Small Group Istanbul Tour: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque & Bazaar
Recommended by 92% of travelers
Istanbul, Turkey
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Visit four of Istanbul’s most visited attractions in one morning on this express tour. Skip the long lines and head straight inside Hagia Sophia for a guided tour of the museum; visit the magnificent Blue Mosque; and hear about Istanbul’s ancient history at the Hippodrome. End your tour at the Grand Bazaar, where you can enjoy a demonstration of traditional Turkish handicrafts and browse the stalls for souvenirs.
- Skip-the-line admission tickets: save time at top attractions
- Visit three UNESCO-listed attractions in one morning
- Free time to shop for souvenirs at the famous Grand Bazaar
- Hassle-free pickup and drop-off from your Istanbul hotel
What's Included
- Professional Licensed Guiding
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Museum Tickets
- All Fees and Taxes
- Pick up & Drop Off from centrally located hotels on the European Side
- Gratuities (optional)
- Please review the additional notes on your ticket for the appropriate dress code for mosque visits
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Note: Pickup from the hotels starts 1 hour before departure. Please check your messages to see the pick up time from your hotel. We will inform you about the pick up time from your hotel after your booking. Pick up and drop off is included from centrally located hotels on the European Side. Pick up and drop off is also available from Cruise Ship Port. For guest staying in Airbnb and Apartments, please choose a hotel from the list located close to your address. Dress Code:Please note that during visits to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, mini-skirts, shorts, and low-cut dresses are not permitted. Women must cover their heads, and both men and women should wear clothing that covers the knees. If your attire does not meet these guidelines, one-time use items are available for purchase at the mosques.
Operating hours.8:30 am
Itinerary
1
Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Blue Mosque
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Hippodrome
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Grand Bazaar
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- *** When visiting religious buildings such as Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, it is required to cover your shoulders and knees. A light scarf is sufficient. Scarfs can be purchased from the mosques if needed.
- *** On Fridays, the Blue Mosque is closed to touristic visits until the end of the Friday prayer. For this reason, on Fridays, Blue Mosque will be visited from the courtyard only.
- Not recommended for travellers with walking difficulties
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 59 reviews
john_r, Apr 2026
Great guide. Very good historian. Time and distance perfect sites great and interesting and weather perfe5
Vivian_N, Mar 2026
Easy pleasant way to see the city in one day. Our guide Alli was informative and fun! He kept us on schedule and answered ever question.
Carol_H, Feb 2026
Ali was an AMAZING guide. We never felt rushed and he tailored the tour based on what we were most interested in. He is a wealth of information and a joy to be around. We learned so much about the country of Turkey in general, in addition to the sites we visited. I highly recommend him and this tour.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thanks for your review! We're glad you had a fantastic tour. Looking forward to your next visit to Turkey!
Jena_M, Feb 2026
Ali was a great guide. He was friendly and knowledgeable. Since I went in the off-season it was just me so he personalized it based on what I wanted to see. Thank you.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to welcome you again in Turkey.
Mary_W, Nov 2025
Book the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia separately and do the Bazaar on your own.
The rest is a scam. We had barely any time in either Hagia Sophia or the Blue Mosque. When we tried to depart from the group, we were led to a shop and a sales pitch. No thanks.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you for sharing your review. The tour you booked includes Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, and the Grand Bazaar, with no additional visits. The presentation in the bazaar is optional and is often requested by our guests; however, participants are always welcome to explore independently if they prefer. We appreciate your feedback and will take it into consideration as we continue improving our services. We hope to welcome you again in Turkey.
Christoph_P, Nov 2025
Our hotel was nearby the start of the tour at the blue mosque but the pick-up service drove us/let us wait over 40 minutes around the city.
The information and time at the sights was raletively short and then we were guided to a salesshop for shopping experience.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for your feedback. We would like to kindly remind you that you booked a group tour, where we collect guests from various locations, and the tour starts from a designated meeting point. When we checked with your driver about your tour date, we were informed that you were picked up last and driven directly to the meeting point without any additional hotel stops.
While your hotel is indeed close to the first stop, factors such as traffic congestion, road restrictions in Old City, and guests that are not ready on time make it challenging to adjust the itinerary and pick up times on individual cases.
For a more personalized experience with flexible timing, a private tour would have been the better option.
We hope to welcome you again in Turkey soon
Christine_B, Sep 2025
Excellent guide who gave much information that we would have missed out on if we had gone alone. Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque are so overwhelmingly beautiful and inspiring. Warning: dress code is very strict..my dress was below knee when still but considered unsuitable when walking so had to purchase a full length coverall with hood for TL3.00 before I could enter Mosques. I appreciated there was an option as would have been devastating to miss out. Pick up was easy, straight across road from the terminal exit. Most of the tour is walking. The Grand Bizarre is another fabulous experience, but be prepared to say no to the many sales people who approach you...not aggressively though. We loved this tour, and thought Istanbul was amazing
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your feedback! It's wonderful to hear you had a great experience. We hope to see you again in Turkey.
