Small Group Full-Day Istanbul Tour: Old City, Asian Side & Lunch
Description
Istanbul is a unique city in the world having legs on both Europe and Asia at the same time. Visit both sides of the city in a single day, first see the Ottoman and Byzantine Monuments in the old town and then head to the Asian part of the city after having the lunch. Why You Should Choose This Tour ✔ Door-to-door service with hotel pick-up and drop-off (Centrally located hotels on the European side; pick-up begins up to 1 hour before tour start) ✔ All entrance tickets included — no separate payments on the day ✔ Lunch included — no need to plan or budget extra ✔ Small-group experience for a more personal and relaxed tour Enjoy Istanbul without worrying about tickets, transport, or unexpected costs.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Pick up from the hotel and join the group. We begin our tour with a visit to Hagia Sophia Museum, which is considered one of the Eight Wonders of the World, occupies a unique place in the history of architectures one of the rare works of this size and age that still survives.
Our next visit will be The Blue Mosque, which takes its name from the world famous exquisite blue Iznik tiles decorating its interior. Also it is the only imperial mosque in the world that was originally built with six minarets. Note: Blue Mosque is reserved for Prayer on Fridays. On Fridays, we visit the mosque from the exterior.
We continue to the Hippodrome Square, the sporting and social center of old Byzantium, held 100,000 spectators and featured objects from all corners of the empire such as the Egyptian Obelisk, and the Serpent Column.
Brief Handicrafts Presentation & Lecture (Optional Attendance) next to the Grand Bazaar. Guest may opt to skip the presentation and explore Grand Bazaar on their own. Meeting back and drive to Lunch. Note: Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.
3 Course Lunch (Beverages under your own expenses) *Vegetarian menu is also available
After the lunch, we will drive across the Bosphorus Bridge, which was firstly built to link the Asian and European Continents. Than we proceed to Camlica Hill, the highest point of Istanbul, for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Bosphorus, Prince’ Islands and Istanbul.
Our next stop is the Grand Camlica Mosque, opened in 2019 it is the largest mosque in Turkey.
Our last visit will be the Beylerbeyi Palace, the summer palace of Ottoman Sultans. The interior and exterior decoration of this palace is a rare specimen of a blend of Eastern, Turkish and Western motifs. The original furniture, carpets and the other fixtures have been preserved very well. Drive back to the hotel at the end of the tour.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Note: Pickup from the hotels starts 1 hour before departure. Please check your messages to see the pick up time from your hotel. We will inform you about the pick up time from your hotel after your booking. Pick up and drop off is included from centrally located hotels on the European Side. Pick up and drop off is also available from Cruise Ship Port. For guest staying in Airbnb and Apartments, please choose a hotel from the list located close to your address. Dress Code: Please note that during visits to Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and the Grand Camlıca Mosque, mini-skirts, shorts, and low-cut dresses are not permitted. Women must cover their heads, and both men and women should wear clothing that covers the knees. If your attire does not meet these guidelines, one-time use items are available for purchase at the mosques.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- *** When visiting religious buildings such as Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Camlıca Mosque, it is required to cover your shoulders and knees. A light scarf is sufficient. Scarfs can be purchased from the mosques if needed.
- *** On Fridays, the Blue Mosque is closed to touristic visits until the end of the Friday prayer. For this reason, on Fridays, Blue Mosque will be visited from the courtyard only.
- Not recommended for travellers with walking difficulties
Reviews(16)
Thanks Ali for the beautiful day full of culture and scents.
Grazie
Beautiful experience, we will come back to Istanbul… Thank you for beautiful tours… The asian side & food tasting tour every one must try!!!
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to welcome you again in Turkey.
Ali was an outstanding guide, knowledgeable, helpful, approachable and just wants to make sure everyone has a great experience. When he says to walk a bit faster to beat the line ups you should listen as he was so right! We beat the lines and had a seamless experience. Sophia Hague for me was the highlight.
