Istanbul has been capital of the Eastern Roman and Ottoman Empires for more than 1000 years and presenting the heritage of many other civilizations as well. At Turkish Heritage Travel, based on your requests and our suggestions, we have created tailor-made tours. Our tours are available as small group tours or private tours.
DAILY ISTANBUL TOUR (Regular – Group)
Old Istanbul Walk (Group size is limited to 10 people)
(70 Euro per person – including guide, lunch and tickets)
- Topkapi Palace
- Blue Mosque
- Hippodrome and Obelisks
- Lunch
- Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya Church)
- Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Underground Water Palace)
- Million Stone
- Tomb of Sultan Mahmud
- Cemberlitas (Column of Constantine)
- Grand Bazaar
First time in Istanbul? This is our most popular itinerary, showing the highlights of the historical city.
We will pick you up from your hotel in Sultanahmet area around 08:30 and your day begins with a visit to the amazing Topkapi Palace – home to the Ottoman Sultans for almost 400 years. Today, the palace houses amazing artifacts from the Ottoman period as well as many religious pieces and the famous Harem. The next stop is the Sultanahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque – built in the 16th century, this working mosque gets its names from the intricate blue Iznik tiles which adorn the inside. On to the Roman Hippodrome – this Byzantine scene was home to Constantinople’s sporting and political life. Today we can see many monuments including a 3500 year old Egyptian Obelisk. Our next destination is a local restaurant for lunch.
After lunch, we continue with our walking tour by visiting the famous Aya Sofia (Hagia Sophia) museum – this architectural wonder was built in 360 A.D. and was used as a house of worship by different religions until finally being converted to a museum in 1935. The Basilica Cistern is our next stop – also known as the Sunken Water Palace, the Cistern has 336 marble columns and was built in 532 A.D. We continue on to the Tomb of Sultan Mahmud and the ancient Ottoman cemetery, the Cemberlitas – known as the Banded Column and finally onto the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar – the ultimate Old World shopping center with some 4000 shops. The tour will end in the Grand Bazaar around 16:30 and the guide will give you information on how to get back to your hotel (an easy 5 to 10 minute walk to the hotels in Sultanahmet).
The full-day guided walking tour is 70 Euros per person. This includes a professionally-licensed English-speaking guide, entrance fees, lunch and all taxes. The tour rate includes pick up at your hotel in the Sultanahmet area – for hotels located in other areas, a fee may be charged.
Hagia Sophia is closed on Monday; Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesday and Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday. During these days, substitutions will be made for the closed sights.
Please send an email to info@goreme.com to book the tour or further information.
HALF DAY ISTANBUL TOURS
Byzantine Istanbul Tour (Group size is limited to 10 people)
(35 Euro per person – including guide, transportation and tickets)
- Yedikule Dungeons
- City Walls
- Chora Church (Kariye Camii)
- Pierre Loti Hill overlooking Golden Horn
The day begins with a pick up at your hotel around 08:30. Our first stop is the Yedikule Dungeons (also known as the Seven Towers) – located within the City Walls, this site was used as a prison, a dwelling for lions and a gunpowder factory before becoming a museum. We continue our tour with a drive along the City Walls – the 6.5 Km (4 miles) city walls were breached only twice in 1600 years. At the end of the City Walls we will visit one of the oldest and most important churches in Istanbul, The Church of Chora. Originally built in the early 5th century, the Chora Church (or Church of St. Savior in Chora) houses Byzantine mosaics and murals depicting the life of Christ.
Our next stop is a tea-coffee break at one of the most picturesque points over the Golden Horn. Inspired by the French poet, Pierre Loti – the Pierre Loti café. From here you can either take the cable car down to the Holy Eyup Sultan Mosque, or walk the path which takes you through a Muslim cemetery featuring tulip-carved gravestones. The Eyup Mosque is a place of pilgrimage for Muslims and has beautiful views of the city. We drive along the shores of the Golden Horn, through the towns of Fener and Balat – old Greek and Jewish villages. Our final stop is at the Orthodox Patriarchate in Fener. The drive continues to the Old City with views along the way of the Golden Horn Bridge. We reach the Old City and end our journey at 13:00.
The half-day Byzantine Istanbul tour is 35 Euros per person. This includes a professionally-licensed English-speaking guide, entrance fees, transportation and all taxes. The tour rate includes pick up at your hotel in the Sultanahmet and Taksim area – for hotels located in other areas, a fee may be charged.
We don’t operate this tour on Wednesday as Chora Church is closed.
Please send an email to info@goreme.com to book the tour or further information.
Morning Old Istanbul Walk (Group size is limited to 10 people)
(35 Euro per person – including guide and entrance tickets)
The above full day “Old Istanbul Walk” can also be separated into two half day tours. You will be picked up from your hotel in Sultanahmet around 08:30 and visit
- Topkapi Palace
- Blue Mosque
- Hippodrome and Obelisks
We don’t operate this tour on Tuesday as Topkapi Palace is closed.
The half-day Morning Old Istanbul Walk is 35 Euros per person. This includes a professionally-licensed English-speaking guide, entrance fees and all taxes. The tour rate includes pick up at your hotel in Sultanahmet area – for hotels located in other areas, a fee may be charged.
Please send an email to info@goreme.com to book the tour or further information.
Afternoon Old Istanbul Walk
(Group size is limited to 10 people)
(35 Euro per person – including guide and entrance tickets)
Just like the morning part of the above full day “Old Istanbul Walk“, the afternoon part can be done as a half day tour. We will pick you up from your hotel in Sultanahmet around 13:00 and you will see
- Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya Church)
- Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Underground Water Palace)
- Million Stone
- Tomb of Sultan Mahmud
- Cemberlitas (Column of Constantine)
- Grand Bazaar
We don’t operate this tour on Monday as Hagia Sophia is closed. Grand Bazaar is closed on Sunday.
The half-day afternoon Old Istanbul Walk is 35 Euros per person. This includes a professionally-licensed English-speaking guide, entrance fees and all taxes. The tour rate includes pick up at your hotel in Sultanahmet area – for hotels located in other areas, a fee may be charged. Please send an email to info@goreme.com to book the tour or further information.