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Istanbul Highlights: Historic Walking Tour
4.3
40 Ratings
Fatih
Immerse yourself in Istanbul’s rich heritage on this half-day guided tour. Visit iconic landmarks like Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and explore the bustling Grand Bazaar for a unique shopping experience.
Immerse yourself in Istanbul’s rich heritage on this half-day guided tour. Visit iconic landmarks like Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and explore the bustling Grand Bazaar for a unique shopping experience.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Blue Mosque - The stunning Blue Mosque is famous for its 20,000 hand-painted blue Iznik tiles and six graceful minarets. Discover how this architectural wonder was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I and represents the last great mosque of the Classical Ottoman era.
- Hippodrome - Explore the heart of ancient Constantinople at the Hippodrome, once…
- Blue Mosque - The stunning Blue Mosque is famous for its 20,000 hand-painted blue Iznik tiles and six graceful minarets. Discover how this architectural wonder was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I and represents the last great mosque of the Classical Ottoman era.
- Hippodrome - Explore the heart of ancient Constantinople at the Hippodrome, once the city’s lively social and sporting hub. Appreciate historical landmarks such as the German Fountain of Wilhelm II, the Bronze Serpentine Column, the Obelisk of Theodosius, and the Column of Constantine.
- Hagia Sophia - Hagia Sophia, a 6th-century marvel constructed by Emperor Justinian as a Greek Orthodox church. Uncover the building’s rich history as it evolved from a church to a mosque and later into a museum—holding the title of the world’s largest church for nearly a thousand years.
- Kapali Carsi - Before arriving at the Grand Bazaar, enjoy a quick visit to a local shop—perfect for picking up authentic souvenirs and handcrafted items. Then, gather at the Grand Bazaar’s main entrance to learn intriguing details about its rich history. Afterward, explore the Grand Bazaar at your leisure. Immerse yourself in the lively atmosphere of the world’s oldest and largest covered market, featuring 65 bustling streets and over 4,000 shops offering everything from carpets and jewelry to spices, ceramics, and more.
What's Included
- English-speaking tour guide
- Hagia Sophia Guided visit
- Grand Bazaar free time
- All taxes
- Hippodrome Guided visit
- Hotel Pickup (If option selected)
- Blue Mosque Guided visit
- English-speaking tour guide
- Hagia Sophia Guided visit
- Grand Bazaar free time
- All taxes
- Hippodrome Guided visit
- Hotel Pickup (If option selected)
- Blue Mosque Guided visit
What's Not Included
- Hotel Drop-off
- Admission fees
- Food & Drinks
- Hotel Drop-off
- Admission fees
- Food & Drinks
Additional Information
Discover the wonders of Istanbul on this guided walking tour. Journey through time as you delve into the city’s rich history and stunning architecture, visiting renowned sites such as the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Old City, and the lively Grand Bazaar.
Pick-Up Location for Cruise Passengers
Front of the Port Bosphorus Hotel, directly across from the…
Discover the wonders of Istanbul on this guided walking tour. Journey through time as you delve into the city’s rich history and stunning architecture, visiting renowned sites such as the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Old City, and the lively Grand Bazaar.
Pick-Up Location for Cruise Passengers
Front of the Port Bosphorus Hotel, directly across from the main exit for cruise passengers.
- Delve into the historical significance of Istanbul at the Hagia Sophia.
- Marvel at the Blue Mosque’s beautiful handmade blue Iznik tiles and its six impressive minarets.
- Experience the vibrant atmosphere of the Grand Bazaar as you wander through its bustling stalls.
- Walk through the historic Hippodrome, once a center of culture, sports, and politics.
- Enjoy the sights of the German Fountain, Serpentine Column, and the Column of Constantine.
- Please dress appropriately when entering sacred sites. Participants are advised to wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt. Please bring a scarf to cover head.
- Hagia Sophia skip the Line entrance ticket: €25 and must be paid in cash.
- Even though you’ll skip the ticket lines,the security checks at the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque are mandatory and cannot be bypassed.
- The Grand Bazaar is closed on religious holidays and Sundays.
- The tour ends at the Grand Bazaar.
