🏨 Best of Istanbul: 1, 2 or 3-Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour Activity

Best of Istanbul: 1, 2 or 3-Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour

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From $200.00

2,640 reviews (4.96)

Price varies by group size

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Pricing Info:

Duration: 7 hours

Departs: Istanbul, Istanbul

Ticket Type: Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Free cancellation

Up to 24 hours in advance.

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Overview

Visit highlights of Istanbul with your private tour guide in 1, 2 or 3 days with flexible itinerary.

Here you can see the daily tour itineraries below (7 hours per day);

Day 1 - Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome Square, German Fountain, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar.

Day 2 - Bosphorus Cruise by Public Ferry, Dolmabahce Palace, Taksim Square, Istiklal Street, Cicek Passage, Galata Tower (from outside), Spice Market.

Day 3 - Suleymaniye Mosque, Fener and Balat Districts, St. Stephen Church (Iron Church), Pierre Lotti Panoramic Hill by Cable Car, Rahmi Koc Museum (or alterntive sites).

*As Hagia Sophia is not a museum anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority there. You may need to wait in the security line, in order to avoid queues we suggest departing at 8:30am or 9:00am.

What's Included

Guide meets you at central hotels

Private tour

Professional local guide

What's Not Included

Gratitude (suggested)

Lunch

Museum Tickets

Transportation (from/back to hotel, between sites (unless option selected)

Traveler Information

TRAVELER: Age: 0 - 99

Additional Info

Annual Closing Dates of museums and bazaars in Istanbul are; January 1 – New Year April 21, 22, 23 – Ramadan Celebrations June 28, 29, 30, July 1 – Eid al-Fitr Celebrations October 29 – Republic Day
Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Mondays. Due to museum regulations, live guide service is not available at Dolmabahce Palace.
Face masks required for travellers in public areas
For multiple day booking, private van service will be advised according to your hotel location and size of your group.
Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays can be replaced with Spice Market.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Regular temperature checks for staff
Specialized infant seats are available
Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays can be replaced with alternatives.
When booking the tour with van, if your hotel is located in Sultanahmet you will be steps away from the museums, so the van will not be used as much.

*As Hagia Sophia is not a museum anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority there. You may need to wait in the security line, in order to avoid queues we suggest departing at 8:30am or 9:00am.
Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia closed until 2pm on Fridays, will be visited in the afternoon.
Face masks required for guides in public areas
For last minute bookings, tour starting time can be flexible.
Galata Tower will be visited from outside unless you would like to pay entrance fee there.
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Public transportation options are available nearby
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

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.

What To Expect

Sultanahmet District

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Hippodrome

Hippodrome Square / Atmeydanı
Hippodrome; where the chariot races were held in the Roman Empire times, Egyptian Column from Byzantine Empire time and today German Fountain is the main cornerstone of the square of Ottoman Empire.

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

German Fountain

Germa Fountain / Alman Çeşmesi

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Sultanahmet Square

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Hagia Sophia Mosque

Hagia Sophia Museum / Ayasofya / Santa Sofia
Built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian, played a very important role in the Christian and Islamic World. After the Ottoman conquest the bells, altar, iconoclastic, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over to convert the church into a mosque then a museum and now it’s a mosque for the second time. The most important stop of an Istanbul tour is operated in Old City Istanbul / Constantinople.

*Please note that as it's not a museum anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority there. You may need to wait in the security line, in order to avoid queues we suggest departing at 8:30am or 9:00am.

60 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Blue Mosque

Blue Mosque / Sultanahmet Camii
Built in the early 1600s for Sultan Ahmet I of the Ottoman Empire, the Blue Mosque is truly a magnificent masterpiece of architecture with amazingly delicate proportions for a building of such massive scale.

60 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Basilica Cistern

Byzantine Cistern; was the water storage of Byzantine Empire providing clean drinking water to the citizens of city, especially during period of siege. Binbirdirek and Serefiye Cisterns are the options that you can visit by talking with your tour guide on tour day.
*Please remember that Basilica Cistern is under restoration until end of 2022 so it's not open to visit.

