🏨 Full-Day Private Tour: The Classics from Istanbul Activity

Full-Day Private Tour: The Classics from Istanbul

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From $349.24

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

Feast your eyes on architectural masterpieces on this full-day private tour of the classics, from Istanbul. Embark on a sightseeing tour of several of Istanbul's greatest architectural achievements. Your private car can accommodate you and up to 13 of your friends and family, including a hotel pickup and drop-off. See monumental structures such as St. Sophia (Hagia Sophia), the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, and the Grand Covered Bazaar (which is closed on Sundays and Eid festivals).

Important notice: Tour service starts in between 8:00 and 10:00am and finishes in between 4:00pm and 5:00pm.

Travelers from Sultanahmet area do not need a vehicle for old city classic tour.

What's Included

Guiding services

Hotel/port pickup and drop-off

Parking Fees

Transportation by A/C deluxe van

What's Not Included

Entrance fees to museums and sites

Food and drinks, unless specified

Gratuities

Traveler Information

TRAVELER: Age: 0 - 99

Additional Info

Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
Regular temperature checks for staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
St. Sophia (Hagia Sophia) is closed on Mondays
Temperature checks for travellers upon arrival
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised

Children must be accompanied by an adult
Face masks provided for travellers
Face masks required for travellers in public areas
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Infant seats available on request if advised at the time of booking
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Public transportation options are available nearby
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
The Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays

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

Hippodrome

Hippodrome was built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century. There is an Obelisk, Knitted Column and Serpentine Column in the Hippodrome today. Among these works, the Obelisk was brought from Egypt, and the Serpent Column was brought from the Apollo temple in Delphi. In fact, there were many more works here: works of pagan and Christian beliefs, statues of legendary racers, monuments of emperors, etc.
But, as a result of the uprising in 532, the hippodrome was no longer standing. The hippodrome was actually decorated with bronze, bronze and copper statues brought from many places such as Rome, Greece, the Aegean Islands, Egypt, but almost all of the works were destroyed during the 57-year Latin occupation. The artefacts were either sold, sent elsewhere or melted and used for other purposes (coins, shields, etc.). In short, this place has been a gathering and rebellion square for the crowds throughout history.

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Blue Mosque

This place is also known as the "Blue Mosque" among tourists and abroad because of the colour of the magnificent patterns that decorate its inner walls. The mosque's decorations consist of more than 20 thousand tiles with 50 different tulip patterns in Iznik. There are flowers, fruits and cypress on these magnificent tiles made by tile makers in Iznik. All these tiles create a deep blue, peaceful and magnificent scene. It is normal for tourists to call it the Blue Mosque because the blue colour is quite intense here. In addition, ostrich eggs were placed in various parts of the carefully created interior to prevent spiders. One of the most important elements in the mosque is the mihrab made of fine workmanship and carved marble. In addition to the magnificence of the mihrab surrounded by windows, the perfection of the interior acoustics makes it easy to hear the imam's voice even when the mosque is at its most crowded.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Hagia Sophia Mosque

Hagia Sophia Mosque, together with its neighbour Topkapi Palace Museum, is among the most impressive places visited by local and foreign tourists in Istanbul. Hagia Sophia, built as a church in 325, was rebuilt in 537, turned into a mosque by the conqueror Mehmet II after the conquest of Istanbul. Hagia Sophia is also considered as the eighth wonders of the world. It is adorned with many mosaic ornaments with and without figures from different periods. The most important examples of mosaic decoration that have survived to the present day are the figureless mosaics that can be seen in the narthex area. All kinds of efforts have been made to protect and preserve Hagia Sophia as a symbol of conquest. The Hagia Sophia Mosque, with its minarets, madrasah, primary school, fountains, public fountains, sundials, trustees' room built outside the building in different periods, was transformed into a complex structure in the Ottoman Period.

60 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Topkapi Palace

P.S.: Closed on Tuesdays.
The palace, which was started to be built in 1460 after the conquest of Istanbul by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453 and completed in 1478. It was used as the administration, education and art centre of the empire for about four hundred years from Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror until the 31st Sultan Abdulmecid, and at the same time became the sultan's house. Although it was abandoned in the middle of the 19th century when the dynasty moved to Dolmabahce Palace, it has always maintained its importance. Topkapi Palace Museum, which was turned into a museum in 1924 and was the first museum of the Republic, covers an area of approximately 30 decares today. Topkapi Palace, separated from the city with the Sultan wall built by the Conqueror by the land and the Eastern Roman walls by the sea, is one of the largest palace-museums in the world with its architectural structures, collections and approximately 300,000 archive documents.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Grand Bazaar

It is one of the oldest and largest covered bazaars in the world. The Grand Bazaar, with its maze-like streets and passages, is one of the most popular and visited places, especially among tourists. At the same time, it has the status of a kind of trade centre of Istanbul. It is possible to find something for every taste and budget here. The Grand Bazaar is a wonderful historical place not only for shopping but also walking through its lively streets and to have a nice day amidst the charming smells of colourful shops and spices.

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

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Full-Day Private Tour: The Classics from Istanbul Activity - Istanbul Travel Guide

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