Istanbul Combo Tour: Private Old City & Bosphorus Cruise

Recommended by 100% of travelers

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Istanbul, Turkey

7 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Follow winding streets to domes, minarets, and vibrant markets on a full-day private tour of Istanbul’s most iconic sites. Enjoy the flexibility of a private tour, so you can fully experience the sites that interest you most. Enter the Old City gates to discover Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Hippodrome Square and a pair of remarkable bazaars, then finish the day with an optional sightseeing cruise on the Bosphorus.

Full-day private tour of Istanbul's Old City
Visit key sites with a personal guide
Get a great overview and orientation of Istanbul
Learn about local history and culture
Perfect for first-time visitors

What's Included

Private Tour
Professional Local Guide

Admission fees, ferry tickets
Transportation

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

*If van service is not booked your guide will pick you up ONLY at centrally located hotels or Galataport ON FOOT. The meeting point will be the German Fountain if the hotel is not centrally located and not accessible by public transportation. **If private van service is booked, we pick up from all central hotels, please note that there will be a surcharge if your hotel is outside the city center or on the Asian Side. ***Tours that are booked without van service could easily be operated by tram, funicular and ferries. ****Tours starting from the airports should be booked with van service and additional payment is required as the airports are outside the pick-up zone.

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Meet your personal guide at your hotel or port (if option is selected), then head to the heart of the Old City to explore a series of all-star Istanbul destinations. Visit the Hagia Sophia to see an intriguing blend of Christian and Islamic influences, from Byzantine mosaics to minarets.

Enter a world of sultans and courtiers at Topkapi Palace, where the colorful Ottoman Court lived in luxurious pavilions and sheltered harems behind high stone walls. Hear the story of Mehmet the Conqueror, who built the palace following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, and learn about the centuries of palace intrigues and drama that followed his reign.

Immerse yourself in the scents, sounds, and colors of Istanbul’s two great markets. Shop for carpets, handicrafts, and antiques at the sprawling Grand Bazaar, then browse exotic spices, teas, brightly dyed nuts and lokum—the traditional sweet known as Turkish delight—beneath the high-arched ceilings of the Spice Market.

Customize the tour to your interests, with the option for a sightseeing cruise along the Bosphorus Strait. Purchase tickets for a public ferry or private yacht onsite, and spot Istanbul’s elegant waterside villas, palaces, and fortifications from the water, then finish the day with a convenient return transfer to your hotel or port, if chosen. Entrance fees not included, select transportation option when purchasing.

Sultanahmet District

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Hippodrome

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Blue Mosque

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Sultanahmet Square

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Grand Bazaar

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Misir Carsisi

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Bosphorus Strait

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia are closed until 2pm on Fridays, will be visited in the afternoon. Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays
Not wheelchair accessible
Guests located in Sultanahmet will be near the museums so if you book van service, it will not be used effectively
Informative, kid-friendly and professional guide
Stroller accessible

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.9

based on 29 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Great intro to Istanbul!

Stacey_C, Apr 2022

Ugur was a great guide. Very personable and knowledgeable. The itinerary had to change a bit due to an event happening in Istanbul that day, but we still saw all that we set out to see, thanks to his flexibility.

This was a private tour of Istanbul...

Anthony_V, May 2016

This was a private tour of Istanbul combined with a cruise of the Bosphorus. They greeted me at my hotel, and let me set the tone and the pace. I had completed some basic research and knew what I wanted to see. My guide Ahmet took this one step further and enabled me to assist him in determining what I sites I should experience to make the best use of my time. He did this by initiating a pleasant dialog that allowed me to communicate just what I wanted to gain from this personal and private tour. The tour company: Good communication, my tour was confirmed immediately by e-mail. Once I was in Turkey, I also spoke to a company representative just to re-confirm my tour arrangements. The were very friendly and helpful and let me know when and where my guide would meet me, they even let me know the name of my guide. My tour guide: He was early, in fact I was late - this tells you a lot about the tour guide and the tour company, Professional very easy going personality, immediately made me feel comfortable and welcome.Do you want someone who has rehearsed the facts and figures, or do you want a guide that sincerely knows what he or she is talking about. I felt that Ahmet was a student of his own craft, he learned the history behind places and historical figures he was showing me.I was made to feel welcome, as a tourist in an unfamiliar city and country, this is very important as well as comforting. The best thing about a private tour with this local company: They were professional, they were understanding of my needs and what I wanted to get out of this tour, they let me set the tone and the pace of my tour. Plain and simple, they gave me the Istanbul experience I was looking for. I highly recommend taking a private and personal tour with this company. You will not get the same kind of personal attention when you're shuffling around from site to site in a large group. I would book with them again, absolutely!