Istanbul Historical Tour with Guide, Lunch and Transfers
Description
This 8 hours tour starts at Hippodrome Square continues to the Blue Mosque as one of the landmarks of the city. Then visit to the St. Sophia Museum, one of the most magnificent Byzantine churches. Continue to Topkapi Palace, the imperial residence of the Great Ottoman Empire, today a museum holding large collection of porcelains and displaying holy relics. Proceed to Little Hagia Sofia and the Grand Bazaar, tempting souvenir-hunters with its rich collection of precious handmade carpets, jewellery and leather, where the tour ends. Lunch in a local restaurant will be served during the tour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Istanbul boasts its monumental shrines of different faiths and Blue Mosque is probably one of the most famed masterpieces of Ottoman religious architecture. Standing in great prestige with its six minarets and perfect proportioned dome, it is named after its Turquoise colored tiles made of quartz minerals. Ottoman Sultans preferred to pray in this timeless shrine due to its incomparable beauty until when the empire collapsed after the World War.
The Roman Hippodrome of the glorious past displays today the famous the Obelisk of Theodosius and the Serpentine Column dating back to 5th century BC.
Basilica of Saint Sophia, one of the largest Christian shrines ever built in history. Adorned with rich mosaic murals, colossal columns and exposition of divine serenity, Saint Sophia is a true world heritage that has accommodated various faiths throughout the different periods of history and is currently operated as a museum displaying Byzantine art and architecture embellished by Ottoman taste.
• This visit to the imperial palace of the Ottoman Sultans will include tours of the imperial treasury, the Chinese porcelain section, the calligraphy section and many more. We will also visit the optional Jewelry Collection segment of the palace.
Grand Bazaar, the vast and legendary covered market that is the biggest souk in the world with nearly 4000 shops of antiques, jewelry, and carpets.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We ONLY pick up from Central located hotels in Istanbul. We will contact with you if your hotel is out of city limits. ın case of outside of city limits hotel, you will need to pay a supplement both for pick up and drop off.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Dress code is smart casual
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays instead you will take the Bosphorus Cruise Tour. Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, instead you will visit the open-air bazaar
- Passport name, number and country is required at time of booking for all participants
- At least 2 people are required for this activity to take place.
- As Hagia Sophia is not a museum (has been converted into a mosque) anymore, tour guides don't have skip-the-line priority/offer there.
- Spanish language option is only available on Mondays and Thursdays, whereas the English language option is available anytime as to not cause confusion for travelers who would like to book the said product.
- We as KARAVAN TRAVEL, want to ensure the minds of travelers that, all the necessary safety measures and precautions will be maintained at all times; hand sanitizer will be available, masks will be given out, seats will be blocked out on coaches, reduced groups sizes and social distancing measures will be taking against COVID-19 infections. We will follow up the new regulations/restrictions permanently and update our procedures accordingly.
Reviews(561)
We had an excellent experience with Kadir. He is exceptionally kind, patient, and incredibly knowledgeable about history. He also brings a fun and engaging energy that makes the entire experience even more enjoyable. His dedication to ensuring the best possible experience is evident in everything he does. We fully recommend his services and truly appreciate the professionalism—and the enjoyable moments—he brought to our tour.
This tour was a good introduction to Istanbul’s tourist attractions. The guide was knowledgeable and friendly, but at times a bit chatty.
One of the best tour guides ever. He is a history major and had a deep knowledge of the area and its historical perspective.
Thank you very much for your kind review. We’re delighted to hear that our guide’s knowledge and expertise in history helped make your tour enjoyable. Your kind words are a great source of motivation for our guide and our entire team. We would be very happy to welcome you again on another tour. Best regards, Karavan Tourism / Operation Department
We were so fortunate to have Kadir as our guide for an afternoon. We went to both the Hagia Sophia and the Basilliica Cisterns . Seeing these through his eyes and sharing his knowledge was amazing!! Highly recommended…
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed your afternoon tour with Kadir. Experiencing the Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern through his knowledge and perspective truly makes these historic sites even more special. Your kind words mean a lot to us and to Kadir — they motivate us to continue providing memorable and insightful experiences for all our guests. We hope to welcome you again on another tour soon! Best regards, Karavan Tourism / Operation Department
We had an amazing time in Istanbul! Our guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and showed up exactly on time. He wanted to ensure we had an amazing day!
Dear Philip, We’re truly happy to hear that you had such an amazing day with our guide Utku! It means a lot to us at Karavan Travel to know your Istanbul experience was memorable. We would be delighted to welcome you again in the future. Warm regards,
The sites are great to see, but our guide walked too fast and many of us found it hard to keep up. In addition, his accent was difficult to understand compared to guides on other Viator tours this trip. He offered many facts but didn’t interpret what he told us. Came across as a bit dry.
Thank you very much for joining our Istanbul Historical Tour with Guide, Lunch and Transfers and for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the historical sites—there is truly so much beauty and history to take in! We're also grateful for your honest comments regarding the pace and guiding style. We take all feedback seriously as it helps us improve the experience for future guests. We truly appreciate your participation and hope that, overall, you had a memorable time in Istanbul. It’s always our goal to ensure our guests leave satisfied, and we’re happy you were able to enjoy some of the highlights of this incredible city. Wishing you safe and wonderful travels ahead! Warm regards,
We were very lucky to have good weather until the end when a thunderstorm broke. The tour with Ahmed was interesting. Possibly too much to fit in comfortably in one day but we are pleased that the tour allowed us to see the major sites . The pick up from the hotel was on time and after a lot of walking the return trip by bus was welcome!
Thank you so much for joining our tour and for sharing your experience with us. We're very happy to hear that you enjoyed exploring the major sites of Istanbul with Ahmed, and that everything—from the on-time hotel pickup to the return transfer—went smoothly. We’re especially glad the weather held up for most of the day, and that despite the full itinerary, you left with great memories. Your satisfaction means a lot to us, and it’s always rewarding to know our guests had a meaningful experience. Wishing you many more wonderful journeys ahead, and we hope to welcome you back to Istanbul one day! Warm regards,
Great experience. An amazing tour of the key historical sites in Istanbul in one day. Our guide, Ms Fatma was very knowledgeable, explained everything in detail and allowed us to spend as much time as needed at each location. We had a wonderful multi-course lunch at a nearby restaurant as part of the tour. Highly recommend.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review and for choosing our Istanbul Historical Tour with Guide, Lunch and Transfers. We're thrilled to hear that you had such a great experience and that Ms. Fatma’s knowledge and care made the day special for you. It's also lovely to know that you enjoyed the lunch and had enough time to fully appreciate each historic site. Your kind words and recommendation mean a lot to us. It was a pleasure to host you in Istanbul, and we hope to welcome you again in the future for more unforgettable experiences! Warm regards,
We booked this tour to try and see as many things in the old part of Istanbul. Our guide Umutcan was amazing. He met us right on time at our hotel. He was so knowledgeable and knew detailed history for each site we visited. Lunch was at Anka Palace with a a great view of the water and the food was very good. We would absolutely book this tour again
Amazing tour. Saw all the major sites without having to wait in ticket line and our guide was extremely knowledgeable and well spoken in explaining the rich history of turkey and the relevance of each historic site. We had a wonderful lunch at a hotel rooftop as well all included! Would 100% recommend this tour.
