Istanbul Two Days Guided Sightseeing Tour

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Istanbul Old City Tour Full-day Sultan Ahmed Area
6 stops
1
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
A great architectural beauty and an important monument both for Byzantine and for Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later a mosque, and now a museum at the Turkish Republic, it has always been the precious of its time. The mystical city Istanbul hosted many civilizations since centuries, of which Byzantium and Ottoman Empires were both the most famous ones. The city today carries the characteristics of these two different cultures and surely Hagia Sophia is a perfect synthesis where one can observe both Ottoman and Byzantium effects under one great dome.
45 minutes • Admission ticket not included
2
Blue Mosque
Visit to Blue Mosque, also known as the Sultan Ahmet Camii (or Sultan Ahmed Mosque), this breath-taking building was built between 1609 and 1616, by the architect Mehmet Ağa, It was designed as an imperial show of strength to complement the imposing Hagia Sophia, which faces it across Sultanahmet Square. Unlike the Hagia Sophia, however it is supported by four 'elephant foot' pillars, and the central dome (23.5m in diameter and 43m high) is flanked by four semi-domes, making it nearly a square in shape. It is dubbed the Blue Mosque because of over 20,000 handmade ceramic Iznik tiles that decorate the interior, featuring many different tulip, rose, carnation, and lily designs, well lit by 260 windows.
45 minutes • Admission ticket free
3
Topkapi Palace Museum
Visiting Topkapı Palace Museum. It is located on the promontory of the historical peninsula in İstanbul which overlooks both the Marmara Sea and the İstanbul strait. Palace is located in one of the oldest historical regions of Istanbul. Located on the historical Istanbul peninsula between the Marmara Sea, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, the palace is one of the iconic structures of Istanbul. Topkapı Palace, established on an area of 700,000 square meters on the Eastern Roman acropolis in Sarayburnu, was the administrative, educational and artistic center of the ottoman empire for approximately four hundred years from Fatih Sultan Mehmet to the 31st Sultan Abdülmecid, as well as housing the dynasty. Although Topkapı Palace was gradually abandoned by the mid-19th century when the dynasty slowly moved to Dolmabahçe Palace, it preserved its historical importance and value. Harem section, treasury room, divan, and holy relics will be visited.
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
4
Basilica Cistern
This grand underground cistern, built by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I (527-565), is nicknamed “Yerebatan Sarayı” (Sunken Palace) among the public due to its numerous marble columns rising from the water. It is also known as “Bazilika Sarnıcı” (Basilica Cistern) by some, as it was built on the site of the former Stoa Basilica, which was a basilica. With its 80,000-ton water storage capacity, Yerebatan Cistern is the largest covered cistern in the city and stands out with more reclaimed supporting elements compared to other covered cisterns. Covering an area of approximately 10,000 square meters, this colossal structure has a rectangular shape with a length of 140 meters and a width of 70 meters.
45 minutes • Admission ticket not included
5
Grand Bazaar
Gand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered bazaars in the world, the Grand Bazaar is 30,700 square meters with over 60 streets and alleys and 4,000 shops. Sultan Mehmet II built the market soon after conquering Constantinople as the trading center of the Ottoman Empire. The bazaar was opened in 1461. The traditional leather stores, spice and pottery shops, carpet, antique, and jewelry dealers are typical of the bazaar.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
6
Hippodrome
The Hippodrome of Constantinople was also home to gladiatorial games, official ceremonies, celebrations, protests, torture to the convicts and so on. Hippodrome functioned all in Roman (203-330 CE), Byzantine (330-1453 CE), and Ottoman (1453-1922) periods. The capacity of the hippodrome was approximately 40,000 and it was free and open to male members of the community. At least eight different games could be held throughout the day and it was also used as a symbol of power for the empire. The hippodrome was decorated with monuments that were brought in from across the empire including the Serpent Column from Delphi and Obelisk of Thutmosis III (Obelisk of Theodosius) from Egypt. With these landmarks and monuments brought from all around the world- the Byzantine Empire was proudly showing its strength and thousands of kilometers long territory ruled by them.
20 minutes • Admission ticket free
Day 2
Istanbul Full-day rest of the City tour
4 stops
7
Misir Carsisi (Spice Market)
Spice Market (Egyptian Bazaar) was built in 1660 and named after the fact that the goods for trade from the India and far east was arriving to this place over Egypt by the Egyptian Caravan, during the period of the Ottomans. You are able to find about every kind of herbs and spices at the market, and as well as ingredients for cooking, Turkish delight and Turkish coffee.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
8
Bosphorus Strait
Bosphorus Cruise - Bosphorus is a natural strait connecting the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea, thus being a very strategic waterway. It's length is 32 kilometers (20 miles) in the north to south direction and depth is between 30-120 meters (100-395 feet). Bosphorus strait separates the European part from the Asian part of Istanbul. The surface current flows always from north to south; however, a strong countercurrent under the surface creates swirls and eddies. Sailing around Bosphorus about 1.5 hours and seeing the most beautiful nature of Istanbul. Beautiful houses, Ottoman fortresses and palaces, pavilions, and bridges between Asia and Europe.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket not included
9
Taksim Square
Taksim and Istiklal Avenue, Known as the Cadde-i Kebir (Grand Avenue) during the Ottoman period, when it attracted an intellectual crowd, it later became the place to stroll for the French Levantines, who knew it as the Grand Rue de Pera. It became İstiklal Caddesi (Independence Street) following the creation of the Republic of Turkey. Crowning the street at the northern end is Taksim Square, is the most popular and cosmopolitan street of Istanbul. Millions of people flock to this street each day. Shops, passages, cafes, restaurants, bookshops, cinemas and consulate buildings make this street a great center of attraction.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
10
Suleymaniye Mosque
The Süleymaniye Mosque, is an Ottoman Imperial Mosque located on the third hill ofIstanbul.The mosque was commissioned by Sulemian the Magnificent and designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. An inscription specifies the foundation date as 1550 and the inauguration date as 1557 At one's first glance there are two things that are particularly remarkable in the ancient monuments of the Ottomans: the choice of the site and the perfect unity of the whole. Whether or not it is in a raised place, the site always has a view of vast open spaces and however far one may look, one may see the sky.
45 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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