ValG, Aug 2025
The tour was just amazing - 3 top Istanbul attractions and thanks to our super knowledgeable guide and bus driver we learned a lot ❤️❤️❤️
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your feedback! It's wonderful to hear you had a great experience. We hope to see you again in Turkey.
william_h, Jul 2025
Excellent and informative - done at the right pace to make sure all could stay ing group - very accommodating
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for sharing your experience! We're delighted that you enjoyed the tour. See you again in Turkey!
Pura_M, Jun 2025
This half day tour was so informative and more than we expected! Istanbul is a beautiful city with friendly people and we wish we had more time. This was a cruise port stop so had only a few hours to enjoy this vibrant city. I'm glad we did it early in the morning so it wasn't too hot yet. The heat and humidity of Mediterranean summer can bog you down, and we were relieved our bus was well-airconditioned! Our guide, Mr Sakir, was exceptional! Very presentable, spoke English very well and clearly. Talked about the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque in a concise, interesting way. It was a brief but interesting description; just right to keep the attention of our group w/c included young children. Mr Sakir was also very kind and accommodating. He gave us time for photo ops and buy ice cream. And the Grand Bazaar is indeed a feast for the eyes! The carpets were so lovely that I ended up buying one! And they conveniently ship it straight to the US at no addl cost. We all so wished we had another full day to enjoy both the bazaar and the spice market. The Turkish delight we tasted at the spice market was delicious we all bought some! Also, we were on a week-long cruise that started in Italy and I had in mind to purchase a leather jacket in Rome but didn't find any to my liking. Well, I found it in Istanbul; even better than what I had in mind! This half day tour is well worth it. Because our group was a large one, it was just us on the tour and were able to tailor our experience, w/ Mr Sakir's help. I haven't mentioned yet how gracious he is- I accidentally left my Turkish delight purchase and didn't realize it until I was in Greece already. Mr Sakir graciously arranged to send it to the US! He went above and beyond his duty. How's that for Turkish hospitality?!!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for your lovely feedback! We’re happy you had a wonderful tour. We look forward to seeing you again in Turkey.
David_C, May 2025
Great hotel transfers, good tour. I would recommend, four hours in total. Easy to do. Nice itinerary although bazaar wa closed on Sundays.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to welcome you again in Turkey.
Kartheepan_S, Dec 2024
Ali our tour guide was great. This tour hit all the major attractions in the short time I had in Istanbul. We were in the off season so there weren't lines but the skip the line pass would've been critical during busier seasons.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to welcome you again in Turkey.
Wayne_L, Nov 2024
We had a great time on this half day tour. We got to see the sites that we really wanted to. Our tour guide's name was Ali and if you can, I would recommend that you request him. He is very knowledgeable in every place we visited as well as Turkish history and culture. What a wonderful experience.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to welcome you again in Turkey.
Deborah_K, Nov 2024
Loved the Blue Mosque.. beautiful. Tour started early to avoid crowds but left with more than enough time in the carpet showroom near the end .our guide was very good but was probably only 2 hours in duration as we were left free time at the end to explore the Grand Bazaar in our time ....thought trip a little overpriced as Blue Mosque was free entry anyway ..
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you for your feedback! It's wonderful to hear you had a great experience. We would like to kindly clarify that the tour you booked is a three-hour experience. While the Blue Mosque does not require an entrance fee, the Hagia Sophia does, and this fee is included in our tour. We hope to see you again in Turkey.
Harvey_M, Nov 2024
Best walking tour ever! We were Rose’s(I hope I remembered her name correctly) only arrivals… so we had a private tour. Her personal love for the area and her extensive knowledge along with her wonderful personality made us feel that a past college friend from Istanbul was showing us around. We even stopped to share fish finger foods… again, like we were just hanging out together. Next visit we’ll be staying at one of the elegant old hotels she took us to. If you want the best… book this tour.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thanks for your kind review! We will pass your kind word to your guide. We’re pleased you had an enjoyable tour. We hope to welcome you back to Turkey soon.
Jennie_D, Oct 2024
Very interesting but too much walking and standing for older people. Didn’t take us to the grand bazaar just to the area
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you for your review! We provide free time for our guests to explore the Grand Bazaar at their own pace, as it is quite large and everyone has different interests. We look forward to welcoming you back to Turkey!
