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Istanbul Historical Tour with Guide, Lunch and Transfers
Badge of ExcellenceIstanbul, Turkey
Likely to Sell Out
From $155.00
Select Date and Travelers
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
- 8 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Experience Istanbul’s timeless sights on a full-day tour of the city’s history, with lunch and transfers. Listen for the ancient echoes of pounding hooves at the Hippodrome and admire the distinctive tiles of the Blue Mosque. See the Byzantine mosaics of Hagia Sophia, then follow in the footsteps of powerful sultans, courtiers, and generals at Topkapi Palace. Finish your tour in the vibrant Grand Bazaar, browsing handicrafts, carpets, and souvenirs.
- Hit Istanbul's key historic highlights, including Hagia Sophia, in a day
- Numbers are capped at 15 travelers for a more personal experience
- Relax over a set lunch at an authentic traditional restaurant
- Explore Turkish culture at Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, and the bazaar
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off ( only from the hotels, not other address)
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Visit to the Harem in Topkapi Palace is not included (own expense)
- Drinks
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Start time
08:00 AM
Pickup details
We pick up from Central located hotels in Istanbul. Please contact with us if your hotel is out of city limits.
What To Expect
Your full-day tour of Istanbul begins with pickup directly at your hotel and transfer on board an air-conditioned vehicle to the Blue Mosque, where you’ll enter with prebooked tickets, your guide, and your small group.
Admire the building’s architecture and learn about its history before continuing to the Hippodrome. After a guided stroll through the ancient chariot stadium, move on to the Hagia Sophia for an in-depth tour of its mosaic-lined expanse with admission tickets included.
Take a break for a restaurant lunch featuring traditional Turkish dishes before heading to Topkapi Palace to tour with your guide. Admission is included, but should you wish to visit the harem, additional tickets are at your own expense.
End by exploring the Grand Bazaar, learning how to spot authentic carpets and other handicrafts from your guide. After time to browse, return to your hotel with your driver.
Admire the building’s architecture and learn about its history before continuing to the Hippodrome. After a guided stroll through the ancient chariot stadium, move on to the Hagia Sophia for an in-depth tour of its mosaic-lined expanse with admission tickets included.
Take a break for a restaurant lunch featuring traditional Turkish dishes before heading to Topkapi Palace to tour with your guide. Admission is included, but should you wish to visit the harem, additional tickets are at your own expense.
End by exploring the Grand Bazaar, learning how to spot authentic carpets and other handicrafts from your guide. After time to browse, return to your hotel with your driver.
Blue Mosque
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Hippodrome
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Hagia Sophia Mosque
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Topkapi Palace
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Grand Bazaar Jewelers
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Passport name, number and country is required at time of booking for all participants
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
Traveler Photos
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Reviews
4.5
517 reviews
lefink2002, May 2024
Our guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about all the places we went and kept us on schedule. We would love to have another tour with him ("Jen" is maybe his name?)
Rosa_R, May 2024
Very knowledgeable and well paced. Recommend it to my friends.
You should not rquire a mininimum size for comments.
Response from Host, May 2024
Dear Madame, greetings from Karavan Travel. Thank you very much for your kind review towards
the tour which was operated by Karavan Travel. Nice to host you in Istanbul and hoping to
serve you in the future again. Best Regards, Burak
Erin_Y, May 2024
This was a packed day full of history and site seeing. Our tour guide, Jan, was amazing - knowledgeable, friendly, and dynamic. He gave great insight for each site and the context to frame it in. He also gave us the local perspective on what we were seeing, where to eat, and what to do after our tour. We did several tours in the city and he was by far our favorite guide.
The sites themselves are amazing and definitely worth a visit.
Response from Host, May 2024
Dear Madame, greetings from Karavan Travel. Thank you very much for your kind review towards
the tour which was operated by Karavan Travel. Nice to host you in Istanbul and hoping to
serve you in the future again. Best Regards, Burak
Gordon_H, May 2024
What was supposed to be a max 15 participant tour turned out to be basically a private tour with just 4 of us, 2 couples. As a result Ali was able to adjust the tour to take advantage of the shorter lineups at the various sites which really reduced the amount of time waiting in lineups. Ali was very knowledgable and able to give us detailed historical information about the Blue Mosque, Haiga Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar and answer all our questions. The included lunch, pre-set was great with a authentic Turkish menu. The Turkish coffee, which was extra was a bit pricey.
