Enjoy a private full-day tour of Istanbul designed around your time in port. Meet your guide at Galataport and return there at the end of the tour, with the day planned to help you make the most of your time ashore.
Travel from Galataport to Sultanahmet by tram with your private guide, avoiding Istanbul traffic on your way to the historic Old Town. Choose between two ticket options: purchase your entrance tickets in advance when booking, or buy them directly from your guide during the tour.
Begin at the Blue Mosque, where blue Iznik tiles cover the interior and your guide brings its Ottoman architecture and Islamic traditions into context. Continue across the Hippodrome, once the center of public life in Constantinople, to see the Egyptian Obelisk, Serpent Column, and German Fountain.
Step underground into the Basilica Cistern, where hundreds of Byzantine columns rise from the water beneath the city. Walk along the platforms and discover the story behind its famous Medusa heads.
Continue to Hagia Sophia and trace the layers of its long history, from Byzantine cathedral to Ottoman mosque, museum, and its place in Istanbul today.
Take a break for lunch at a local restaurant before visiting Topkapi Palace, the center of Ottoman power for centuries. Explore its courtyards, pavilions, gardens, and terraces while hearing stories of the sultans and the empire they ruled.
Finish at the Grand Bazaar, following your guide through its maze of shops selling Iznik tiles, silk, jewelry, leather goods, carpets, and more.
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