Cindy_H, Aug 2024
The tour was great - super knowledgeable guide and as this was my first visit to the city, learned a lot in a short time. Time did not allow me to do the full day tour, but would recommend either version as your time permits. Only thing to be aware of - tour is from the Europe side and no hotel pick ups offered from the Asia side. It is far and Istanbul traffic is horrid - make sure to allow lots of time
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you for sharing your experience! We're delighted that you enjoyed the tour. See you again in Turkey!
Terry_T, Aug 2024
This was a great way to see three (3) top attractions in Old Town Istanbul! It.was so easy to skip the long lines and go right in to the attractions. The tour guide was informative and helpful with great information on the city and history of the visited places. I definitely recommend this tour!
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you for your feedback! It's wonderful to hear you had a great experience. We hope to see you again in Turkey.
Warren_M, Aug 2024
All of it. The transfers were great. Communication was great and the your guide was very good. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and was able to share lots of stories and facts.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you for sharing your experience! We're delighted that you enjoyed the tour. See you again in Turkey!
Joanne_V, Aug 2024
I enjoyed visiting the Blue Mosque as well as the Hagia Sophia. Our guide was informative and shared insights and stories that made the sights come alive.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thanks for your review! We're glad you had a memorable tour. Looking forward to your next visit to Turkey!
irooke, Jun 2024
Enjoyed the tour, was good to gain a better understanding from someone who had a detailed understanding. Unfortunately the Grand Bazaar on the day of my tour, so please check before booking.
Brad_O, Jun 2024
The guide was very clear pace was a little faster but you are covering a lot of areas. This is a great stop over tour where you can get to see the main sites while getting info on others in the area. The one thing I will say that prevented the higher review is the sales presentation at the leather store, you have the option of leather or rugs. Remove that nonsense from the tour and you have a full winner it’s a waste of time, maybe offer a shopping tour for those that want to sit and enjoy the part.
Jordan_W, Jun 2024
The tour was amazing. We were shown a large area of historical sights in a short amount of time. Because of that short amount of time, though, the tour was not thorough the information given was helpful. It is not only a tour that adults will enjoy. I enjoyed it and I am 14.
alluri, May 2024
Of the 4 activities only 2 are worth the money, Sofia and Blue mosque.
Other two: one is just a square and the second Grand bazaar which doesn’t need any guide service.
Response from Host, May 2024
Thank you for your review. We’d like to remind you that our tour offers more than just a guided experience at each site. Our package includes pick-up and drop-off from your hotel, which in your case was about an hour's drive from the city center, aiming a comfortable and convenient start and end to your tour. Also, our tours include entrance tickets that let you skip the long queues, especially at popular spots like the Hagia Sophia. Without this service, you would have spent much more time waiting in line. We hope these benefits added to your overall experience, and we appreciate your understanding of the value our tour provides.
Brian_D, Apr 2024
We had a very limited time to see some of the major sites in the Old Town and Ali led us on a great fast-paced tour. He also provided us great tips and helped us to make wise decisions on where to buy things we were interested in. The Turkish rug demonstration near the end of the tour was very informative was a great opportunity for people to purchase a genuine rug (rather than being ripped off) but it was definitely a little longer than anticipated.
Response from Host, May 2024
Thanks for your kind review! We’re pleased you had an enjoyable tour. We hope to welcome you back to Turkey soon.
Linda_S, Nov 2023
Guide was walking very fast. We got separated from the group many times. I didn't feel like he was invested in his job.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are sorry to hear about your experience. Our guides aim to stay ahead of long queues, especially at popular sites like Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, to help guests avoid extended waiting times, which can sometimes be up to 15 minutes or more.
On the day of your tour, there was an additional challenge due to a running race in the Old Town, disrupting the normal operation of our tours. We understand that this may have contributed to a less-than-ideal experience. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again in the future for a more enjoyable tour.
Sabine_K, Oct 2023
A great way to see some me of the beautiful sites of Istanbul if you have only a limited amount of time. From the pickup at the hotel to the end it was very well organized. Our guide Ali was very knowledgeable and pointed out a lot of details I would have missed otherwise. He also gave sound advice how to navigate Istanbul. Already recommended the tour to my colleagues
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to welcome you again in Turkey.
Denise_B, Oct 2023
Ali was a great guide and full of valuable information about the history of the mosques and hippodrome. I did not stay for the Grand Bazaar as it was close to my hotel and I had been through it several times.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to
welcome you again in Turkey.
TERESA_S, Oct 2023
Fantastic morning! We saw all we wanted and Shakir our guide was magnificent! Going in a small group is well worth it, you go quicker and faster and beat the crowds! Highly recommend it
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to
welcome you again in Turkey.
Renee_W, Oct 2023
Shakir was a great tour guide. Gave you enough information without making it boring. I took the 1/2 day tour and saw everything I expected and had a good time.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Thank you for your review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the tour. We look forward to
welcome you again in Turkey.
From $65.65
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