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Offered languages
- English
By Septillion Travel Agency
TÜRSAB A-Class License No: 18212
1. All ticket queues are bypassed, providing expedited entry to principal monuments and ensuring optimal use of the tour duration.
2. Fully accredited professional guides guarantee reliable and up‑to‑date historical information at each site visited.
3. Highly specialized guides offer in‑depth interpretations that typically remain unaddressed in conventional group tours.
4. The visit to Hagia Sophia is enriched through expert commentary that elucidates its concealed details and symbolic program.
5. The Basilica Cistern is experienced with priority access and immersive narration that animates the atmosphere beneath its columns.
6. Sultanahmet Hippodrome Square is examined through a structured walk that reveals its imperial, Byzantine, and Ottoman historical strata.
7. The Blue Mosque is presented within a comprehensive framework that links its architecture to broader historical and cultural traditions.
8. Old Grand bazaar
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Your guide will be present at the meeting point at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time. Please ensure punctuality and make every effort to avoid delays.
The Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III is situated adjacent to Topkapı Palace and directly in front of the ticket offices at the visitor entrance of Hagia Sophia.
The tour ends at the Grand Bazaar.
Itinerary
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1Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
Hagia Sophia, located in Istanbul, is one of the most significant monuments of world architectural and religious history. Originally built as a Byzantine basilica by Emperor Justinian I in 537, it later served as the principal church of the Eastern Orthodox Church for centuries. Following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it was converted into an imperial mosque, enriched with minarets and Islamic calligraphy. In the 20th century, it functioned as a museum and today it stands as a mosque again, symbolizing the layered cultural and historical heritage of Istanbul.
40 minutes • Admission ticket included -
2Basilica Cistern
The Basilica Cistern, known in Turkish as Yerebatan Sarnıcı, is a monumental subterranean water reservoir constructed in the 6th century during the reign of Emperor Justinian I to supply water to the Great Palace of Constantinople. Covering an area of approximately 10,000 square meters, it is supported by 336 marble columns arranged in 12 rows, creating the impression of an underground palace. This vast Byzantine engineering work, located near Hagia Sophia, is renowned for its atmospheric lighting, vaulted brick ceilings, and re-used Roman elements, including the famous Medusa-head column bases. Today, the Basilica Cistern functions as a museum, allowing visitors to experience both its architectural sophistication and its role in Istanbul’s layered urban history.
40 minutes • Admission ticket included -
3Hippodrome
The Hippodrome of Constantinople, located in today’s Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul,functioned as the principal arena for chariot racing and imperial ceremony in the Eastern Roman and later Byzantine capital.Initially begun under Emperor Septimius Severus in the early third century and substantially enlarged by Constantine the Great, it could accommodate tens of thousands of spectators in a U‑shaped structure that articulated the political and social hierarchy of the city.Beyond entertainment, the Hippodrome operated as a critical public space where imperial authority was displayed,communal identities were negotiated, and episodes of mass unrest, such as the Nika riots, reshaped the urban and dynastic order. Although the superstructure largely disappeared after the Fourth Crusade and the Ottoman transformation of the area into At Meydanı, surviving monuments like the Serpent Column and the Theodosian Obelisk allow scholars to reconstruct its role in the longue durée of Istanbul’s urban
30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) in Istanbul is a 17th‑century Ottoman imperial mosque renowned for its cascading domes, six slender minarets, and interior decorated with over 20,000 blue İznik tiles that give the building its popular name. Commissioned by Sultan Ahmed I and completed between 1609 and 1617 under architect Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa, it stands opposite Hagia Sophia in the historic Sultanahmet district and remains both an active place of worship and a major symbol of Istanbul’s Islamic architectural heritage.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
5Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) in Istanbul is one of the world’s oldest and largest covered markets, founded in the 15th century under Sultan Mehmed II after the Ottoman conquest of the city. Expanding from its original bedesten halls into a labyrinth of more than 60 vaulted streets and thousands of shops, it became a central hub of Ottoman commercial life, where textiles, jewelry, spices, and handicrafts circulated across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Today, with its historic architecture, dense crowds, and persistent tradition of bargaining, the Bazaar functions simultaneously as a living commercial organism for locals and a major touristic attraction that embodies the continuity of Istanbul’s mercantile culture.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
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Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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