60 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Topkapi Palace

Topkapi Palace Museum / Topkapı Sarayı
More than just an Imperial Residence of Ottoman Sultans, it was the seat of the Supreme Executive and Judiciary Council for almost 400 years long. Topkapi Palace is a great monument of Oriental architecture which resembles the power of the Ottoman Empire.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Grand Bazaar

Grand Bazaar / Kapalı Çarşı
One of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world with over 4,000 shops with colorful products of ceramic, leather, rugs, carpets, handicrafts, clothes, silver, and gold.

60 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bosphorus Strait

Bosphorus Cruise by Public Ferry or Private Cruise ( if option is chosen)
Take the public ferry for Bosphorus Cruise to see both Istanbul’s European and Asian sides, Galata Tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, the Rumeli Fortress, old Ottoman villas, Bosphorus bridges, mosques. Your best Istanbul tour memories will definitely include the Bosphorus.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Dolmabahce Palace

Dolmabahce Palace / Dolmabahçe Sarayı
Elegance and beauty with the most luxury decoration, chandeliers, rugs, crystals, ceramic fireplaces. Beautiful palace, right on the Bosphorus with gorgeous furnishings, paintings, porcelains made in particular to Dolmabahce.

60 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Taksim Square

Taksim Square / Taksim Meydanı
A great place defining modern Turkey which witnessed important historical moments. Close to Istiklal Street (Istiklal Caddesi) and Galata Tower along with embassies of European countries in Taxim. Cicek Passage has very good food joints, cafes, shops, bars, night clubs around Taksim.

60 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Istiklal Caddesi

Istiklal Street is the modern and colorful face of Turkey with churches, modern art galeries, embassies, pubs, cafes and shops selling different kind of products.

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cicek Pasaji

Cicek Passage / Flower Passage
Originally named as Cite de Pera, a combined structure of traditional and modern construction methods and architectural style by Ottoman Empire is reflected and today we see the small shops and cafes here.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Galata Tower

We will see the tower FROM OUTSIDE, due to the regulations unfortunately tour guides don't have skip the line priority here so it takes long time to wait queue. Your tour guide will make you explanation about tower.

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Misir Carsisi (Spice Market)

Spice Market / Mısır Çarşısı
Egyptian Bazaar is a colorful indoor bazaar and has lots of shops offering a variety of spices, purses, flavored teas, Turkish delight, nuts, as well as ceramics, and small souvenirs. Spice Bazaar is located in Eminonu Square which is the connection point of Bosphorus and Golden Horn.

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Historic Areas of Istanbul

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Suleymaniye Mosque

Suleymaniye Mosque / Süleymaniye Camii is the largest mosque in Istanbul and is as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside. In the garden behind the mosque, the Suleymaniye terrace offers lovely views of the Golden Horn and Bosphorus.

60 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Balat

Fener-Balat Neighborhood backstreet walk
Continue exploring Istanbul’s rich religious history with a stop at the Church of St. George. Since the 1600s, the church has been the location of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and is recognized as the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Religion.
Balat District; lines of drying laundry stretch across steep, winding streets. Century-old Ottoman houses lean against each other in a combination of reds, blues, and greens. And art galleries and design shops dot the area along the water.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Fener Rum Patrikhanesi

Orthodox Patriarch

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bulgarian Orthodox Church

St. Stephen Church; Located on the shore of the Golden Horn, the church is also known as the Iron Church due to the fact that it’s made entirely of prefabricated cast iron in 19th century.

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Pierre Loti Tepesi

Pierre Loti Hill and Cable Car are some of the most popular sights to visit since it offers great views for visitors. Take the cable car to reach the top and enjoy the beautiful scenery while sipping your Turkish coffee or tea.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Rahmi M. Koc Museum

Rahmi Koc Museum is on the northern part of Golden Horn, here we visit industrial and cultural museum built by famous family of Koc who were the leading power of Turkish Republic in industrial field since early period of 20th century.

1 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Halic

Golden Horn region which is one of the oldest settlements of the city of Constantinople.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

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