Secret Treasures of Istanbul Private Tour with Lunch
About this activity
Highlights
- Explore Istanbul's hidden gems
- Skip-the-line access to major attractions
- Private tour with expert local guide
- Traditional Turkish lunch experience
- Discover off-the-beaten-path sites
Full description
Included / Excluded
- Skip-the-line access to top attractions
- Private guided tour with expert local guide
- Traditional Turkish lunch at a local restaurant
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Itinerary
Hagia Sophia: One of the greatest marvels of architecture,hagia Sophia was founded as basilica in the 6th century.Built by the order of Byzantine Emperor Justinianus, St Sophia was largest cathedral in the world for nearly thousand years;it is considered the masterpiece of Byzantine architecture.
This extra ordinarary and full of secrets,palace was the residance of the Imperial Ottoman Sultans and center of the Ottoman Ampire for nearly 400 yeras.The building is a typcial example of Ottoman architecture and the rooms exhibits rich collections of porcelains, robes, weapons, shields, armours, Ottoman miniatures, Islamic calligraphic manuscripts as well as Ottoman treasures and jewellery
is the size of a cathedral; it is 143m long and 65m wide and can hold up to 80,000 cubic meters (or 17.5 million gallons) of water. There are 336 giant columns (mostly Ionic or Corinthian in style) supporting the structure in 12 rows of 28 columns.
Visit Harem of the Ottoman Sultans in Topkapi Palace
Built by the Ottoman Sultan Ahmet I in the year 1616, it is located opposite the Hagia Sophia. Blue mosque today is one of the most famous landmarks of the old city with its famous six minarets and magnificent dome. Although it is officially named Sultanahmet Mosque, the (nıck) name Blue Mosque was given to it by the visitors because of the amazing blue tiles decorating the interior walls.
Pass by: Built by the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus in 203AD, during the Roman period hippodrome was the civil center for the people of the city where once 100,000 spectators could be held. Located in the heart of Sultanahmet surrounded by Blue mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace, today it is home to The Egyptian Obelisk (Dikilitaş), The Serpentine Column(Burma sütun), The Constantine Column, and German Fountain.
With 18 entrances and more than 4000 shops, it is one of the greatest bazaars in the world. It was built between 1455-1461 by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. Today, shops selling the same kind of merchandise tend to be congregated in their own streets or inns as it was the original Ottoman system.
Important information
Know before you book
- Tour operates rain or shine; dress appropriately for the weather.
- Please inform the operator of any dietary restrictions in advance.
- Children under 6 years old are not permitted on this tour.
Know before you go
- Wear comfortable walking shoes for exploring various sites.
- Bring a camera to capture the stunning architecture and landscapes.
- Carry a bottle of water to stay hydrated throughout the tour.
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Accessibility
- Stroller Accessible
- Easy Public Transport
- Infant Seats Available
Good to know
- Entry fees to Topkapi Palace (55 USD), Hagia Sophia (30 USD), Basilica Cister (25 USD) are excluded
- Your guide will have skıp-the-line tıckets, so you will skip long ticket lines
- Free entry for kids 8yr and below (take passport for children if any)
- Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesdays
- Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays
- We guarantee that you will be dropped off at the port before your ship onboard time. (for cruise guests)
- Pick-up times will be updated according to your cruise arrival&departure times. (for cruise guests)
Traveler reviews
An excellently organised tour. Thank you for a truly wonderful and memorable trip!
An absolutely superb tour!! All the magical places to visit in Turkey neatly packed into one fabulous trip with the extra comfort of a private vehicle. The whole trip was organised very well. Kerem, at the tour agency, went out of his way to help and change our itinerary to fit our needs. Any issues were resolved promptly and my friend and I had the most enjoyable and stress-free holiday! Kerem even managed to get us Japanese speaking guides (which I'm sure was not an easy task), which made a world of difference to my friend who only speaks Japanese and very limited English!! A truly excellent service. All the guides provided on our tour had great knowledge of Turkish history and culture. The hotels and restaurants included in the tour were very nice; the cave hotel in Cappadocia was magnificent! The whole trip ran very smoothly, despite a full schedule and various moving parts to the trip. As it was a private tour for the whole 11 days, we also had flexibility to visit some vineyards along the way to enjoy some local wines which was absolutely wonderful. Sitting in a beautiful vineyard with a glass of wine with my childhood friend really was the icing on the cake. Highly recommended.
great planning and arrangement by the tour agency
the whole trip was great as i was traveling with my mum only. I had booked this tour via internet and of course reading all the review before the booking. despite it was my first time traveling to turkey and also my first time doing a local tour booking from the internet. i have to say the agency did a great job with all the arrangement as the all pick up and dropped off at different places, different times etc are all done smoothly. I was alittle worry during the trip as we were taking private coach bus by ourselves and alittle lost on which stops to alight but great that all the people we met during the trip gave us lots of help. plus the planning of the tour agency was right on time, as once we got off the bus, our local car pick up is there waiting for us etc. other than catching the public bus coach can be in a rush but we manage to get it done. the whole tour is cool, everything is great and enjoy the trip very much.