Istanbul Ottoman Tour: Topkapi Palace and Blue Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover Ottoman history at the Blue Mosque and the illustrious Topkapi Palace during this guided morning tour in Istanbul. See Istanbul’s most famous monuments and enjoy a visit to the Hippodrome once the heart of Constantinople.
- Four-hour morning tour of Istanbul's most famous Ottoman relics
- Hippodrome and Obelisk
- Ottoman architecture and museums of Topkapi Palace
- Shopping for bargain souvenirs in the Grand Bazaar
- English-speaking guide
- Pick-up and drop-off from central Istanbul hotels
What's Included
- Meeting point for pick up
- Professional guide
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.9:00 am
Itinerary
Meet your guide at your central hotel in Istanbul and begin your tour of the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. Hop aboard your convenient ride and head to the Blue Mosque (also referred to as Sultan Ahmet Mosque) one of the premier attractions in Turkey and an important Islamic monument. Built during Ottoman rule under the direction of Sultan Ahmet, admire the six minarets that tower over the dome structure. Then, observe the main chamber’s 20,000 Iznik tiles that are illuminated by 260 windows.
Next, head to Topkapi Palace, the illustrious pinnacle of the Ottoman Empire. Visit one of the world’s oldest and largest palaces full of elegant chambers and heirloom treasures. Stroll with your guide and delve into the interesting history of this palace that sits along the coastline of the Golden Horn.
Continue from Topkapi Palace to the former heart and soul of Constantinople's sporting and political center, the Hippodrome. Learn about this lively area which for 500 years was home to Ottoman sports and even riots! Now a city park called At Meydanı (Horse Grounds), hear how it drew its name from former chariot races. Then, walk with your guide to the ancient granite Obelisk and discover how it was transported from Egypt to Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius in the late 4th century.
Finish your tour with a ride back to your Istanbul hotel.
Please note: On Fridays the Blue Mosque will be closed until 2:30pm for prayer, entry will not be permitted and on Tuesdays Topkapi Palace is closed.
Next, head to Topkapi Palace, the illustrious pinnacle of the Ottoman Empire. Visit one of the world’s oldest and largest palaces full of elegant chambers and heirloom treasures. Stroll with your guide and delve into the interesting history of this palace that sits along the coastline of the Golden Horn.
Continue from Topkapi Palace to the former heart and soul of Constantinople's sporting and political center, the Hippodrome. Learn about this lively area which for 500 years was home to Ottoman sports and even riots! Now a city park called At Meydanı (Horse Grounds), hear how it drew its name from former chariot races. Then, walk with your guide to the ancient granite Obelisk and discover how it was transported from Egypt to Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius in the late 4th century.
Finish your tour with a ride back to your Istanbul hotel.
Please note: On Fridays the Blue Mosque will be closed until 2:30pm for prayer, entry will not be permitted and on Tuesdays Topkapi Palace is closed.
1
Blue Mosque
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Hippodrome
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
TopkapI Palace
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
German Fountain
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Obelisk of Theodosius
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Hagia Irene Museum
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Confirmation for this tour will be received at the time of booking
- In the event of any museum closures, an alternative similar museum will be visited
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.2
based on 34 reviews
MariaTherese_L, May 2022
The location of the palace so close to the mosque and the exhibits were great! Our guide was very knowledgeable and shared very interesting information.
Shirls, Dec 2021
Amazing tour of the main attractions in Istanbul. The tour guide Ali was exceptional and very informative
Henco_V, Jul 2021
Very well planned and executed tour. The guide was very well spoken and friendly. Would do this tour again - a must for anyone with only a few hours on their hands!
Mobile27655510110, Mar 2019
We had a great guide that showed us the ins and outs of the city. He hit on a lot of historical points but did not bore us one bit!
MaryAnn_R, Aug 2018
Excellent. It was pouring the rain that day, but was still a very nice and excellent tour.
SIDNEY L, Nov 2015
Tour guide could have been more engaging. Tour was an average standard, have been on better tours.
Louise D, Sep 2015
Excellent guide providing very good information all along the tour
tidewatchers, May 2015
Great experience. This was a small group of 10, picked up on time and spent a half day in Istanbul. Great service from our guide gudyi and very interesting to visit the mosque and palace. Have a guide and tickets got us through the long lines easily. We would recommend this for anyone visiting Turkey.
Carina, Oct 2014
We had a very nice tour – both places are definitely worth a visit. We had a great guide whose English was very good. The places were very crowded, especially the Topkapi Palace, but he managed to gather us aside and explain what we were about to see in the next room for example and then we could go have a look and meet up again for more information about the next stop. It was very well organized and our guide was very informative and knowledgeable.
Sorrel B, Sep 2014
This was a half day trip , the guide was brilliant and we were a small group of nine, everything run to time , he was interesting and informative . Enjoyable morning .
hamsa_m, Sep 2014
We had a great guide who arrived promptly to pick us up and was very professional in giving commentary. We have been happy with Neon Tours in Turkey.
Brian L, Aug 2014
Tour was worthwhile to miss the queues and the tour guide was really informative
Zena M, Jul 2014
This tour was great! The tour guide Sevilay was fantastic and informative..the pick up and drop off were perfect and it made life much easier in this busy crazy city..also skip the queues that you may spend hours in otherwise!!