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to welcome you again in Turkey.
This was a great two part tour. Ali was our tour guide for both the European and Asia sides of Istanbul. He was extremely knowledgeable and answered all our questions. He deftly moved our group thru the many crowded stops.
Thank you for your feedback! It's wonderful to hear you had a great experience. We hope to see you again in Turkey.
We had an excellent time on this tour on 20 November, where we were a family group of 12 people. The guide allocated to us Mr Mehmet really was fantastic and full of knowledge. The booking process was really easy and Aras kept us informed and responded very quickly. A thorough enjoyable experience The tour was really good, informative and we tasted various delicacies. Unfortunately a Palace was shut on the day unexpectedly but Mr Mehmet quickly reorganised and made the day even better.
Thank you for your thoughtful review! We’re thrilled you had a great experience. We hope to see you back in Turkey soon.
Wow! This is a great way to see a lot of Istanbul if you are short on time. We saw so much and were able to get a real overview of the main highlights of Istanbul. The Blue Mosque is stunning. The next we day we were able to independently wander around Istanbul, as now we had our bearings. The guide was knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. We even enjoyed lots of free tastings. Thank you for a wonderful day.
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to welcome you again in Turkey.
Erm it was ok, far too much walking which wasn’t on the description. I went with my mum, if I knew we was walking pretty much for several hours, I wouldn’t have booked it as it’s not for the elderly. Great knowledge etc but the walking around was exhausting.
We appreciate your feedback, and we are sorry to hear that the walking aspect of the tour caught you off guard.It's important to note that our tour description states that there is a significant amount of walking involved. We understand that this may not be suitable for everyone, particularly those with walking difficulties or the elderly, and this is clearly mentioned as a disclaimer that our tour is not recommended for guest having walking difficulties. We recommend carefully reviewing the tour details during the booking process to avoid any such inconveniences in the future. Thank you.
There were many Istanbul tours available and I selected Popular Tour due to their 5 star rating. The tour also included a local lunch with is unique. Among all the tours I've had in Turkey, this particular tour left the deepest impression, in a very positive way. Below are the pros, and I cannot think of any cons. 1. The hotel we stayed was not among the regular tour pick up points. As we were unfamiliar with the route to get to the meeting place, we were late. The bus driver was very accomodating and he was also very friendly when he finally sees us; i was concerned that he may be upset but that was not the case👍 2. Our tour guide Sakir (Mehmet Karadibek) was also the best guide we had in Turkey. He is knowledgeable, chill and friendly. He even brought us to a credible money changer when we needed one, and the exchange rate turned out to be the best we had come across. Sakir also conducted himself very professionally, and yet he is very approachable. He made us feel at ease and we enjoyed the tour a great deal. 3. Part of the tour include a visit to an expensive souvenir shop. It was really fun as there were catwalk models showing you the collection. The quality is very good but there is absolutely no pressure to purchase if you do not wish to. 4. The local lunch while was a simple meal, included salad, main course, drinks, dessert and tea. It was delicious and a meaningful way to experience Turkish cuisine. Overall, i would definitely recommend this tour, and I hope you get to have Sakir as your tour guide 😊
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed your time in Istanbul. It is our pleasure to assist our guests. Hope to see you again in Turkey.
Was nice comprehensive and nice experience specially the guide mehmet sakir he was good and explaine everything with excellent background about historical stories
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to welcome you again in Turkey.
Absolutely amazing, the tour was hands down the highlight of our Istanbul trip. Ali Riza, our guide, was so authentic, engaging and funny. It didn't feel like this was his job, he felt like a friend giving us a tour with interesting facts and stories the whole way through. I loved being able to taste Simit, Kocorec, Turkish Yoghurt, Mussels, Turkish Chocolates. The flow of the tour was so easy, there's absolutely nothing I would change about it. Highly, HIGHLY recommend!
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour and the Turkish Specialties you tried. We look forward to welcome you again in Turkey.
