🏨 Shore Excursion: Istanbul Hidden Highlights Private Tour Activity

Shore Excursion: Istanbul Hidden Highlights Private Tour

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From $195.35

1 reviews (5.00)

Price varies by group size

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Pricing Info: Per Person

Duration: 5 hours

Departs: Istanbul, Istanbul

Ticket Type: Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Free cancellation

Up to 24 hours in advance.

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Overview

While you’re in port in Istanbul, discover some of the city’s hidden and historical highlights on this 5-hour private shore excursion. Enjoy personalized attention from your expert, private guide on a tour that looks beyond the city’s headline attractions, casting the spotlight on three Istanbul sights sometimes missed by visitors. Admire the exquisite late Byzantine mosaics of the beautiful Chora Church; descend into the magnificent Basilica Cistern to see its marble columns and pools; and finish at the mesmerizing Egyptian Bazaar — a whirl of spice, food and souvenir stalls.

What's Included

Covered by Viator’s worry-free policy

Port pickup and drop-off

Professional guide

Transport by air-conditioned minivan

What's Not Included

Entrance Fees

Food and drinks, unless specified

Gratuities

Traveler Information

INFANT: Age: 0 - 4
CHILD: Age: 5 - 11
ADULT: Age: 12 - 99

Additional Info

Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Guides required to regularly wash hands
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
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised

Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Guides required to regularly wash hands
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
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised

Cancellation Policy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Experience may be cancelled due to Insufficient travelers
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

What To Expect

Chora Museum

Meet your private guide at Istanbul cruise port and board your private, air-conditioned minivan. As you head for the European side of the city, listen to enlightening facts about this Asian-European metropolis that, as Constantinople, was the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin and Ottoman Empires.

Your first stop is the Chora Church, also called the Kariye Museum, in the Fatih district. Originally built in the 5th century, before being rebuilt between the 11th and 14th centuries, this Byzantine gem is adorned with magnificent mosaics and frescoes. Head inside to marvel at the gold 14th-century masterpieces, including those on the domes depicting Christ’s genealogy and Mary with the baby Jesus.

Continue to the city's Sultanahmet area and Basilica Cistern. Descend into this underground, 6th-century water facility and discover how it once brought water into Istanbul before being shut down and forgotten for centuries. Explore the illuminated, pillar-packed interior and see the Roman-era Medusa heads that the cistern's Byzantine builders regarded merely as rubble and used as bases for two pillars.

Continue to the Egyptian Bazaar, also known as the Spice Bazaar, in the Eminönü district. With your guide, delve into this colorful labyrinth of stalls that was first established in 1664. Absorb the heady aromas of the nut, spice, oil and sweets stalls, and perhaps bargain for baskets, jewelry and other souvenirs with help from your guide.

Afterward, return to your minivan and drive back to the cruise port, where your tour ends.

Please note: The Chora Church is closed on Wednesdays. If your tour falls on a Wednesday, the Hagia Sophia Museum will be visited instead.

Worry-free Shore Excursion:

We will ensure your timely return to Istanbul cruise port for this activity.

5 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

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Shore Excursion: Istanbul Hidden Highlights Private Tour Activity - Istanbul Travel Guide

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