For Last minute Istanbul tour inquiry, please call or WhatsApp us at +90 542 591 99 25
Duration: Approx. between 6 - 8 hours
Tour starting point: Hotel or Istanbul Galataport
Tour ending point: Hotel or Istanbul Galataport
Includes: Private tour, professional tour guide
Excludes: Entrance tickets, lunch, drinks, transportation (unless option booked), tips to guide & driver ( recommended)
Sights to see: Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome Square, Blue Mosque, Highlights of Topkapi Palace Museum, Grand Bazaar
Private Tour
Professional Local Guide
Museum/Attraction Tickets
Transportation
Lunch, Drinks
Tips to guide & driver
Meet your private tour guide in your hotel or cruise port and start Istanbul Classics Tour with highlights of city;
Highlights of Topkapi Palace Museum; (Topkapi Sarayi) More than just an Imperial Residence of Ottoman Sultans, it was seat of Supreme Executive and Judiciary Council for almost 400 years long. Topkapi Palace is a great monument of Oriental architecture which houses exhibits of art, calligraphy, jewels, plates, costumes, the Ottoman Empire Treasury, and Holy Relics of prophet Muhammad.
Byzantine Hippodrome / Sultanahmet Square; where chariot races were held in Roman Empire times, Egyptian Column from Byzantine Empire time. Today German Fountain is cornerstone of square.
Hagia Sophia (skip the line service is not available for active mosques – there is a queue for the entrance); (Ayasofya, Santa Sofia)
here ancient cultures of East and West speak to you with a yet clear voice. Great blend of Christian and Islamic influence with beautiful interior mosaics, impressive and significant history. Built in 6th century by Emperor Justinian, played a very important role in Christian and Islamic World. After Ottoman Empire’s conquest the bells, altar and vessels were removed. Many mosaics were plastered over to convert the church into mosque, then museum in 1934. In July 2020 it is converted into a mosque again and one of the best sites in every daily Istanbul tours.
Blue Mosque (skip the line service is not available for active mosques – there is a queue for the entrance); Built in the early 1600s for Sultan Ahmet I, Blue Mosque is truly a magnificent masterpiece of architecture with amazingly delicate proportions for a building of such massive scale. The blue shade of 27.000 pieces Iznik quart tiles gives mosque a popular name and 6 towering minarets give its unique structure.
Grand Bazaar; (Kapali Carsi) the largest and oldest covered market of world with over 4,000 shops. It was constructed in 15th century and became the commercial hub of trade between Asia & Europe. Curiosity will be most charming effect taking you to get lost in streets of bazaar in your Istanbul tour.
After completing your private Istanbul tour here, your private guide will accompany you on the way back to your hotel or Istanbul port.
*As museums and some sites are closed around 17:30 pm, alternative sites of visit will be advised by guide during the trip.
*Your guide meets you at central Istanbul hotels or Galata Port. If hotel is not centrally located, meeting point will be in front of the German Fountain, guide meets you with company logo.
*If van service is not chosen, your guide picks you up at centrally located hotels on foot.
*Please note that there will be an additional charge if your hotel is located outside of city center.
Please Note:
This trip can be operated as walking tour because sites of visit are near to each other. But if your hotel is not centrally located, booking private van is recommended from and back to your hotel.
If one of the mosques is not visited, Basilica Cistern will be visited as a replacement.
Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.
Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays.
Blue Mosque is closed until 2 pm on Fridays.
Hagia Sophia entrance is restricted during praying time.
Children aged 7 and under are free of charge. Please make sure that you have passport copies of children as you have to verify their ages at museums for free tickets.
Annual Closing Dates of all museums and bazaars in Istanbul are as follows;
Q: How to meet my guide?
A: Your tour guide waits you in hotel lobby to meet you at a determined time.
Q: Can I state departure time for my trip?
A: Yes! We operate tours on a private basis, so you can customize departure time.
Q: Can I choose sights to visit on my own?
A: Sure! You can choose sights and museums along with all sorts of criteria you like in accordance with your tour guide.
Q: How to buy museum tickets?
A: No need to buy tickets in advance, during tour your guide will help you to purchase them. Official tour guides have priority at museum ticket offices.
Q: Am I traveling with a group on trip?
A: No, we provide Private Guided Istanbul Tours for your best experience so you will have a private professional tour guide in your preferred language.
Q: How about transportation?
A: When you reserve your tour with a van, you will be picked up from hotel, be transferred to the sights, and then back to hotel. Otherwise, once you meet your tour guide at your hotel, he/she advises the best option for transportation such as a cab or tram.
Q: How about shopping in Istanbul?
A: We do not include any shopping stops unless you wish to visit one of the traditional workshops for handmade rugs, tiles, jewelry. If you have any interest in workshops, please indicate while booking.
Q: How do I reserve this Private Guided Istanbul Tour?
A: Easy! You need to fill in 'Book Now' form where you can put your full details. We will need personal information, date, hotel or cruise name, arrival/departure times. Once you complete your booking, there will be a payment button to complete your deposit payment. After completing payment, we will get back to you with a confirmation email within 24 hours.
Q: How do I pay?
A: After filling Book Now form, payment button appears to complete your deposit payment, when you complete payment secure the booking we will confirm your tour and if you choose the private van option you can pay it in cash directly to the tour guide during trip. You can choose to pay in USD, Euro or Turkish Lira.
Q: Does the status of Hagia Sophia affect our tour?
A: After conversion to mosque entrance is restricted during praying times. But your tour guide can revise your tour route accordingly and entrance is free of charge. Please note that as it's not a museum anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority, so you may need to wait in the security line.
Q: What should I know to visiting Mosques in Istanbul?
A: You can check the dress codes that must be followed while visiting mosques. Here
Q: Are there any suggested activities in Istanbul?
A: Yes, Istanbul offers many activities to do after your tour. Dinner Cruise on Bosphorus Strait with traditional Turkish belly dancers, Turkish Bath (Hamam), whirling dervish show. You can choose activities on Booking Form. Our team can arrange it for you.
Q: What is the cancellation policy for Bets of Istanbul tour?
A: You can check the following link to see our cancellation policy for this tour.
