FULL DAY OLD ISTANBUL CITY TOUR

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE OLD TOWN ISTANBUL

Full Day / Half Day

Transportation : By walking or luxury vehicles according to your choice:

Luxury  brand new vehicles  Mercedes Sedan,  Minivan , or  SUV

(Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays)

Blue Mosque – Sultan Ahmet Mosque

Sultanahmet Mosque  also known as Blue Mosque , is  built in the 17th century  across Hagia Sophia. It is  commissioned by the 14th Ottoman Sultan  Ahmet to become a sultan at the age of 14 . It is known as the Blue Mosque because of its magnificent interior of Blue İznik tiles, and the rest of the decor with dominant blue colour – the stained glass and the painted floral decorations.

Because of extensive restorations, most of the interior  is  covered up, some limited features are available to view:   The main dome, the apse and a central space is available for the visitor to appreciate the interior.  A very impressive substitute is Suleymaniye mosque:

Famous Sultan Suleyman’s 16.th century mosque , is one of the two sites from the book 1000 places to see before you die is Suleymaniye Mosque (the other site is Cagaloglu Bath) .

Grand Bazaar

This labyrinth of streets and passages include more than 4.000 shops with  their own trade areas; The goldsmith’s market, carpet sellers, Turkish art and crafts such as hand-made copper goods, brass jewels and boxes, onyx jewels and meerschaums. Our unparalled route here will include some lesser known , or rather hidden  Byzantine and Ottoman features, legends, stories old and new.

Hippodrome

The scene of ancient chariot races, the ancient Hippdrome with its four monuments: The German Fountain of Wilhelm II, the Obelisk of Theodosius,the bronze serpenite column and the column of Constantine. ( Fine details of the hippodrome will be the topic of a special exhibition taking place in a usually very quiet Byzantine cistern ( you could be the only ones in it with your wonderful guide)

Topkapi Palace

The great palace of the Ottoman sultans from 15th century to 19th century, which houses an exquisite collection of precious gems, thrones of sultans made of jewelery, robes worn by the sultans and their families, and miniatures, the Holy Mantle Chamber of Sacred Relics.(Harem is not included in the programme due to additional entrance fee.)

Hagia Sophia

(Ayasofya in Turkish) is a very important  former Greek Orthodox Patriarchate church, to function as a   mosque in the Ottoman Empire period, between 1935 and 2020  a museum,  and then converted back  into a mosque.

From the date of its construction in 537 to 1453, it served as an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral and a seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, except the period between 1204 and 1261, when it was transformed into a Roman Catholic Cathedral during the Latin Empire Period. The building served as a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931. It was converted into a  museum in1935, Then it was  converted back into a mosque in July 24,  2020

Egyptian Spice Market

Egyptian Spice Market is located behind Eminönü and next to New Mosque and the Pet-Flower Market.It is one of the oldest bazaars of Istanbul. This market is still famous for its natural medicines, spices, flowers, seeds,roots, and bark of rare plants as well as of products according to ancient tradition, nuts, charcuterie, various food items are sold.

Egyptian market is also open on Sundays.

Please contact  for further information.

Topkapı Palace is closed on Tuesday. Instead, Archeological  Museum or Turkish & Islamic Arts Museum, or a site of your choice can be included.

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