Shirley T, May 2014
We arrived in Istanbul late on Sunday. Unbeknown to us our hotel had been changed without us being notified so the tour group running your tour, had the wrong hotel for pickup on Monday morning. We tried both numbers you had given us to contact them but neither were answering on Sunday.. Early on Monday morning a hotel staff member phoned them for us and was told that our hotel was too far out for them to pick us up and we would have to make our own way to the pickup point in the old town half an hour away and pickup time was in half an hour's time.A very quick taxi ride at peak hour, 8am, got us there with minutes to spare. However, the bus did drop us off in the afternoon. The tour itself was wonderful and the guide excellent. Shirley
Aynul_A, Apr 2014
Our guide was brilliant, funny and a good advisor on the things we need to look out for. This is a must-see tour in Istanbul, not to be missed!
Ghada A, Mar 2014
It was an amazing experience with professional and responsible team
Badrul A, Jan 2014
The tour guide was very knowledgable about the blue mosque's history and architecture. It is unbelievable how those people built this magnificent building during their time. In the Topkapi, the tour was packed because there was too many interesting small museums, but it was fantastic to see ancient armoury and clocks and watches, so engaging that we feel not enough time in this half day tour.
Robert S, Nov 2013
Excellent guide. However, the morning ended around 11:30 or so, we were back by noon or just after, a bit short, I thought, not 4 hours, barely three.
Maira, Nov 2013
The guide was very nice and highly informative, also these places are amazing. However, the time we spent in the Palace however was not enough for me. I needed to go a second time to check the Harem (not inclueded in this tour) and the back garden and private rooms, last par of Topikapi. I would say that this is a perfect tour for people that have a counted time and want to check the place but has to rush. If you appreciate the crafts and its details, you 'll probably need the whole afternoon only for Topikapi.
Rahmah_N, Sep 2013
Our tour was supposed to be 1pm to 5pm. Instead oh having our own tour we were placed in a tour that already have started at 8am and we only went to two places instead of what was mentioned in the itinerary. That was terrible.
Timothy B, Sep 2013
Brilliant guide, very knowledgable. Same complaint--the carpet ttour tacked on without advance notice. If I wanted to buy a carpet or find out about carpets i would book a specific tour. Again we felt railroaded into watching the demonstration to be polite and did not stay for the hard sell and tea!
It spoiled a very good experience.
AQMAL_A, Aug 2013
Knowledgeable guide. Topkapi Palace could be better with the Harem section. The tour concludes with a pitch in a carpet shop.
sinha.sangita, Jan 2012
This is surely not a popular tour and I could guess why so.
--This tour is done thru a third party so there are many inconsistencies in viator itinerary and what the third party provides you.
a.Guide was told to do either Rustam Pasha Mosque OR Sulemaniye Mosque.On showing the itinerary though she took us to Sulemaniye.
b.As per viator itinerary there is Grand Bazaar involved but guide told us it was not so..We didn't mind as we had Hagia Sophia tour the other day and anyway it was being covered in there.
c.There was some itinerary change of which we had no prior information.She came on Monday morning instead of afternoon. Thankfully it was early and we had not made any other plans having arrived just the day before. So we went ahead..
--Guide was poorly informed giving us facts like spoon diamond is called so as its shaped like spoon. When asked about architecture of Sulemaniye Mosque,its typical ottoman.Well I already know that don't I..
--Guide didnt even take us inside the state rooms/treasury rooms.I could see other guides in there explaining stuff to visitors.
I was not happy with this tour and the quality of guide made me believe I could have been the guide myself.
HANNA L, Nov 2011
Very interesting. Unfortunately very crowded. Difficult to see anything and no time for the harem because of the waits. Not the tours fault. It is what it is.
Krishnan Vaitheeswaran, May 2011
Easiest way to beat the serpentine queues - the sights are magnificent.
Paul C, Jun 2010
Enjoyed this trip and the guide was very good as he had a lot of knowledge about the Topkapi Palace, however, we did not stay for very long at the other site, Mosque of Soleman. I thought the tour was too short, it should have gone on for another hour. However, overall it was good and I recommend the guide.
Margaret F, Jan 2010
Myself and my husband were the only 2 on the tour and our guide was wonderful! Very informative and a lovely friendly fellow. The palace was wonderful, and we visited the Blue Mosque instead of The Mosque of Soleman, as it was closed on the day. After the tour ended our guide offered to walk us through Taksim Square. It was really enjoyable! I would definitely recommend the tour for value for money, excellent tour guide and transportation provided.
Rory M, Oct 2008
Really good. Had a guide, a Merc minibus and driver just for the two of us. Our "half day tour" was from 1pm to about 7pm and even then the guide was in no hurry home. In the end we felt guilty had to tell him to go on home! He was really excellent. Much better than the Ship organized tours which are twice the price, shorter and much less personal.
Desmond T, Jul 2008
It was a good tour with a fantastic guide. However, the half day tour actually did not include Grand Bazaar and we ended up walking to the Blue Mosque ourselves. The problem was that those attractions were only included in the whole day trip.
Ginger R, Nov 2007
We had to meet another group to combine coaches which wasted a lot of time. We didn't even visit the bazaar.
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