- This is a shared transfer with Minibus or Midibus and pick up could be early or late. For each hotel there is a fixed pick-up time. before the tour starts time
Location
Buhara 93 Restaurant
Nakilbent Sokak
Front of Buhara 93 Restaurant
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.3
(40 Ratings)
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Natalia_h
Jul 21, 2025
Brilliant and educational loved it, very lucky - I was fortunate to have the tour guide to myself. I learnt so much from him and the history was fascinating, I was very lucky. He looked after me and it was a full on history lesson. The mosque are beautiful, rich eith so much to tell. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Sarah_s
Jul 15, 2025
Excellent tour - I traveled with a friend and my partner. The other group of three was a mom and her two kids. The tour guide was extremely knowledgable and kind. It was a bit bare bones - no tickets to Hagia Sofia or Basilica Cistern (Which is noted in the ticket clearly), but you will have to wait in lines and buy your ticket. We opted out of these two experiences and went shopping. I would recommend checking out the Hagia Sofia and to get tickets in advance. I am not sure if the tour guide goes inside with you, so I would ask the company and then also book a guide or audio tour. It was a lovely way to see the city and learn more about its history.
Review provided by Viator
Martin_o
Jul 13, 2025
Best guiding experience in Istanbul - The three of us traveling together hired this company’s services and loved every minute of it . Mr. Baki was one of the best guides I’ve ever had. He was extremely knowledgeable, nice and friendly. He understands very well what the group needs and tailors the pace information he provides accordingly . He was very helpful and I even texted him for more information after the tour had ended, and he kept assisting us . Highly , highly recommended.
Review provided by Viator
Travelwithnehir
Jun 23, 2025
Nice experience in Istanbul - We love being a participant to this tour, guide was so informative and friendly, he explained fluently with patience, they were on time and well organised,
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Raul_m
Feb 25, 2025
Short excursion with excellent price. - The guide was knowledgeable and very affable.
The short tour was informative and the price right. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Viator
Passenger216975
Nov 7, 2024
First time Istanbul - Very thorough and we will provide it with lots of inside information about the sites we visited. Our tour guide was very patient and helpful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Liliana_c
May 30, 2025
More details needed - Interesting facts about the Blue Mosque. However, the description didn't say we could choose the second part of the tour. The guide also included visits to a leather and jewelry store; these should be optional.
Review provided by Viator
Mamyforfour
Mar 12, 2025
Hagia Sophia and Cistern - Let's split the 2 visits. The basilica beautiful, but would need a cleanup of the mosaics. At the ticket office they sell the package with the interactive museum (which I really liked) and the basilica at about 48 euros, or just the Basilica at 25 euros, in any case it can be visited only from the balcony. The only paid place of worship in Istanbul.
The cistern costs about 33 euros but it is worth them all, very suggestive. Nice play of lights.
Buy tickets in Turkey and not from the various tour operators, something is saved.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariam_h
Jun 7, 2025
Average - This was average. Pick up from hotel was good
Everything else was average. They also didn’t tell us that the grand bazar will be closed during our visit due to a public holiday, I think that would have been good to know beforehand. They told us on the day and took us to this expensive 5 storey shopping area, I mean it had nice things (if you’re into leather jackets and designer stuff, but not a bazzar like advertised on this tour)
Review provided by Viator
Jackson_l
Jun 11, 2025
Worst tour I’ve ever experienced - Genuinely the worst tour I’ve ever been on. I recommend NOT booking this tour. Our tour guide made the entire experience so uncomfortable it was awful. It was clear by his poor attitude, abrupt nature, and dismissive comments that the guide did not want to be taking us on this tour. Here is a breakdown of what we experienced.
1. The guide was texting on his phone throughout the entire tour. He would point to a site of interest and tell us the name of it without even looking up from his phone.
2. The guide was visibly angry and frustrated throughout the entire tour. He was abrupt and rude and not just to us but to random other people. At one stage he began yelling at a group of tourists on the street and their guide. He literally was yelling at them and they began yelling back. It was incredibly uncomfortable. I don’t know why he was so rude and abrupt. He was like this from the minute we got in the van. We were not late, in fact we were ready and waiting for the van early. I have no idea why he was like this.
3. The guide made no effort to explain any facts or details. He basically pointed at things, said what it was and then rudely said “let’s go now”. When he did explain a small amount of detail on a certain site of interest, he made as little effort as humanly possible.
4. Every 10 minutes or so the guide would let out a big exhausted sigh, demonstrating just how much he did not want to be there.
5. His attitude was so bad that we felt uncomfortable even asking him questions about the sites. When we did ask a question we received an abrupt and dismissive answer. We ended up just stayed silent because we didn’t dare speak to him.
Overall this tour was overrated and it was entirely not worth doing. Perhaps with a different guide it would be okay. But with the guide we had it was truly the worst tour I’ve ever done, in any city.
Review provided by Viator
