Istanbul Highlights Private Tour

Experience all the Highlights in Istanbul in a day.

Our Istanbul Highlights itinerary will immerse you into the life and culture of Sultanahmet through visits to the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace.

Istanbul’s Sultanahmet is awe-inspiring and beloved by visitors because of these three prestigious hillside monuments.

In a single day, our Istanbul Highlights tour efficiently covers the so-called Hill of Dreams which is comprised of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia,  Topkapi Palace, and the Grand Bazaar. Together, they form the heart of Istanbul’s most important sites.

Blue Mosque
(Closed Friday mornings until the end of noon prayer; expect long lines at high season)

The world-famous Blue Mosque is one of Istanbul’s premier sights. Sultan Ahmet’s imperial mosque is a working mosque with fascinating tile work–21,043 tiles in total, to be precise–in every shade of blue. The Blue Mosque in Istanbul is an essential part of Istanbul Highlights tour as it allows us to cover both mosque architecture and the basics of Islam in a very relevant setting.

Topkapı Palace

Witness the glory of the Ottomans with your own eyes. Opulent, complex and mysterious Topkapı Palace inspires awe in Istanbul’s visitors and is a must to see in our Highlights of Istanbul tour.

The Palace was the home and seat of the government of the Ottomans for nearly 400 years. It was the beating heart of the great Ottoman Empire, ruled over by the monarch who lived in Topkapı’s hundreds of rooms with his vast family and servants.

Our tour also includes the gorgeous outer terraced gardens, (not included in any other tour in Istanbul) where flowerbeds are ablaze with multi-colored tulips. We stroll up to the high terrace to admire the unmissable view over the Golden Horn.

Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia alone justifies a visit to Istanbul. Also called the Church of Holy Wisdom, it is both impressive and important due to its extraordinary dimensions and haunting beauty.

The Church’s dome was a daring feat of engineering in the 6th century, and today’s engineers still marvel at the building’s many innovations. It remains the most popular museum in the city, which explains why all of our guides love it, too. You can expect to have in-depth explanations of the monument from them as you take part in our Istanbul Highlights tour.

Grand Bazaar

Mehmet II built the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul in 1463 after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. It is, therefore, a classical example of Ottoman civil architecture in Istanbul, deserving of a visit not only for shopping opportunities but also for its astonishing infrastructure.

This ultimate medieval shopping center is an expansive hive of little shops all coexisting under one roof. As you let yourself get a bit lost in the labyrinthine alleys between the stalls, look up to see the arches overhead.

As Turkey’s largest and oldest covered market, the Grand Bazaar truly offers a unique shopping experience. What can you find there? Iznik Tiles of glass crystal and quartz, and traditional woven items in organic cotton, linen, and silk. Or colorful kaftans, endless jewelry and trinkets, pashmina throws, leather jackets, inlaid backgammon sets, magic carpets, golden bangles, and copper plates. Pause your search to make a friend and have an interesting conversation over Turkish tea in small, traditional glasses.

The Grand Bazaar is a great way to start or end your experience in Istanbul. During the tour, we point out shops that we like, and you’ll want to linger after the tour ends to find gorgeous souvenirs for the folks back at home.