Semi Private - Constantinople Tour of Istanbul: Discovering the Byzantine Empire
Description
Walk back to history Discover the splendor of Byzantine Istanbul, the ancient city of Constantinople, on this fascinating 3-hour history tour led by an expert guide. The empire that kick-started Christianity in Turkey (around 330 AD) spawned a rich legacy of religious monuments and architecture, and you’ll see the best examples of these on your tour. Visit a shrine to the Holy Virgin at the Church of St Mary of Blachernae, explore the ruins of ancient Blachernae Palace, walk around the Walls of Constantinople, and more!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Natural naval harbour of the Byzantines named as Golden Horn because of its hornlike shape and golden reflection of the glittering waves under sunshine when viewed from the hill tops.
Visit the Patriarchate at Fener which is the seat of Orthodox Christianity since Constantine The Great’ s declaration of Christianity as the religion of Roman Empire.
Byzantine City Walls surrounded the Acropolis of Byzantium with 22 kms. long fortification with 96 towers and 9 main gates dating back to the 5th century.
Visit the Patriarchate at Fener which is the seat of Orthodox Christianity since Constantine The Great’ s declaration of Christianity as the religion of Roman Empire.
Tekfur Palace (from outside) built in the 12th century adjacent to the city walls. The only surviving pavillion of the Blachernae Palace.
St. Savior in Chora (Kariye Museum), originally a Byzantine monastery with fantastic mosaics and frescoes portraying scenes from the bible, the life and miracles of Jesus.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- 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
- Please note: When reconfirming your booking, your local supplier will advise you on alternative meeting points for hotels which are not accessible
Reviews(7)
<p>Interesting tour. It was nice to get out to other neighbourhoods during our stay. The Chora church was beautiful, definitely worth seeing. Our tour was much shorter than the advertised duration however and it would've been nice to have the extra time to explore.</p>
<p>This tour was ok - a good supplement to the other main tours if you have more days. I would recommend doing the others first.</p>
<p>This was good as far as it went but it was a very short tour i.e under 2 hours total [ although the hotel transfer was 90 minutes each way]. It was very interesting to visit the lovely Chorea Monastary and 2 Orthodox churches. However that was it. I had mainly booked the tour to be able to actually walk about on the walls of Constantinople but we had no more than a quick glimpse as we drove past on the bus so that was disappointing. Many of the people on the bus had also been on a tour in the morning and were not that mobile and the weather was not great so possibly the tour was shorter than usual.</p>
<p>The tour was great! The staff was knowledgable and took us to so many places I wouldn't had been able to find on my own. I recommend the tour for art historians and also for many Greeks who want to discover the beauty and history of the Byzantine Empire</p>
<p>very well organized and presented history of the Byzantine Empire</p>
<p>I was so disappointed to discover that 2 of the 5 places we were supposed to visit were closed for renovations (and will be for the next few months), so we just stopped in front of them in the bus. If they know you can't go to all the places they should either discount the trip or replace them with something else.</p>
