Istanbul Old Town Tour: Classics, Highlights & Hidden Gems
Description
Istanbul is very chaotic and going through a well-thought city route that covers a lot of good spots both hidden and must-see ones is a great opportunity to make. It would save a great time for the visitor and also localize the experience. You can learn a lot about the current news, trends, culture which might be broader and more open-minded that what you could find available on a blog post or a old time youtube vlog.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This visit to the 15th-century palace is very telling to understand the life and culture during Ottoman Empire that took Istanbul from Romans in 1453 and ruled until the foundation of Republic of Turkey in 1923. Topkapı Palace Fee > 1500 Lira
We will learn about Hagia Sophia, which was an imperial worship place both for Islam and Christianity. No admission fee.
At Hippodrome Area we will learn about the culture and entertainment hub of Roman and Ottoman Empire and also learn the background story of the interesting monuments such as Serpent Column and Obelisk of Theodosius.
This 17th-century mosque is worth to pay visit to get familiar with religion of Islam. It a complex of tomb, school and market place 'Arasta Bazaar' with small street full of little shops. There is a great variety of goods to buy great souvenirs. No admission fee for the mosque. It is suitable to carry a scarf to cover the head during the visit.
We are discovering underground Istanbul, here we will see the remains of the biggest Roman cistern in Istanbul
After a walk with highlights of the market and assistance for the specific product you intend to buy, we complete the trip in a special venue where we have a turkish coffee or a tea and a traditional dessert in a great ambiance.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(49)
Tugce was the best tour guide ever! I got into town last min and was travelling alone. She was able to meet me and took me on a tour of old town. She even added some extra stops because I really wanted to get a copper water bottle. She took me to "copper street" and I was able to purchase 2 gorgeous bottle and meet the artisans who made them. Will absolutely book her again.
Tuğçe was the best guide ever!
Ms. Toche is a professional and well experienced tour guide.. more than showing the place she carries a huge knowledge about the history and the relevance of the place... very calm and patient and let's you explore and understand the place in a better way...
Tuğçe did an amazing job in getting us to know the most important sights of old Istanbul/Constantinople in about 6 hrs, we all enjoyed it, as we also enjoyed the two breaks interspersed into the program. Thanks again, and highly recommended, especially for cruise ship tourists at Galataport.
We went on a private guided sightseeing tour with Tuğçe Uçar through the old town of Istanbul and were very impressed. The tour program included Topkapı Palace, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque, Hippodrome and Grand Bazaar. Tuğçe is a very friendly, sympathetic and excellent guide. With her extensive knowledge, she showed us the sights very well and explained the historical and religious context very clearly and brilliantly. This gave us a very good overview of the top sights in the old city of Istanbul. Tuğçe gave us a great introduction to Istanbul. We had a lot of fun and highly recommend this interesting tour with Tuğçe.
My wife Tanya and had a wonderful tour of Old Istanbul with Tuğçe. Our tour included visits to the Topkapi Palace, St Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome area and The Grand Bazaar. Tuğçe was awesome, she explained the history and the details as we walked along. In her magic bag of tricks she had additional maps and pictures along with her tablet to provide us with additional information. She did great at answering all our questions from history, to food, to growing up and life in Turkey today. We are slow walkers and she was very happy doing the tour at our pace. We highly recommend an Old Istanbul city tour with tuGuide.
Tugce is a generous and warm tour guide with a depth of knowledge. We really valued her genuine desire to ensure our experience in Istanbul was filled with history, culture, traditions and food. Thank you for all your energy and making sure our stay in Istanbul was so memorable. Angela
I had such a great day learning so much history and seeing amazing sights with a wonderful caring guide. Thank you so much!!
We had a fantastic experience with Tugçe in Istanbul. She was extremely friendly and always available to help with any questions or needs we had. Her knowledge of the city is impressive, and she shared valuable information in a clear and engaging way. Thanks to her suggestions and advice, we were able to explore the most interesting spots in Istanbul without wasting time on less significant places. The tour was well-organized and exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend it!
What an amazing tour, we had a private tour with Tuğçe for myself, hubby and 6 year old. Instead of the usual sites we did 2 amazing museums that was perfect for us but also incredible with our 6 year old. The one museum we had the whole place to ourselves!! We then included a cable car ride oh and not to forget starting the day off with the best Turkish breakfast ever. Tuğçe was amazing, her English is perfect and her knowledge of Turkish history and food is flawless! I highly recommend reaching out to her!