Response from Host, May 2024
Dear Sir, greetings from Karavan Travel. Thank you very much for your kind review towards
the tour which was operated by Karavan Travel. Nice to host you in Istanbul and hoping to
serve you in the future again. Best Regards, Burak
Ximena_A, May 2024
Excellent guide , his name was Han , very educated, knowledgeable young man, with pleasant manners . Enjoyed the long day spent with him in this tour. The lunch provided was nice, the restaurant had a great view to the sea.
I would recommend this tour. Worth the money.
Response from Host, May 2024
Dear Sir/Madame, greetings from Karavan Travel. Thank you very much for your kind review towards
the tour which was operated by Karavan Travel. Nice to host you in Istanbul and hoping to
serve you in the future again. Best Regards, Burak
Gabriela_H, Apr 2024
I would recommend this tour for the easiness of the itinerary. (We were a party of 5, and another couple joined for a total 7 people.) First they pick you up at your hotel or a hotel near your airbnb. They take you around in a private van to the sights. Skip the line entrance is included so we virtually walked in without much waiting. We were lucky, went early in the morning and not during high season. Ali our tour guide was great. He was informative, explained the history of our sights and his English excellent. We then went with Ali to a rooftop restaurant with the most magnificent sights of Istanbul and Mosques for lunch. It was a set menu and the food was delicious. We also had a beautiful sunny day and the views were just gorgeous. At the end of tour they take you to the Grand Bazaar and they ask how long you would like to stay and meeting points for return. The Bazaar was extremely crowded. But that is normal. Thank you Ali for a wonderful day! We were able to see the most sought out important sights in one day in a private tour and transportation. I thought it was worth it.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Dear Sir/Madame, greetings from Karavan Travel. Thank you very much for your kind review towards
the tour which was operated by Karavan Travel. Nice to host you in Istanbul and hoping to
serve you in the future again. Best Regards, Burak
hripsime_l, Apr 2024
Amazing tour!!!! Tour guide Jan was extremely friendly and very knowledgeable! Enjoyed every moment and learned a ton about history and religion today!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Dear Sir/Madame, greetings from Karavan Travel. Thank you very much for your kind review towards
the tour which was operated by Karavan Travel. Nice to host you in Istanbul and hoping to
serve you in the future again. Best Regards, Burak
Bill_J, Apr 2024
Baruk was our fabulous tour guide shown in the picture at a wonderful restaurant overlooking Istanbul and the Bosporus. If we ever have the good fortune to return to Istanbul, we would use him again in a heartbeat!! He picked us up at our cruise terminal and returned us to the exact same spot.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Dear Sir, greetings from Karavan Travel. Thank you very much for your kind review towards
the tour which was operated by Karavan Travel. Nice to host you in Istanbul and hoping to
serve you in the future again. Best Regards, Burak
Ida_W, Apr 2024
Tour guide was contacted numerous times by work throughout tour and then had to leave us and we were pushed into another group halfway through. Guides were both knowledgeable but not overly engaging.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Dear Sir/Madame, Greetings from Karavan Travel. We are sorry to receive a negative review from the our guests directly, unfortunately in daily operations such kind of issues might occur beyond our wish/control. We will take your comments into consideration for our future bookings and to improve our service quality. Best Regards, Burak.
Indranil_S, Mar 2024
The day was very well planned out and our guide Ali was very friendly and knowledgeable. We didn’t need to rush through any place and had a great time knowing the history and understanding how the architectures of Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Hippodrome evolved. Perfect day in this lovely city and friendly people, thanks to Ali.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Dear Sir, greetings from Karavan Travel. Thank you very much for your kind review towards
the tour which was operated by Karavan Travel. Nice to host you in Istanbul and hoping to
serve you in the future again. Best Regards, Burak
...
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