Small-Group Istanbul Old City Guided Tour
Description
This tour is mainly for first-time visitors of Istanbul, offering a comprehensive exploration of the city's gems. It serves as a great introduction to Istanbul, providing a deeper visit to significant historical attractions than the usual tourist routes. You'll experience a personalized tour where questions are welcome, and have the opportunity to discover hidden gems, gaining a better understanding of the city in this carefully tailored one-day experience. As a licensed tour guide with seven years of experience, a language teacher, and a PhD candidate student of art philosophy, I'm here to accompany you on your Istanbul journey for a few hours.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our meeting point...
The Hippodrome, the stadium of ancient Byzantium, held 100,000 spectators and featured objects from all corners of the empire. Of these, an Egyptian obelisk and a bronze sculpture of three entwined serpents from Delphi have survived. The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social center of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square named Sultanahmet Meydanı, internationaly referred to as the Sultan Ahmet Square and located in the heart of the historical peninsula of Istanbul.
The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, also known by its official name, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultan Ahmet Camii), is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was constructed between 1609 and 1617 during the rule of Ahmed I and remains a functioning mosque today.
Only OUTER visit. Due to the new regulations by the Ministerry of Tourism, tour guides are not allowed to give explanations inside of Hagia Sophia since 15th of January 2024. And additionally there is no skip the line for tour guides anymore. That's why our visit to Hagia Sophia will be only outer explanation. The Hagia Sophia Mosque is a true masterpiece of Byzantine architecture and a significant symbol of history and culture. It is known for its Grand Central Dome, intricate mosaics, and delicate stonework. Hagia Sophia's history spans 1500 years. Once a Church, then a Museum, and now a Mosque, the monument has witnessed the rise and fall of several dynasties.
A 300 hundreds years old muslim school. This is the place where we will have a tea break and talk about the prolific architect of Ottoman Era. The place serves as a centre for some Turkish handcraft arts where youı can see some good example of this arts.
Grand Bazaar! A market with more than 500 years of history, 64 streets, 21 gates, and more than 4,000 shops. Not only a shopping mall but also a manufacturing center. A place where you can lose yourself in history and mystery. That is the most significant and oldest market in the world. Closed on Sundays! We will visit Spice market on Sundays.
Skip the line. Entrance fee is 2250 Turkish Lira per person and is not included in the tour price. To AVOID the long wait please bring cash (only in Turkish Lira) A water storage dates back to the 6th century which has a spectacular sample of Roman architecture.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- 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
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(65)
A great introduction to Istanbul covering most old town sights . Our guide Israfil was very knowledgeable and happy to tailor our experience. He also gave excellent tips on where to go next and where to eat. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.
I had a great experience with a fantastic guide, who knows how to read the group and how to blend knowledge with humor and presence in a way that will make you remember.
Israfil was such a wonderful guide. Friendly, Knowledgeable and entertaining! Thank you Israfil for showing us all the wonders of Istanbul!
The guide makes all the difference and Israfil is excellent. The tour touches the key sights in the Old City and he leaves you with a lot of other great recommendations. Israfil has great English and a wonderful blend of intellect and humor. Highly recommend.
İsrafil is a very good tour guide. His English is excellent and he is friendly, very knowledgeable and approachable. We joined him on a small group walking tour and visited the Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern and Spice Market.
Highly recommend this tour. Our guide was very educated and spoke excellent English. The tour itself was well paced, and the proper length of time. The information was interesting and digestible and provided unique historical context. We hit the major places in the historic center and the guide provided an excellent info packet for other places to visit during your stay. Please remember to bring cash for the cistern! Additionally, we stopped for coffee and tea at an outdoor restaurant that was also a hookah spot; so make a note if you are sensitive to smoke. Istanbul is very smoke friendly. Love this tour and so happy I went.
We Had a great trip with the family! Absolutely recommend! Great stories, skip the lines and Israfil is a nice tourguide.
We had a wonderful and very informative tour with Israfil. He knows very well, has a very good sense of humor, told us very interesting stories and facts and at the end also gave some helpful tips.
Israfil was knowledgeable, courteous and accommodating. So much good information really heightened my experience of the city. Would definitely do again!
We had an absolutely amazing time touring Istanbul with Israfil! He is incredibly knowledgeable and engaging, and from the very beginning, it was clear how passionate he is about sharing the history and culture of this incredible city. He is currently pursuing his master’s in Art Philosophy, which allowed him to bring such unique perspectives and insights into everything we saw—especially the cultural and religious history of Turkey. His explanations gave us a much deeper understanding and appreciation of the sites we visited. Israfil answered every question with detail, and you can tell he truly enjoys teaching and guiding people. This tour was one of the highlights of our trip to Istanbul! If you are considering a tour here, definitely book with Israfil! You won’t regret it!
