Private group tour — quote on request. Private · 8 hours · Hotel pickup · All entries included
Book as a tour: Istanbul Old City Tour
Istanbul is home to more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than almost any other city on earth. Our private full-day tour covers the essential Ottoman and Byzantine highlights — all in one day, with a professional guide, skip-the-line access, and lunch included. No shared buses, no waiting for strangers.
What's Included
- Professional English guide
- Private AC vehicle
- Hotel pickup & drop-off
- Hagia Sophia entry
- Topkapi Palace entry
- Basilica Cistern entry
- Traditional lunch
- All tolls & parking
- Bottled water
Full Day Itinerary
- 09:00
- Hotel Pickup. Driver collects you from your hotel lobby
- 09:30
- Hagia Sophia. 6th-century Byzantine masterpiece, now a mosque — skip-the-line entry
- 10:45
- Blue Mosque. Iconic six-minaret Ottoman mosque across Sultanahmet Square
- 11:30
- Topkapi Palace. 500 years of Ottoman empire — throne rooms, Harem, treasury
- 13:00
- Traditional Lunch. Local restaurant in Sultanahmet — Turkish kebab and mezze included
- 14:00
- Grand Bazaar. 4,000+ shops inside the world's oldest covered market
- 15:00
- Basilica Cistern. Atmospheric 6th-century underground Roman reservoir
- 16:00
- Spice Bazaar. Colourful market full of Turkish spices, teas and lokum
- 17:00
- Hotel Drop-off. Return to your hotel or chosen city point
Key Sites
- Hagia Sophia
- 537 AD. Originally a Byzantine cathedral, then Ottoman mosque, now a mosque again. The largest cathedral in the world for nearly 1,000 years.
- Topkapi Palace
- 1478–1856. Home of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years. Houses the Prophet's cloak, Spoonmaker's Diamond, and Harem apartments.
- Blue Mosque
- 1616 AD. Only mosque in Istanbul with six minarets. Named for the 20,000 hand-painted Iznik tiles inside. Still active for prayer.
- Grand Bazaar
- 1461 AD. One of the world's oldest covered markets. 61 streets, 4,000+ shops. Carpets, jewellery, spices, ceramics, leather.
Practical Information
- Duration
- 8 hours
- Group type
- Private only
- Language
- English
- Start
- 09:00
- Max passengers
- Up to 8
- Meals
- Lunch included
- Dress code
- Cover shoulders/knees for mosques
- Pickup
- Hotel or agreed point
