Discoveried The Old City of Istanbul In a Half-Day
Description
The activity starts with the pick up from your hotel to visit the Roman Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Grand Bazaar with the commentry of our licenced local guide. This 4 hours long tour will give you the chance to Indulge yourself with the beauty and the treasures of the old city in a half day.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Hippodrome had been a center for sports and entertainment in the old Constantinople, the Eastern Roman Capital, and an important center for politics since sports and politics were closely knit in these times. No wonder that the Hippodrome had been a starting point for revolts and political movements throughout history. Echoes of cries by slaves riding chariots in ferocious races and the inspirational words of intellectuals and poets that lit the flame of public movements have still been reminiscent of those with a powerful imagination.
Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as Blue Mosque, arouses admiration with the delicate Ottoman tiles that decorate the shrine’s walls. The floral patterns of the tiles and the well lighted, spacious internal spaces are testimonials of the eternity of the Ottoman spirit.
The Shrine of Holy Wisdom, a marvelous Byzantine basilica built in the 6th century, marks the golden age of Justinianus. The domed construction of the sanctuary is an architectural innovation and was so richly and artistically decorated that Justinian proclaimed, "Solomon, I have outdone thee!". Humankind would have to wait for millennia before building a cathedral that would surpass the gigantic size of Hagia Sophia. Converted to a mosque following the Ottoman conquest of the city, by the order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453, as the young Sultan fulfilled a divine premonition by the Holy Prophet Mohammad himself. In 1935 the building was converted to a museum by the executive order of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey. Hagia Sophia, whose status was converted to a mosque in July 2020, has been taking its visitors on a journey through the multi-layered texture of history as a mosque ever since.
The largest, oldest, and most attractive covered bazaar in the world, where people have been trading jewelry, carpets, food, perfumes, and even gossiping for centuries! The tour also includes a short demonstration of Turkish rugs.
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
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(20)
I had an amazing tour around Istanbul with Cenk. He is very knowledgeable about the city’s history and was excited to share Turkish culture with me. I learned so much about Istanbul and what it means to be Turkish through visits to some of Istanbul’s greatest attractions. We shared stories over numerous cups of tea and coffee and I am happy to leave Istanbul with a new friend. I highly recommend Cenk to anybody looking to visit Istanbul.
Im a travel agent and booked this tour for my clients. The city tour - the guide didnt show up until the last 20 minutes of the tour and met them at grand bazaar when they were pretty much done. Some miscommunication between driver and guide, allegedly. The driver dropped them to the hagia sofia and blue mosque. They did the tour on their own. The funny thing is that we chose Traveliums tour over the others because it had better reviews, and promised hotel pickup and drop off. But then Travelium refused to provide those services until we insisted and showed that it was mentioned under Inclusions. Very disappointed.
Interesting buildings especially the Cistern. Mosques I have seen many in my life, yes of course beautiful but I prefer others. I expected to be struck so too my husband and daughter by the beauty of the city and we were rather disappointed. The grand bazaar and spice market (the latter recommended) are ultra expensive places made for naive tourists, there is no craftsmanship and they are all the same. The shop assistants are obsequious and unbearable as ever. Let's not talk about these stores that sell all the fake luxury brands, I remember it's a perfect scam, they're just gross. You have to go a long way to find out which authentic store. That's what's missing in that city, the authenticity is gone, the Ottoman palaces are reduced to very few and a city on a disorderly urban level. It is densely populated and everything is done for the average tourist looking for a possible oriental scent gone in the mists of time. The famous Taksim Square is an absolute disappointment and ugliness, can it be that no one realizes it? The street that precedes it is crowded like Oxford street, with western shops from globalisation and is a mega bolgia. We liked the Asian part better. Less touristy, no salesman "attacks" you In fifty languages and you breathe a more authentic air and there we ate decently and saw some interesting palace. Now it may be that Istanbul was a beautiful city but tourism ruined it as it ruined Greece, Crete and North Africa and tourists are happy because they can buy cheaper clothes from Mango or Zadar. Long live smart tourism! If I were Turkish I would be very angry to see that the Western tourist exploits me in this way. But no, what it means is: "I was in Istanbul this weekend and bought the Gucci (plastic) for 200 euros instead of 3000 euros. That's cool! Conclusion most beautiful city in Europe certainly not. Those who travel minimally cannot say that.
This was a fantastic tour by Cenk. I found Cenk personable, knowledgeable and fun. Definitely 5 star
Ilker was our guide for two days. Our group of 15 found him to be extremely informative with terrific English skills. His enthusiasm for showing us Istanbul was really genuine, and he made sure to show us the lesser known spots. No one wanted leave this incredible city, and we will definitely call Ilker should we have another similar chance to tour.
I had just one afternoon in Istanbul and asked my hotel to arrange a guide - I could not have been luckier than to wind up in Cenk’s friendly, knowledgeable and genial company, guiding me through a few key sights. We walked and talked, he was so informative, interesting and forthright, a highly intelligent and gracious ambassador whose services I wholeheartedly recommend. He is also a wonderful photographer, deftly capturing scenes and views from perfect angles! Whenever I’m lucky enough to be back in Istanbul or have family/friends visiting this magical ancient capital, I’ll know in advance that Cenk will be my guide.
This past week my mom, grandma and I got to enjoy Istanbul in every way possible! We stayed at the Raffles hotel, where they arranged a private tour for the three of us with car service (since getting a taxi or Uber is really difficult). One of our highlights was meeting Reggie our guide for the day, and now friend for life! He showed us around the old city and explained every detail from an Art Historian perspective, as a native of Istanbul, and as someone who is very passionate about transmitting his knowledge onto everyone. Reggie also showed us the best spots for shopping at the grand bazar, without him we would have been lost in the 5,000 stores that are inside the bazar. He really helped us in every aspect, from translating, negotiation and getting the best quality out there. We are so happy we met Reggie, he is one of the most amazing human beings you can come across. As mentioned before, not only as someone to trust their knowledge but as a friend for life. Xxx Federica
Reggie is the fantastic guide!! Strongly recommend! Great knowledge of history!! Had the great time rediscovering the placed I have visited several times before.
Unique. Informative. Worth every dollar. Gurcan was our tour guide and we did a four hour with him (with an hour kicker at the end). He was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Our tour consisted of the Hagia Sofia, The Blue Mosque, Open Air Museum, and most importantly The Grand Bazaar. He taught us the extensive history and gave us the insider look of Istanbul with fun facts. Introduced us to good friends and contacts in the Bazaar (which is very important!).
My family and I went to the Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Galata Tower, and Basilica Cistern with tour guide Recep Aydin, and he was absolutely amazing. I have been to many countries, and I used many tour guides before, and Recep is the best tour guide I have ever had. He was extremely friendly and had great recommendations, lots of patience, gave great information about the history of Istanbul, and accommodated to our needs very well. I would 100% use Recep again for another tour in Turkey!
