Off Beaten Path of Istanbul: Fener & Balat District Private Guided Tour
Description
If you’re the sort of tourist who likes to get off the beaten path and away from the crowds, then you can’t do much better than spend a day getting lost in the fascinating streets of the historically cosmopolitan Fener and Balat neighborhoods. These two historical neighborhoods, located along the Golden Horn, have housed the Greek and Jewish communities of Constantinople for centuries. These old quarters promise a picturesque experience with their retro cafes and historical buildings. They are off the major tourist trail and their authenticity makes this guided tour worthwhile.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The tour starts from the Cibali Tobacco Factory, the symbol of the neighborhood which tells much about the transformation process of the area.
Gül Mosque will be our second stop with its mysterious story, which is going to tell us how Byzantine and Ottoman cultures were integrated.
Then we will be heading towards Fener which offers a fantastic experience to its visitors with its authentic atmosphere including many interesting churches. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchal Church is an essential part of this tour because it’s the most sacred site for all of the 300 million Orthodox people in the whole world.
Church of St. Mary of the Mongols is the only Byzantine church of Constantinople that was not converted to a mosque. Since the fall of Constantinople, Saint Mary of the Mongols was always open to the Greek Orthodox people and has stood tall since it was completed in 1281.
Fener Greek High School for Boys will welcome us in all its glory. It is the oldest surviving and most prestigious Greek Orthodox school in Istanbul, Turkey. Then we will take the narrow streets and slopes with colorful cafes, restaurants and antique shops of the neighborhood.
The rest of the tour will be in Balat where the less affluent Greeks and Jews of Istanbul lived in and home to an astonishing number of churches, mosques and synagogues. Walking through the splashes of color and the vibrancy of its street life, the crisscross of washing lines on the crumbling buildings, the synagogues, the churches, and the labyrinth of cobblestone streets.
Ahrida Synagogue is one of the oldest in the whole of Istanbul. The once-thriving Jewish quarter of Balat was served by the great Ahrida Synagogue and it became one of the most important buildings in the entire neighborhood. Several renovations throughout the centuries have kept it true to its original architectural design.
Sveti Stefan Bulgarian Church, the only church in the whole world which is made completely of steel.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(5)
Friendly, knowledgable guide. Excellent discussions on Turkish history and society. St. Georges's and St. Steven's churches are beautiful. Rest of the neighbourhood is beautiful and interesting without any particular "wow" factors. The views over the sea are beautiful. Be aware that some of the streets are very steep and could be slippery in the rain.
1 THE GUIDE WAS NOT INTRODUCED. Claiming for washap his fault, he indicated that he was sorry but that he was on vacation, he did not remember our visit. We had many expectations with this visit but we had to do it on our own without a guide. I mean, we can't say what the neighborhoods represent because there was no explanation.
Dear Yomigar, We sincerely apologize for the unfortunate experience you had. After thoroughly investigating the matter, we found that your booking was made just two hours before the scheduled start time of the tour on New Year's Eve, which fell outside our system’s cut-off period for same-day reservations. Due to a system-related error, the reservation was not properly reflected on our end and therefore, was not received by our operations team in time. As a result, the assigned guide was understandably unavailable. We deeply regret the confusion this caused and fully understand your disappointment. A full refund has already been processed, and the cut-off time settings have been updated to ensure this does not happen again in the future. Warm regards,
No one turned up or contacted us . We crossed the city by tram to be there for 1015 and waited until 1045 in the rain and nothing . Tried calling but no response. Appalling
Dear Guest, We sincerely apologize for the unfortunate experience you had. After thoroughly investigating the matter, we found that your booking was made just three hours before the scheduled start time of the tour, which fell outside our system’s cut-off period for same-day reservations. Due to a system-related error, the reservation was not properly reflected on our end and therefore, was not received by our operations team in time. As a result, the assigned guide was understandably unavailable. We deeply regret the confusion this caused and fully understand your disappointment. A full refund has already been processed, and the cut-off time settings have been updated to ensure this does not happen again in the future. Warm regards,
We had a really great experience with Cihan from Sayga Travel Team.He was professional,and the Sayga Travel's Istanbul tour was first class.So much variety and cultural information.Fener-Balat is amazing places in Istanbul. Highly recommend this Sayga Travel Tour. I live in Melbourne,Australia and I prefer to Sayga Travel team everytime. For me,Sayga travel is the most reliable of all companies. Ceren from the Sayga Office was very prompt on replying my emails in detail and she was kind everytime.Thank You Sayga Travel Team! I hope,We will see each other again.
We liked the route too much, it is really an off beaten path, combination of history,religions, culture and nice view.The guide had a great knowledge.That was our second tour with Sayga Travel and liked their service quality
