Discoveried The Old City of Istanbul In a Half-Day

based on 20 reviews

Duration:4 hours (approx.)
Location: Istanbul, Turkey

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The activity starts with the pick up from your hotel to visit the Roman Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Grand Bazaar with the commentry of our licenced local guide. This 4 hours long tour will give you the chance to Indulge yourself with the beauty and the treasures of the old city in a half day.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Hippodrome
The Hippodrome had been a center for sports and entertainment in the old Constantinople, the Eastern Roman Capital, and an important center for politics since sports and politics were closely knit in these times. No wonder that the Hippodrome had been a starting point for revolts and political movements throughout history. Echoes of cries by slaves riding chariots in ferocious races and the inspirational words of intellectuals and poets that lit the flame of public movements have still been reminiscent of those with a powerful imagination.
2. Blue Mosque
Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as Blue Mosque, arouses admiration with the delicate Ottoman tiles that decorate the shrine’s walls. The floral patterns of the tiles and the well lighted, spacious internal spaces are testimonials of the eternity of the Ottoman spirit.
3. Hagia Sophia Mosque
The Shrine of Holy Wisdom, a marvelous Byzantine basilica built in the 6th century, marks the golden age of Justinianus. The domed construction of the sanctuary is an architectural innovation and was so richly and artistically decorated that Justinian proclaimed, "Solomon, I have outdone thee!". Humankind would have to wait for millennia before building a cathedral that would surpass the gigantic size of Hagia Sophia. Converted to a mosque following the Ottoman conquest of the city, by the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453, as the young Sultan fulfilled a divine premonition by the Holy Prophet Mohammad himself. In 1935 the building was converted to a museum by the executive order of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey. Hagia Sophia, whose status was converted to a mosque in July 2020, has been taking its visitors on a journey through the multi-layered texture of history as a mosque ever since.
4. Kapali Carsi
The largest, oldest, and most attractive covered bazaar in the world, where people have been trading jewelry, carpets, food, perfumes, and even gossiping for centuries! The tour also includes a short demonstration of Turkish rugs.

ADDITIONAL INFO

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : rawleyc2023
I had an amazing tour around Istanbul with Cenk. He is very knowledgeable about the city’s history and was excited to share Turkish culture with me. I learned so much about Istanbul and what it means to be Turkish through visits to some of Istanbul’s greatest attractions. We shared stories over numerous cups of tea and coffee and I am happy to leave Istanbul with a new friend. I highly recommend Cenk to anybody looking to visit Istanbul.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-07-08 08:31:16

Posted By : Jennifer_A
Im a travel agent and booked this tour for my clients. The city tour - the guide didnt show up until the last 20 minutes of the tour and met them at grand bazaar when they were pretty much done. Some miscommunication between driver and guide, allegedly.
The driver dropped them to the hagia sofia and blue mosque.
They did the tour on their own. The funny thing is that we chose Traveliums tour over the others because it had better reviews, and promised hotel pickup and drop off.
But then Travelium refused to provide those services until we insisted and showed that it was mentioned under Inclusions.
Very disappointed.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-06-14 07:44:24

Posted By : JC_007X
This was a fantastic tour by Cenk. I found Cenk personable, knowledgeable and fun. Definitely 5 star
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-11-07 18:21:02

Posted By : 23juliannev
Ilker was our guide for two days. Our group of 15 found him to be extremely informative with terrific English skills. His enthusiasm for showing us Istanbul was really genuine, and he made sure to show us the lesser known spots. No one wanted leave this incredible city, and we will definitely call Ilker should we have another similar chance to tour.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-10-23 08:43:51

Posted By : Dalya S
I had just one afternoon in Istanbul and asked my hotel to arrange a guide - I could not have been luckier than to wind up in Cenk’s friendly, knowledgeable and genial company, guiding me through a few key sights. We walked and talked, he was so informative, interesting and forthright, a highly intelligent and gracious ambassador whose services I wholeheartedly recommend. He is also a wonderful photographer, deftly capturing scenes and views from perfect angles! Whenever I’m lucky enough to be back in Istanbul or have family/friends visiting this magical ancient capital, I’ll know in advance that Cenk will be my guide.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-10-21 03:52:42

Posted By : Federicasotohay
This past week my mom, grandma and I got to enjoy Istanbul in every way possible! We stayed at the Raffles hotel, where they arranged a private tour for the three of us with car service (since getting a taxi or Uber is really difficult).

One of our highlights was meeting Reggie our guide for the day, and now friend for life! He showed us around the old city and explained every detail from an Art Historian perspective, as a native of Istanbul, and as someone who is very passionate about transmitting his knowledge onto everyone.

Reggie also showed us the best spots for shopping at the grand bazar, without him we would have been lost in the 5,000 stores that are inside the bazar. He really helped us in every aspect, from translating, negotiation and getting the best quality out there.

We are so happy we met Reggie, he is one of the most amazing human beings you can come across. As mentioned before, not only as someone to trust their knowledge but as a friend for life.

Xxx
Federica
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-09-25 00:34:01

Posted By : 391sergiyg
Reggie is the fantastic guide!!
Strongly recommend!
Great knowledge of history!!
Had the great time rediscovering the placed I have visited several times before.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-09-11 10:46:40

Posted By : Stan B
Unique. Informative. Worth every dollar.
Gurcan was our tour guide and we did a four hour with him (with an hour kicker at the end). He was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Our tour consisted of the Hagia Sofia, The Blue Mosque, Open Air Museum, and most importantly The Grand Bazaar. He taught us the extensive history and gave us the insider look of Istanbul with fun facts. Introduced us to good friends and contacts in the Bazaar (which is very important!).
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-09-10 17:15:15

Posted By : sophiaj606
My family and I went to the Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Galata Tower, and Basilica Cistern with tour guide Recep Aydin, and he was absolutely amazing. I have been to many countries, and I used many tour guides before, and Recep is the best tour guide I have ever had. He was extremely friendly and had great recommendations, lots of patience, gave great information about the history of Istanbul, and accommodated to our needs very well. I would 100% use Recep again for another tour in Turkey!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-09-06 15:35:18

Posted By : lorenacB7941ZN
We had an amazing tour with Sevinch, half a day in the Old Town in Istanbul, she was very knowledgeable, patient and fun. I would definitely recommend her as tour guide in Istanbul.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2022-08-20 20:06:01