Morning Istanbul: Half-Day Tour with Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome and Grand Bazaar
Description
Enjoy this 4 hours tour with visits to the highlights of the old city. Firstly visit the magnificent Byzantine church of St Sophia. After here continue to Hippodrome, the former centre of sporting and political activities in Constantinople and the Blue Mosque, amazing blue tiles from 16th century. Final visit of the morning is to the Grand Bazaar.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Blue Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Istanbul. Dating back to the 17th century, this is one of the principal adornments on the skyline of Istanbul and is also famous for its blue tiles and 6 minarets.
Grand Bazaar, which in addition to its historical importance, is a bazaar that will tempt you with its rich collection of precious handmade carpets, jewellery, leather and souvenirs. During your tour you will also visit a leather or carpet shop.
Hippodrome, the former centre of sporting and political activities in Constantinople. During the visit you will be able to see the Obelisk from Egypt, the Serpentine Column from Delphi and the fountain of Willhelm II.
St. Sophia, one of the most magnificent Byzantine churches, and nominated the 8th wonder of the world by many historians.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick up central located hotels. If your hotel is located outside of our city limits, we might need to apply a supplement. Please contact with us before arrival to check your hotel details.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Dress code is smart casual
- Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, instead you will visit the open-air bazaar
- Hotel pick up & drop off service available Central Located Hotels. ( Taksim, Old City, ). If your hotel in another location, please send message.
- 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.
- 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.
- Clients should to wear suitable clothing and bring their own head scarf before enter to Hagia Sophia.
- Important Information Regarding the Restoration Works at Hagia Sophia: A comprehensive restoration project is currently underway at Hagia Sophia Mosque to improve its earthquake resistance. As part of the project, the main dome is being reinforced and a temporary steel protective structure is being installed. The restoration is expected to take approximately 3–5 years. During this period, the mosque will remain open to visitors, and guests will continue to have access to view the historic mosaics.
Reviews(103)
Jon was the best guide I ever had. Very knowledgeable, fluent, kind, and thoughtful. Gave us an excellent tour. Took very good care of us. Very willing to give us extra info and adapt tour to our interests.
We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed your tour and were satisfied with your guide. Your kind words mean a lot, and we will gladly share your feedback with Jon. Thank you for choosing Karavan Travel, and we hope to welcome you again on another tour in the future!
Our tour was delayed almost an hour due to change in guide. Then when called they changed the pick up location and we couldn't find it. We needed to use a local stranger to interpret for us to find our driver Very Stressful!
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you experienced. Unfortunately, due to an unexpected accident involving your original guide, we had to make a last-minute change, which caused the delay and confusion with the meeting point. We understand this was stressful and truly regret the situation. Our team acted quickly to minimize the disruption and start your tour as soon as possible, and we hope that despite the difficult start, you were able to enjoy the experience with your new guide. Thank you for choosing Karavan Travel.
They didn’t tell us where at the part we should meet. It’s a huge port. We waited where the busses pick up but finally we got instructions to meet outside the port. The guide however was excellent.
We are truly sorry for the confusion and stress you experienced at the port. Normally, your original guide would have met you and directed you clearly on where to go, but due to the unfortunate accident that morning, we had to make an urgent change to ensure your tour could still take place. We did our best to act quickly so that your tour could start as soon as possible. We are very happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour with your new guide. Please know that we deeply regret the inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond our control. Thank you for choosing Karavan Travel, and we hope to welcome you again in the future.
Our tour turned into a private tour as we were the only guests. How lucky we were! Fatma met us at our hotel as scheduled. We hopped on the tram to Hagia Sophia. Tapped on with our credit cards and off we went. The three major stops, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Hippodrome were all in the same general area. Fatma was knowledgeable about the locations. We walked to the Spice Market and spent about 30 minutes there. That was enough time to make a few purchases. Don't hesitate to ask for a better price on whatever you are looking at. Or just keep walking. She escorted us back to our hotel on the tram and wished us a great vacation. We would highly recommend this excursion.
Thank you so much for your kind review and for joining our Morning Istanbul: Half-Day Tour. We’re truly delighted to hear that you had a wonderful experience and that Fatma made your morning in Istanbul special. It’s always a pleasure when guests leave feeling satisfied, and your thoughtful feedback means a lot to our team. We’re especially glad to know the personalized experience, local insights, and smooth logistics added value to your visit. Wishing you an amazing cruise and unforgettable travels ahead! We hope to welcome you again in the future. Warm regards,
The hotel pickup worked perfectly and the guide was very friendly and competent. The tour was very nice overall and we got a lot of information. The hippodrome was not so great now because you can't see anything more hippodrome. The highlight is Hagia Sophia. Unfortunately, the weather did not play along, it rained.
herzlichen Dank für Ihre freundliche Bewertung und dafür, dass Sie an unserer Morning Istanbul: Half-Day Tour teilgenommen haben! Es freut uns sehr zu hören, dass Ihnen die Tour gefallen hat und Sie insbesondere von der Hagia Sophia beeindruckt waren. Auch wenn das Wetter leider nicht mitgespielt hat, ist es schön zu wissen, dass unser Guide mit seiner Freundlichkeit und Kompetenz überzeugen konnte und Sie viele interessante Informationen mitnehmen konnten. Ihr Feedback bedeutet uns viel und motiviert unser Team, weiterhin unvergessliche Erlebnisse für unsere Gäste zu schaffen. Wir würden uns freuen, Sie bei einer zukünftigen Reise wieder begrüßen zu dürfen! Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Informative guide. Was able to see more than if we had gone by ourselves. Would recommend to visitors to learn about Istanbul.
We took this tour on a Sunday but the booking failed to mention that the Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays, so this part of the tour was excluded even though we were charged the full price. This is the reason I’m giving it an average rating. That aside, the other stops were well worth it and our guide Ali was personable and helpful. I recommend this tour if you want something that won’t take up your entire day while still allowing you to see some notable Istanbul landmarks. Just don’t take it on a Sunday!
Not delivered as promised - no transport provided - ended up as a walking tour - 30 mins to another hotel to pick up another elderly couple - added extra sites to visit and chopped others other to suit the guide - then abandoned us half way through the morning to make our our way to the Grand Bazaar because the guide didn't want to go there
Our tour, by luck, turned into a private tour. The transport was clean and professional, and our guide was delightful. Her knowledge of the history and art in the Hagia Sophia was thorough and interesting, and she gave us a good heads up as to what to look at in the Grand Bazaar. Highly recommend!
What a wonderful experience we had, Ali was attentive and knowledgable. He went above and beyond to ensure we got the best out of all the attractions, whilst keeping the expected elements such as queuing to a minimum. This tour gave us the maximum enjoyment for the limited time we had in Istanbul, we cannot recommend this excursion highly enough.
