Bosphorus Cruise with Dolmabahce Palace and Istiklal Street Tour
Description
This 7 hours tour offers history, culture and marvelous scenery. Get incredible views of the city's outstanding buildings, fortresses, Ottoman waterfront mansions, and lush gardens. Learn about the history of the opulent Dolmabahce Palace. Dive into the colorful world of spices and aromatic herbs in Spice Market. Marvel at the 19th century Neo Classical and Art Nouveau architecture in Istiklal street.
Tour Options
Itinerary
A beautiful palace from 19th century blending different architectural features such as Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical. It served as administrative center of the Ottoman Empire until 1922.
The Bosphorus Strait, which splits the European and Asian sides of Turkey, is one of the world’s busiest waterways. On one side is Europe, on the other Asia – both shores are lined with Ottoman palaces, lush gardens, historic yali/pavilions (seafront mansions) and have loads of attractions.
Restless district of Besiktas which is also home of famous football team bearing same name we will be explaining the district from the boat we will take.
This mosque, designed by the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan in 16th century, is a hidden gem in Istanbul. Rustem Pasha Mosque is famous for its hand made Iznik tiles, set in a very wide variety of beautiful floral and geometric designs, which cover not only the facade of the porch but also the mihrab, minbar, walls, columns and on the facade of the porch outside.
Istiklal Street gives a great opportunity to experience the unique energy and spirit of Istanbul. The street boasts shops with every product imaginable, cafés and restaurants, live music, bars, historic cinemas, art galleries, consulate buildings, churches and much more.
Spice Market known as Egyptian Bazaar in Turkish is one of the oldest covered bazaar in Istanbul. During the Ottoman period It remained a hub of trade for centuries with goods brought in from the Anatolian heartland and former Ottoman dominions, from the Balkans to the Arabian Peninsula on sale. It is the best place to taste Turkish delights, various spices, nuts and dried fruits.
Historical Eminonu Square will be seen during tour.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We can pick up from centrally located Sultanahmet, Sirkeci, Karakoy and Taksim hotels, for non-central hotels MEETING POINT can be set by guest affter booking. This tour can be operated as Shore Excursion Tour from GalataPort for cruise passegers.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Dolmabahce Palace is closed on Mondays can be replaced with alternatives such as Yıldız Palace or Basilica Cistern or Topkapı Palace
Reviews(41)
The tour itself was excellent with the knowledgable and personable guide (called Kurt) leading it fantastically. I would definitely recommend the tour and the guide.
Excellent day with Kadir Kurt on this tour. He was very knowledgable and a pleasure to spend the day with.
Resul was a very interesting and thought provoking guide. He seemed to come alive when talking about important things like how the young people of Turkey need change in order to have the kind of chances that previous generations have experienced; like access to decent priced homes and not having to travel to other parts of Europe to make a living. For me the places we visited were secondary to the experience I had with a real person who just happens to be a guide. Oh sure, Resul knew his Ottoman history back to front and upside down and pointed out all of the landmarks and the history behind them, but it was in the rest periods in between this information that I enjoyed most about my time with Resul. During our security screening for the Dolmabachce Palace I had left a Swiss Army knife in my bag by mistake. Resul managed to negotiate with security that my knife was not taken and destroyed, he then placed my knife in a safe place until we finished the palace tour and I did not have to forfeit my treasured possession . He also took us to the Rustem Pasha mosque which was an incredible experience and I saw him interact with great love and respect to everyone who visited this incredible building. He also introduced us to the friendly people in the Spice Bazaar with no sales pressure. I really enjoyed my time with Resul and I think anyone who is lucky enough to have this kind of authentic tour guiding experience will enjoy it as much as I do. Just a word of advice to Resul. Please walk more slowly for us old people.
My tour was with Kadir Kurt. He was an excellent guide and extremely knowledgeable about the local history and culture. His tips for where and what to eat were also very good. He was happy to shape the tour depending on what I wanted to do. Overall, really enjoyed the tour
Dear Daniel, Thank you so much ! We’re so glad you enjoyed the vibe of the tour. We try to make every guest feel like a local friend, and we’re happy you felt that warmth during your visit! We will keep trying our best. Thank you so much for visiting our country.
Emirhan was a very enthusiastic ,informative guide. It was such a pleasure to have him as our guide today . His knowledge is amazing and it is obvious he loves his job. I would highly recommend him as your tour guide if you are lucky to be in Istanbul anytime soon.
Kadir was incredibly punctual arriving at the hotel lobby at exactly 10 a.m. There we discussed what he could show us and what we wanted to see. Kadir walked at our pace, informing us of everything we passed. He’s a knowledgeable and personable guy! The Bosphorus cruise was great with Kadir explaining all the sights, that we definitely wouldn’t have known. The Spice market is beautiful, a must see!!! Thanks Kadir
We greatly appreciate your positive feedback. Your satisfaction is very important to us, and we’re happy we could meet your expectations!!! Keep traveling .
Sadat was an exceptional tour leader! His knowledge of Turkish history was impressive, His personality was energetic, warm, and funny. His concern for our comfort and safety was reassuring. It's obvious he really loves his job. We had 4 different guides during our 3 week stay in Turkey for various itineraries and he was by far the most comfortable and fun guide to be with. Always smiling, always positive and always engaging! He never ran out of energy. We learned and saw a lot on our day tour of Istanbul. If you get Sadat as your guide, you are in luck!
Excellent walking tour so interesting. Our guide Yusuf Sipahi was really great, gave us a great experience, showed us all the sights from a local prospective, we got to travel on local bus, tram & metro. A real must if you visit Istanbul.
Kurt was an excellent guide. Adapted the tour to meet our needs and was very knowledgeable, informative and pleasant to be with. He answered all our questions and as well as taking us on the tour also took us to places we needed to be the following day and recommended what turned out to be excellent restaurants at reasonable prices. He was not over bearing and was excellent company for the day. Top marks to Kurt, I would recommend him to anybody.
Great walking tour of Istanbul new town at a relaxed pace followed by a cruise on the Bosporus and a visit to the palace . Our tour guide, Kadir Kurt, was knowledgeable, friendly and courteous. He made sure that the tour was tailored to our requests and was happy to give suggestions for other places to visit, restaurants, etc. I would definitely recommend this tour and Kadir to anyone looking for a more authentic tour in this exciting metropolis.