Small Group Istanbul Tour: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque & Bazaar
Description
Discover Istanbul's rich Culture and history with our experienced guides. Skip the Museum Ticket Queues with your guide. Visit Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome and Brief Handicraft Presentation next to Grand Bazaar (Optional, guest may opt to explore the bazaar on their own) in a Half Day Tour 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 ✔ 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 the hotels. Note: Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.
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 and the Blue 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 and Blue 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(66)
Ali was an excellent guide. It was not as crowded as usual and we finished earlier than expected. Instead of just finishing the tour, Ali made sure to make use of the time and helped me organize what I was going to do for the rest of the day. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and gave plenty of recommendations as well. He certainly went above what he needed to do for the tour and he was sincere in trying to make sure I made the most out of my time in Istanbul. 100% recommend.
Ali was a very knowledgeable and considerate tour guide who took account of my slowness getting around due to back and knee issues. However he made sure nothing was skipped for any of our tour group. His clear explanations and answers to any questions provided insight into all the sites visited. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our half day and came away impressed with the rich history of what we saw. Thank you Ali for making this part of our trip to Istanbul so memorable.
Friday morning the Blue Mosque is closed. Viator had our tickets to enter Hagia Sophia so we didn’t have to stay in a long line up. Ali was a fabulous guide 👍
Simply terrific! Ali, our tour guide was amazing, going above and beyond taking care of 13 of us. He is very knowledgeable and caring.
Nice outing and good guide / Musaffe
Ali very knowledgeable and made the tour way better than managing on own. Rug education/sales pitch not necessary but, actually was informative. Nice break sit down. Learned more about rugs in half an hour the rest of my life! Recommend
The tour was very rushed with little time to stop and observe the surroundings. Also, we were brought to a carpet seller despite saying we are not interested in such an activity. It was extremely difficult to leave the carpet seller as he would not take "no" for an answer. The Istanbul bazaar was not interesting. Basically a tourist trap. The tour guide seemed distracted, consistently on his phone.
Thank you for your feedback. We were surprised to read your review, as according to the guide, you specifically asked for help purchasing a runner carpet and later requested assistance finding a toy for your nephew, which the guide was happy to help with. Based on this, the tour does not appear to have been rushed, and the guide seems to have gone beyond the standard tour program to assist with your requests. We're sorry the experience did not meet your expectations and wish you the best in your future travels.
Hagia Sophia holy wisdom 532-537 largest 4th 3rd iteration Ali I joined the Small Group Istanbul Tour covering the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Grand Bazaar, and it was a fantastic experience. Our guide, Ali, was incredibly kind, had a great sense of humor, and he even helped me sort out my plans for the rest of my day. The tour was relaxed and well-paced, with plenty of time to take in the sights and snap photos without feeling rushed. Do be prepared for a fair bit of walking, and ladies don’t forget your headscarf at the hotel like I did! Thankfully, Ali helped me find one at a reasonable price, and everything worked out perfectly. Highly recommend!
Thanks for the great review! We hope to welcome you back again in the future
Great guide. Very good historian. Time and distance perfect sites great and interesting and weather perfe5
Thanks for your kind words. We're glad you had a great time and hope to welcome you back soon
We had the such a great day with Ali. He was so friendly and knowledgeable. The insights and information he was able to share with made made the visits much enjoyable, and he was able to do so in a very engaging way. He also flexible on schedule and adapted the itinerary according to our preference which made it even better! He gave very useful advice when it comes to shopping and showed us different options available to allow us to compare prices and quality and make our choices with zero pressure from vendors. Overall a fantastic experience and I would 100% recommend! Thank you Ali Tchien
We appreciate your review and are happy to hear you had a good time
