by the atmospheric Spice Bazaar with roots dating back to 1660, this is one Istanbul’s most famous bazaars. Vividly coloured spices are displayed alongside jewel-like lokum (Turkish delight) at this Ottoman-era marketplace, providing eye candy for the thousands of tourists and locals who make their way here every day. Stalls also sell caviar, dried herbs, honey, nuts and dried fruits.
Departure Point:
This restaurant is located on the street where the tram lines (T1) run through Sultanahmet, approximately a 2-minute walk from Sultanahmet tram stop. Your guide will be waiting for you in font of this restaurant.
Return Details:
Our tour concludes in Eminönü where Galata Bridge is, leaving you free to continue your Istanbul sightseeing.
Erol provided a great tour for us and we learned many interesting facts that we would have missed otherwise. I highly recommend this tour!
I did this tour my first full day in Istanbul and it was a great way to get oriented to all the important sites in the old city. If you are just arriving here or only have a short time to see all the sites I would highly recommend this tour. My guide Erol was very knowledgeable and helpful in welcoming me to the city. Istanbul is beautiful in the snow!
Такая прогулка — идеальный способ познакомиться с самыми значимыми местами и достопримечательностями района Султанахмет. Спасибо нашему гиду Erol за отлично проведённое время! И отдельная благодарность за небольшую дегустацию местных сладостей)
Erol was an excellent guide! Lucky me, I came during the pandemic, so I got my own private tour. First time in Istanbul, and learned so much. Erol was very knowledgeable, good at English, and super considerate – even to the point that he made sure that nothing I samples in the market had gelatin in it, since I’m a vegan. Definitely recommend!
We had such a great experience on this tour. Our guide was Erol and he was so knowledgeable on
everything we saw. We covered so much in about 3 hours and I got to see everything I wanted to. We
will definitely be back on this tour or a similar one when we return to Istanbul.
